Dent in rear door - tell me I can make this better on my own

[MillerPKA]

Hey guys, my build page is about to start showing some major signs of life. ARB bumper, snorkel, HIDs, HID trails, Bushwackers are all imminent. Hopefully I'll have some other great news by the end of the week but I'm waiting on confirmation until I say anything.

Anyways, I'm taking the Bushwackers to paint soon and will probably just install myself. My only concern is with my driver rear door, which was this way when I bought it. It really doesn't bother me too much and for photography/sponsor work it's very easy to avoid and edit. My concern is mounting the flares on this door will result in a gap or otherwise not flush install. It definitely isn't one of those dings you can pop back with a plunger, but I am really against getting another door at the moment and want to see what other options I have before taking it to a body shop. I have seen people drill small holes to pull the metal, and even hot gluing rubber corks to the panel, screwing screws through as a handle and pulling them out one by one.

So anyone with any expertise in this area..is this door a goner? I'm pretty sure the Bushwacker will mount decently as is, but if there are small tweaks I can make to get this thing closer to original form I am all for it. Thanks!!

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Take the door panel off and work it gently from the inside. Be prepared to lose some paint.

 

[BrianSD_42]

That bigger dent might be able to pop back out cleanly but the small harsh dent at the bottom isn't going anywhere without some body work and painting.

Buy a MATCHING door from a junkyard. I bet if you pull it yourself you can get a door for < $200.

The junk yards in Chula Vista have 4Runner's every week.

 

[my92t4r]

call your local DentMaster, they can do it for $50 a pop.. It look like 1 complete ding to me.

 

[KidVermicious]

Slap one of those big bandaid stickers on it and own it. If you plan on using that truck the way you're talking about building it, you're going to do a lot worse than that.

 

[T4R2014]

Paintless dent repair. I don't even think about attempting bodywork by myself. With the cost of painting and installing those bushwackers, getting that ding removed by a professional is nothing if you want it looking good IMO.

 

[GSPRunner]

That bigger dent might be able to pop back out cleanly but the small harsh dent at the bottom isn't going anywhere without some body work and painting.

Buy a MATCHING door from a junkyard. I bet if you pull it yourself you can get a door for < $200.

The junk yards in Chula Vista have 4Runner's every week.

I second Brian on this. It's too close to the edge to fix without refinishing. You could probably find a door for cheaper than a good PDR guy would charge anyway

 

[Doc2012]

Gonna be a MASSIVE pain in the ass.


The way the rear doors are made, there's not a whole lot of room to get anything in where those dents are.

As stated, best bet would be to get a nother door and have it painted to match the truck.

You can cut the dent out and weld in a patch piece, but then, you're still paying for finish work and paint.


Get a different door....

 

[IBallEngineer]

Gonna be a MASSIVE pain in the ass.


The way the rear doors are made, there's not a whole lot of room to get anything in where those dents are.

As stated, best bet would be to get a nother door and have it painted to match the truck.

You can cut the dent out and weld in a patch piece, but then, you're still paying for finish work and paint.


Get a different door....

Uh huh!

I owned my own body shop for 14 years, and was in the business over 30. That is NOT a ding and it will not be repaired by a PDR. That said it is not rocket science either, but you have to have some skill to fix it correctly. Support your local body shop!!

opcorn:

 

[animator]

Depending on how much room there is inside the door panel, a body hammer and dolly might be able to get it.

 

[Monkeybutt2000]

Uh huh!

I owned my own body shop for 14 years, and was in the business over 30. That is NOT a ding and it will not be repaired by a PDR. That said it is not rocket science either, but you have to have some skill to fix it correctly. Support your local body shop!!

opcorn:

X2. I'm a PDR guy and wouldn't touch that door.