Thursday, August 28, 2014

Body work

Our friend had family come visit this summer and after a whirlwind of activity, they ended their vacation by getting in a minor car accident. A spectacular trip marred by the bitter taste of a passenger door that no longer opened. 

Before going berry picking, I checked out the damage and made my recommendation:  remove the fender, pound out the dent, reattach. Totally straightforward. The men looked at me skeptically for a second and then Mr. X looked more closely and convinced Brad it was possible.

I can't claim to have any skills but I've seen a little body work done...

Yellow Golf -
This car was bought for my oldest brother. It had body damage including a crumpled fender. Dad and Mike went to the junk yard and were fortunate to find a matching yellow replacement which they bolted on.
Hyundai -
The Hyundai was purchased from a neighbor. The rear quarter panel was smashed and as there was some cutting, grinding and bond-o involved in this repair since quarter panels are not removable in the traditional sense.
White Golf -
My sister got backed into in a grocery store parking lot. When Dad saw the damage he removed the door liner and pushed the dent out...with his foot.
Snowball (AKA white rabbit)
One dark morning when I was in high school, a loud crash woke me from a dead sleep. I looked out the window and then heard a woman scream and run toward the crash calling for her baby. Forgetting to put her jeep back into park, her vehicle had rolled down the hill - with her small child strapped inside - and struck this vehicle that had just had a new engine put in. It was totaled but before parting it out, my dad handed me a dent puller that looked like a pike and asked me to pull the dent out enough to get taillights back into it. The car probably looked like Swiss cheese when I was done with it.

After 3 hours of berry picking, Brad and Mr. X spent 4 hours with rusted and stripped bolts, zip ties and a pry bar fixing the fender and fighting mosquitoes. Not quite as straightforward as I was hoping. They were rewarded for their efforts with a blueberry tart...and more importantly a passenger door that now works.

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