I need to know about stainless steel repair...

[lspencer534]

I have several pretty valuable pieces of stainless steel (car parts) that need some small dents repaired and then polished. I already bought a polishing kit, but I can't find anything about dent removal, except push out the dents from behind. DOH! Take a door edge guard, for example: There's less than 1/4" room to work in, so how do I exert enough pressure to remove the dent, and what tools do I use?

I know what I'm going to do requires practice, but if I send the pieces out to be repaired and polished, I can't recover my costs upon sale.

[MrPeabody]

Basically you need the dollies that they use in body and fender repair, which come in many shapes and sizes, and the experience and hand skills to use them. For repairing just a few parts, the investment in the tools doesn't add up. Unless you can improvise something tool-wise, I would just take the parts to a body shop and have them straightened. Price should be just labor, couldn't cost much to remove a few dings from a few parts. Doing your own polishing shouldn't be difficult.

[Steve Austin]

One of those paintless dent repair guys may be able to get the dings out.

[Kerrmudgeon]

A guy down the road from me used to do all that s/s stuff by hand for his passion, 57 Chevies. After watching him do it, and all the steps involved to do it right, I concluded that it was better to pay him, an expert, that attempt it myself. And there is a lot of s/s on those tri five Chevies. I bought reconditioned rear fender and door spears for my 56, and they are beautiful. :clever:

[Grey Ghost]

It is like body repair. Hammer out the dings and polish. Sometimes you have to get creative and come up with your own tool or fix vs. buying an off the shelf dent fixer.

Why not sell them as is and let the next guy worry about it ?