My '69 has several relatively shallow roof dents. I had a guy from from one of those dent removal places come by and quoted me $900-$1,100 to remove them. Originally the car came with a vinyl roof which had been cleanly removed earlier. I was going to go with not having the vinyl roof but after that I decided to install the roof (I got quoted $650 for it). I will need to take care of the dents even with the vinyl roof but it won’t have to look perfect at least as it would with paint. Has anybody done their own roof dent removal? Did you use a kit and which one? I know the sheet metal is twice as think as a new car but I think it can be done, thanks
You may want to get a second estimate on the paintless dent removal. It should cost about $100 per dent, give or take depending on size and complexity. You’ll see imperfections under the vinyl top so I’d stick with your first idea but try a different company.
Harbor Freight sells a cheap pneumatic vacuum dent puller for around $70 that may be worth a shot on those. My guess it they might still be a little low and require filler if you want it 100% straight.
Well I bought the Eastwood dent removal kit today ($65) and should get it by Tuesday so I should be able to see what I can do. I am just looking to get it relatively smooth for the vinyl top to cover it up.
Cool! Post some before / after pics, and let us know how it goes. My roof is dented similar to yours. I’ve been wondering what I can do about those dents for a long time now, so I appreciate you posting your questions.
Not sure what you ordered from Eastwood but these work really well:
https://www.harborfreight.com/stud-welder-dent-repair-kit-61433.html
As Clint Eastwood said, " A man’s got to know his limitations" and this man knows that the welding thing is not going to work with my skill set!
The tool Royce posted doesn’t require welding skills. It just welds a stud to the body panel and then you use a slide hammer to work the dent out. After the dent is gone, you just grind off the stud and you’re done.
If its time to replace the headliner or you want to try it that way. Would make certain techniques available and the task some what easier since the area is accessible from below since its only a single layer of metal where the dents appear to be located
Just a thought
Does anybody have experience with using an induction heater with the flat coil? The extent of my knowledge is I know the flat coil is intended for removing dents.
I had very similar roof dents, but without creases, on my 68. I ended up using a stud welder system similar to that pictured. Used a constant pulling pressure on the welded stud (no slide hammer action) with light hammering along the edges to reverse out the dent (first in…last out). Once the dent was mostly out I used a hammer and dolly then minimal filler to finish. I also had access to the underside and removed the paint before starting. The welded studs are removed using a pair of pliers grabbing the stud at the base, as close to the sheet metal as possible, then twisting. The contact point will need light grinding to smooth out. Ended up being a lot of work, so it might be worth paying to have it done professionally.