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I'm slowly posting questions on the 'scratch my head' issues that have arisen on Project Marty since having had the car blasted.

Today's puzzle is a repair that I have on both rear wings. It *looks* like the repairer has placed slits in the wings, then reformed the panel and welded it but I've never seen anything like it before. This had been covered up by black gunk on the inside and filler on the outside but the blasting has removed it all and left this.

Anyone seen anything like it before?

Yep, the rear wing has been damaged and the metal has stretched. Once it's stretched, it's pretty well impossible to 'unstretch' it. So to make it all flat and smooth again. slit the metal. make a couple of spaces/gaps so that the stretched metal can take up the gap and then carefully weld up the gap.

At least, that how it looks to me

As Peter suggests, probably stretched metal. I've seen that kind of repair on floors mostly.

Peter Laidler wrote: ↑Sat Jun 29, 2024 11:58 am Yep, the rear wing has been damaged and the metal has stretched. Once it's stretched, it's pretty well impossible to 'unstretch' it. So to make it all flat and smooth again. slit the metal. make a couple of spaces/gaps so that the stretched metal can take up the gap and then carefully weld up the gap.

At least, that how it looks to me

Makes total sense. Thank you.

I'm now left with the decision of whether to keep it as-is (and as original as possible) or replace the rear wing in toto.

Decisions, decisions.

What does it look like on the other side ?

Exminiman wrote: ↑Sat Jun 29, 2024 1:32 pm What does it look like on the other side ?

Like this (please excuse odd lighting. Car is upside down on a rotisserie and when I rotate the image, the lighting makes it look a little trippy):

If I was doing it, I would want to get rid of that previous poor repair and fit a new panel now that they are available to a good quality. I do believe in preserving good original panels where possible but to me, that area has been butchered beyond sensible repair and should be cut away and replaced.

For interest....this video linked below shows how even some deep dents, in this case on a modern MINI rear side panel, can be repaired today, using the various Paintless Dent Removal (PDR) tools and skills to use them with no filler needed.

Quote:
"This MINI was a recent job, the customer called to say her car had been damaged by passers by falling/kicking the side of the car and leaving a hefty looking dent. The repair was done using only the latest Glue repair tools and a bit of skill!" Filmed to show you how the repair is carried out:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tht2TT8M9Qk

If there are no rust problems in that rear panel and the welding of the slits is up to scratch, it really comes down to your choice of whether you prefer a new panel or the original with a skim of filler. A good body repair person could make either way of repair look perfect and the costs involved for either method of repair may also be a factor to consider when deciding.

Using whole panels can be less time consuming in the long run than fiddling with a lot of small repair patches, though it can be a bit more daunting cutting out big sections in the first place. Also taking datum points and in some cases bracing becomes very important.

I was sceptical about paintless dent removal until recently. I had an annoying ding on a Mini roof that once seen couldn't be unseen. I was trying to decide the best way to tackle it. I didn't want to go down the filler route as, though cheap it usually takes hours to get right, compromises the paint and would end up with a whole panel respray. As it is a mk3 I didn't really fancy getting involved in removing and refitting the perfectly good headlining in order to beat it out.
So I bit the bullet and went round to a local paintless dent removal place. They were happy to give it a go but warned that it was a tricky job because the panel thickness was much stronger than they are used to dealing with in their bread and butter work on modern cars. Also the fact that it was on one of the curved edges didn't help in terms of stiffness. I had to sign a disclaimer in case it ripped the (original) paint off.
The end result was very good with no effort on my part, no need to repaint just a slghtly lighter wallet.
I normally try to this sort of little job myself, but as the roof is such a big panel it made sense to do it this way. Pleasantly surprised. Having said all that I dont think this technique is applicable to the needs of the OP.

mab01uk wrote: ↑Sat Jun 29, 2024 2:08 pm For interest....this video linked below shows how even some deep dents, in this case on a modern MINI rear side panel, can be repaired today, using the various Paintless Dent Removal (PDR) tools and skills to use them with no filler needed.

Quote:
"This MINI was a recent job, the customer called to say her car had been damaged by passers by falling/kicking the side of the car and leaving a hefty looking dent. The repair was done using only the latest Glue repair tools and a bit of skill!" Filmed to show you how the repair is carried out:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tht2TT8M9Qk

Fascinating, didn’t know it was a thing, those lights are a handy thing to have, it did look as if there was a slit cut in the top of the shut though ?

Old English White wrote: ↑Sat Jun 29, 2024 2:06 pm If I was doing it, I would want to get rid of that previous poor repair and fit a new panel now that they are available to a good quality. I do believe in preserving good original panels where possible but to me, that area has been butchered beyond sensible repair and should be cut away and replaced.

Unless you have the panel beating skills required, I would replace the panel

looking at some of the piss poor previous ' repairs' to your shell Cobolman and your intention to rebuild it, I'm going to freely admit that you're a braver man than me Gunga-Din. But all the more power to your elbow for doing so

'S'-type wrote: ↑Sat Jun 29, 2024 3:18 pm I was sceptical about paintless dent removal until recently. I had an annoying ding on a Mini roof that once seen couldn't be unseen. I was trying to decide the best way to tackle it. I didn't want to go down the filler route as, though cheap it usually takes hours to get right, compromises the paint and would end up with a whole panel respray. As it is a mk3 I didn't really fancy getting involved in removing and refitting the perfectly good headlining in order to beat it out.
So I bit the bullet and went round to a local paintless dent removal place. They were happy to give it a go but warned that it was a tricky job because the panel thickness was much stronger than they are used to dealing with in their bread and butter work on modern cars. Also the fact that it was on one of the curved edges didn't help in terms of stiffness. I had to sign a disclaimer in case it ripped the (original) paint off.
The end result was very good with no effort on my part, no need to repaint just a slghtly lighter wallet.
I normally try to this sort of little job myself, but as the roof is such a big panel it made sense to do it this way. Pleasantly surprised. Having said all that I dont think this technique is applicable to the needs of the OP.

I only posted the Dentless technique for general interest...(it is of course not applicable to the needs of the OP).....as few people seem to know how it is done and also to show Peter how 'stretched' metalwork and even quite large dents can be 'un-stretched' and eased back into shape with these PDR skills and tools. Most of the Paintless Dent removal guys I know won't tackle dents on roofs and bonnets even on modern cars so I'm not surprised you had to sign a disclaimer for possible paint damage on your Mini roof but glad it worked for you in the end.

Peter Laidler wrote: ↑Sat Jun 29, 2024 4:36 pm looking at some of the piss poor previous ' repairs' to your shell Cobolman and your intention to rebuild it, I'm going to freely admit that you're a braver man than me Gunga-Din. But all the more power to your elbow for doing so

Thanks, Peter. Trust me - you ain't seen the worst of it! I've even toyed with getting a new bodyshell! But my heavens, they're expensive.