Bent side skirt

Ice_warmer

Ice_warmer

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Jul 28, 2007
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eastern ieurope
My car fell of the jack while trying to change the wheel, thankfully i was smart enough to put a wheel just under the skirt (so no damage to the brake disc). But my jack being that stupid "Y" shaped type, because of winter there some dirt was on the ground, it slid outward smashing the skirt in the process.

What's done is done, and i don't know what to do to straighten it out, it seems it's made out of some tougher metal than the rest of the bodywork.

Any ideas ?
 
Maybe a picture would help to make suggestions.
 
yeah sorry, didn't know how it's called, so yes it is the rocker panel.

sadly i can't make a picture now because people that made my camera phone deny the existence of night. But will take one tomorrow.

but how do you pull it out ? Because it seems to be much thicker than the rest of the body work.

in the mean time i found this and it's quite a nice restyeling idea, but it would mean i won't have a space for a jack anymore
 
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You could use a slide hammer to try to pull it back out. It involves drilling holes along the worst part of the dent and pulling it back in to shape. Really it all depends on the severity of the dent. Get us some photos and I'm sure we can figure out a solution.

BTW, what make and model of car is this?
 
the model of the car is irrelevant because no one ever heard of it.
 

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emil_t said:
the model of the car is irrelevant because no one ever heard of it.
Click to expand...

I'd like to know anyways ;)

Judging from the picture, i would not bother with fixing it as long as the door still opens and closes.
 
It's nothing you could fix with basic hometools. If you don't want to afford having it fixed just make sure you fix the cracks in the paint to keep the rust away.

And a tip: Get a hydraulic jack (they're rather cheap, at least over here) and carefully use the lower control arms (if they're suitable in size) or the frame (not the floor-pans) to lift the car. Put a piece of wood inbetween jack and car.
It saves the rocker panels, all the old cars I know have rust at the spots the standard jack uses.
 
Beni said:
And a tip: Get a hydraulic jack (they're rather cheap, at least over here) and carefully use the lower control arms (if they're suitable in size) or the frame (not the floor-pans) to lift the car. Put a piece of wood inbetween jack and car.
It saves the rocker panels, all the old cars I know have rust at the spots the standard jack uses.
Click to expand...

I don't care what car it is, I would never use a control arm to lift a car.

You should be lifting the car from, (1) designated jack points, or (2) frame/frame rails.
 
Don't worry, it's perfectly safe if the arm is large enough and a good way if no suitable frame points are near...
 
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