Do you remember what it felt like the first time you were left with your own car? I remember just feeling so happy and free, and so I decided to try to help my own teenagers get a car of their own. However, after we found the right cars to buy, it was immediately clear that they needed to learn how to take care of their vehicles. In addition to talking with them about regular maintenance, I also started focusing with my kids to figure out a routine maintenance schedule that would help. They were great to work with, and now I can honestly say that their cars are beautiful inside and out.
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If you have a vehicle that you want to fix up and repair, but you don't feel it is worth paying a professional to repair, you are going to need to do your own body work in order to get the vehicle looking great again. When doing auto body repair work, it helps to have a few tricks up your sleeve.
Identify Dents with Lights & Touch
When you are going over the body panel, and you are trying to identify where the dents are that need to be repaired, it is all about your senses. You need to have the right lights set-up so that you can easily identify dents and dings to the body work. You also need to use your sense of touch to find dents and dings.
Set up a light so that it is hanging directly overhead the body panel you want to check. You want the light to be reflecting downward onto the body panel. This is where setting up a portable shop light is helpful. The light showering down from the top will help you see and identify damage more easily.
Also, be sure to use your sense of touch. Run your hands over the entire body panel, paying attention to each time you feel the panel ding inward. Place a piece of tape or other identifying marker on all the dents that you find.
Always Sand with a Tool
When you sand away the paint to fix a damaged area on a body panel, make sure that ou use a tool. Use a tool such as a sanding block or sanding sponge. It is important that you avoid using your hands to guide the sanding paper.
When you use your hands to guide the sanding paper, you are actually going to leave behind shallow groves from where your fingers press down on the paper. The uneven pressure from your hand will leave grooves in your sanding job, so be sure to use a tool with the sanding paper to ensure that the pressure applied to the paint is even throughout.
Remember, you don't need to apply that much pressure in order to produce an even sanding job. Use a light touch when sanding; don't put all of your strength behind it.
Keep a Straight Edge Tool Handy
Another trick when it comes to painting and fixing up a damaged body panel on a vehicle has to do with having a straight edge handy. A straight edge, such as a strip of aluminum, is a great tool for figuring out if you have any low spots on the body panel you are fixing. Place masking tape on the edge to ensure that you don't scratch your vehicle as you work to repair it. You can run the straight edge along the body piece in order to figure out if there are any low spots that you still need to fill in. A straight edge can also help you see if there are raised bumps that need to be sanded down.
To learn more, visit http://www.achesonautobodyandservicecenter.com.
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