Front door repair, possible or foolish

[Cruz]

My door had a similar rust problem to you. I bought a mint door locally from fleabay for £15. Just need to get around to fitting it sometime

[waltraud]

That's the thing Cruz- i mean. i've lived with it for 3 years since getting this van, just like the idea of getting rid of rot...its an obsessional defence against mental illness or i just enjoy it.

[waltraud]

On examination the external area appearing to be a bit rusty was of course much bigger ansd nastier when paint off and inspected, full of filler already and the previous repairer/owner had simply filler over a rusty area rather than preparing, treating etc, so all in i've got a decent white door coming which I'll be able to paint carefully (might even roller it with combicolour then flat and polish) indoors before fitting- will lose the Joker stripes on that door but i prefer solid to beatiful.

[Plasticman]

Int that a supprise theres always more than meets the eye, hence flexibility-ish in costings, can be a bit nof a mare when the whole van turns out like that, well mine was
m

[waltraud]

Cheers Mike, yes, am starting to realise that everything is predictably the square (£££££££££) or just in terms to time of what it appears at first...

[waltraud]

So, i get a decent/s/h door which has no rust issues but other issues instead. The new 'mint' door supplied with 'no dents or rust' has various dents, mostly small and without creases but dents they are. I'm very inexperienced with dents but see the options as these;(NB Also have one or two quite small dents in my new/ replacement tailgate that i hope to fit around same time as o/s door.

1) Lever out dents from inside with long metal flat bar using force or crudely knock them out with a hammer and hard object against other side where possible.
2) Take to local body shop togehter with my 'new' rear hatch having prepped as much as possible and ask them to pull out dents and spray......probably out of my price range.
3) Buy £15- dent repair kit off ebay and hope it works.....
4) Put rivets or the like into the dent centres and buy a cheap puller like the old days.....
5) Pay one of those dent removal firms to come by in their van and sort out the dents as much as possible (might be fifty quid or so??)

Any dent pros out there with experience to whitle down by list of unwise actions to a wise one? cheers.

[Plasticman]

sorry but really does depend on the type of dent or dint , where it is etc, sometimes pushing out with a bar can stretch the metal and defeat the object, hammer and dolly works well but again not always, so pickies etc of dints
mike