Fender panels on a Ford truck are easily damaged because of their location and build. Ford truck fender panels are made of thin sheet metal, and even small dings or dents can look like major damage. Repairs can be costly at a collision center or body shop. Learn repair the fender panel on a Ford truck yourself and save time and money.
Instructions
1. Grind away all of the paint inside the damaged area. Grind the paint away from the edges also, up to 3 inches around the damaged area.
2. Apply a thick coat of body filler with a squeegee to smooth the filler over the damaged area. Make sure the filler is thick enough to cover the damage and that it sits higher than the surrounding surface of the fender panel. Allow the filler to dry for one hour.
3. Sand the filler with 180-grit sandpaper and a sanding block. Wrap the sandpaper around the sanding block and keep the sanding block flat against the surface of the fender. Sand over the area again with 220-grit sandpaper to further smooth the surface. An older Ford truck has very flat fenders with a small groove along the top. If filler is in the groove, make sure to sand the filler so that the groove is still visible. Newer Ford truck fender panels are smooth with a slight flare over the tires. Make sure to keep the sanding block flat even while sanding the flare so that the flow of the flare isn't affected.
4. Place masking tape and paper around the repaired area on the Ford fender so that primer and paint overspray do not get on the surrounding surfaces.
5. Spray a thick coat of primer over the sanded areas of the fender. Hold the primer 6 to 8 inches from the surface and move it left and right, not up and down. Wait 30 minutes for the primer to dry. Spray three to four thin coats of paint over the primer, waiting four minutes between coats. Use the same spraying technique as used with the primer. Remove the masking tape and paper. Wait a full day before handling the newly painted fender.
Tags: Ford truck, sanding block, damaged area, block flat, fender panel
