Posted: 4/3/2011 12:46:30 PM EDT
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What are some of the manufacturers out there? I've found S&H Industries, Martin, Mechanics Time Saver, but I don't know anything about them.
I'm looking for a quality set(s) of hammers, dollies, and spoons for auto body repair. I've looked at and held sets from Harbor Frieght, Northern Tools, and Astro Pnematic and they are definitely junk. My understanding is a dolly should be high polished smooth so as not to transfer tool marks to the sheet metal. Basic load out would be: Hammers: bumping, shrinking, and curved/straight pick hammers Dollies: heel, toe, utility, and comma dollies Spoons: light duty, heavy duty, and wedge spoon Body file |
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Body file? really? Are you smoothing the metal on an older car to the point where you are going to use a body file? Newer sheetmetal is so thin, you would cut through with a body file!
I can honestly say the only place I ever used a body file was when I was in school and the old timer taught us how to do it the old school way and use lead. painful process. I did bodywork in a production bodyshop for almost 15 years until a career change. I have three body hammers, about three dollys and a lot of oddball tools I made for the job at hand. |
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Quoted:
Full size cargo van. And from my understanding body files are only used to reveal high spots not smooth anything down. Use the hammer and dolly for that. Cargo van? 
You should call Maaco, unless your time is absolutely worthless. Sorry, saw this is the DIY forum. I use Harbor Freight body hammers. They are the right speed and price level for a Cargo Van. You are over thinking it. I have a body file that I have used once........ |
Yea, use that body file and then come back and ask us how to fill holes 
Get yourself a straight edge, yard stick will work fine. Is the cargo van aluminum? Also, don't even think of getting the sheetmetal completely flat. It's not going to happen. (I'm thinking big flat surfaces like a UPS truck?) Get it close and use filler. If it is aluminum, I'm not sure conventional shrinking methods will work with aluminum. Never worked with it. |
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Martin all the way if you plan to use them a lot. If you buy cheap ones things to watch for are sharp edges on the hammer faces, uneven crowns and the type of material they are made from. DO NOT use "autobody'' hammers that have flat faces they will not do what you want them to. |
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Quoted:
Martin all the way if you plan to use them a lot. If you buy cheap ones things to watch for are sharp edges on the hammer faces, uneven crowns and the type of material they are made from. DO NOT use "autobody'' hammers that have flat faces they will not do what you want them to. I use my flat faced hammer the most. 
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