Roadrunner taillight decor panel - Can it be repaired?

[brewman15]

It looks like my car was pushed around a lot by the decor panel, so it is banged up and dented everywhere. It's solid but not really usable as-is.

Is there any hope of repairing it? If so, what is the best way to go about it?

 

[4mulas]

I would say no. Maybe someone could straighten but it would cost thousands in labour. Imho

 

[1 Wild R/T]

https://www.ebay.com/i/303775960693...-RMcIkPCUrbBTvbRTStOdlvZDzt6H44QaAmj6EALw_wcB

Buy it before it's gone....

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Well it appears the panel sold... So either the OP bought it or he missed a good deal on a very nice part..

 

[747mopar]

Anything can be repaired but that would take a **** ton of work, since body filler isn't an option it all has to be hammered out to near perfection before you even start sanding. I'd start looking for a better one.

 

[69a100]

Sorry to say that the best hope for that panel is to use it for target practice. Good Luck

 

[71_bronze_gtx]

It looks like my car was pushed around a lot by the decor panel, so it is banged up and dented everywhere. It's solid but not really usable as-is.

Is there any hope of repairing it? If so, what is the best way to go about it?

View attachment 1070442

I know a guy - he used to teach automotive metal shaping at Washtenaw Community College west of Detroit until he retired a couple years ago - who could make this look like new. But it would cost - lots of labor hours. It would also involve making specially shaped forming blocks, the equivalent of hammer and anvil, and usually made of hardwood, to duplicated the bends and flat areas. Then, lots of firm, gentle hammering to restore the original shape. Lots of sanding too, but in general, the softer the hammer blows, the less sanding. Aluminum is much easier than stainless.

It's a time consuming tedious process, generally only used when a replacement part can't be had, or for a one-off prototype part, but it is possible. I wouldn't throw that panel out just yet.

I took his class, and used some of the techniques to take dents out of stainless exterior window trim on a '71 GTX, then polish to a mirror finish. Not really difficult work if you are handy and have the right tools, but requires a lot of patience. Good luck.