Xander Wildeisen Posted May 14, 2022 Share Posted May 14, 2022 (edited) I thought I would post pictures showing how to repair a damaged truck lid. People on this forum liked other DIY posts on how to do things. This is just one way of doing it. Because of how bad it was damaged, pulling the dent from the outside was not really an option. License plate light assembly was broken and smashed. A replacement one was located. Handle and latch assembly was not damaged. And Chrysler trunk emblem was not damaged. Easy repair to do with basic tools. I did use the English Wheel to roll the trunk skin through. A person could use a hammer and dolly, I did on some of it. Edited May 17, 2022 by Xander Wildeisen (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted May 14, 2022 Author Share Posted May 14, 2022 Trunk lid was removed and stripped of all bolt on items. Trunk lid key lock could not be removed yet because of truck skin smashed into the inner structure. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted May 14, 2022 Author Share Posted May 14, 2022 Spot welds are drilled out around the outside to separate the inner structure from the outside skin. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted May 14, 2022 Author Share Posted May 14, 2022 Remove factory under coating from trunk skin. I just pushed out the bulk of the dent by placing the trunk skin on the floor and stepping on it, while lifting up the other end. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted May 14, 2022 Author Share Posted May 14, 2022 Then took the trunk skin and rolled it through the English wheel. And straightened out the inner structure. Placed the outside skin back on the inner structure for a test fit. Welded up the hole punched in the trunk skin. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted May 14, 2022 Share Posted May 14, 2022 Xander,, Welcome Back! we missed your expertise. Thanks/ By the looks of the green Cadillac (Also rearended,) you may want to invest in third brake lights for the other drivers to be able to see when you are slowing down. Our small tail lights down low on the fenders are not noticed by many drivers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted May 14, 2022 Author Share Posted May 14, 2022 Straightened out the license plate frame. Welded up the drilled out spot welds. Bolted on the latch assemblies and new license plate light. Reinstalled the trunk lid. This is the bulk of the damage on the car. A few small dents on the fenders. And a few holes from target shooters. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted May 14, 2022 Author Share Posted May 14, 2022 I had nothing to do with the damaged trunk lids. Never went anywhere, just waiting. The damage on the trunk lid was the bulk of damage on the car. A few small dents on the fenders. And holes from target shooters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted May 14, 2022 Share Posted May 14, 2022 Nice work........Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted May 14, 2022 Author Share Posted May 14, 2022 1 hour ago, Paul Dobbin said: Xander,, Welcome Back! we missed your expertise. Thanks/ By the looks of the green Cadillac (Also rearended,) you may want to invest in third brake lights for the other drivers to be able to see when you are slowing down. Our small tail lights down low on the fenders are not noticed by many drivers. Cadillac trunk lid is an easy fix. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy J Posted May 14, 2022 Share Posted May 14, 2022 I love posts like this one.Not having much experience in body work,I'm always interested in tips on how to do things like this.I don't have an English wheel,but I've gotten several dents really smoothed out with a shrinking disc.My next project has a pretty rough quarter panel that's going to be a real challenge. Your work here is really nice.Are you planning to restore that car or just leave it as it is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave39MD Posted May 14, 2022 Share Posted May 14, 2022 Very interesting. I would never of thought to do it that way but that was the way to do it. Thanks for posting. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted May 14, 2022 Share Posted May 14, 2022 Excellent, thanks for sharing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted May 14, 2022 Author Share Posted May 14, 2022 1 hour ago, Andy J said: I love posts like this one.Not having much experience in body work,I'm always interested in tips on how to do things like this.I don't have an English wheel,but I've gotten several dents really smoothed out with a shrinking disc.My next project has a pretty rough quarter panel that's going to be a real challenge. Your work here is really nice.Are you planning to restore that car or just leave it as it is? The Chrysler is very complete, and the engine bay has not been messed with. Story told to me, car was parked in 1954. Nobody says “this car runs great, park it out in the field” Something took it off the road. It’s secrets will come out the more you dive into it. The 41 Cadillac was very complete when I bought it. Parked in the early 70’s. Pulled in the garage to work on the engine. Diving into that showed a broken piston. And the wrist pin in the rod went through the cylinder wall. That answered the question as what to do with the Cadillac. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted May 14, 2022 Author Share Posted May 14, 2022 My Plymouth wheel will not work on the Chrysler. It is smaller in diameter. That I like, but will not fit over the steering shaft.😒 does anyone need a 39 Plymouth convertible steering wheel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted May 14, 2022 Share Posted May 14, 2022 Pleased to see you back and posting again! Except that I don't have an English wheel, and would have to have used a hammer and dolly to smooth out the dents? The way you took it apart is how I would have done it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted May 14, 2022 Author Share Posted May 14, 2022 Here is a picture of the dash how I got the car. I bought a parts dash out of a 38 Royal. Placing the best parts in my car. The panel below the dash in the imperial, that houses the switches is plain. With no stamping in it. The one on the Royal dash has a pattern on it. Is the plain one correct for the imperial? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted May 15, 2022 Author Share Posted May 15, 2022 Question about pictures above. Was the Royal a fancier model, and finished out nicer than the Imperial? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 Nice work on the trunk. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 57 minutes ago, Xander Wildeisen said: Question about pictures above. Was the Royal a fancier model, and finished out nicer than the Imperial? Xander. Glad you're back, your explanations with images of body and metalwork shaping are very informative and greatly appreciated. To your question, the Royal Six was the lowest-priced, entry-level Chryslers beginning for 1937, continued in that position through 1950. The use of the Imperial model name beginning for 1937 C-14 was a bit more muddled, applied to the basic eight-cylinder series selling in the upper middle-priced segment. To add to the confusion, the lwb C-15 Imperial Custom were the top-line luxury series, essentially a long wheelbase version of the basic C-14 Imperial. The Imperial nameplate got jockeyed around for the next few seasons before it again was reserved for their top-line luxury series. Before that happened, the New York Special/New Yorker and Saratoga jumped above the Imperial for a few seasons before they took their places in the pecking order. Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 (edited) Beautiful work. Thanks for posting as it gives us amateurs' something to shoot for when doing body work. I agree about the third stop light. I found one on line that fit directly above my license plate holder and it is very visible compared to the stock lights on the 38 Studebaker. dave s Edited May 15, 2022 by SC38dls (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrspeedyt Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 my 41 cad is suffering from left rear fender / body and trunk lid damage. more than these posted. definitely repair is a learning experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 Very Nice! Excellent craftsmanship. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 I thought I needed a new hood for my car. It is not in the best of shape. Looking at what you accomplished with this trunk has me embarrassed to think that I wanted to buy new! I will be polishing up the dolly and hammer now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 The Chrysler trunk lid repair looks fantastic! Great job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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