There’s no better way to spend a long Memorial Day weekend than repairing body work on a race car. Well actually there is, there’s lots of better ways to spend the Holiday, but it’s not healthy to dwell on the possibilities. Best to just dive in recognizing no one likes body work (at least no sane person).
There are four things to keep in mind went repairing body panels on a race car. First, if you’re reading this it is unlikely you will be repairing body panels on an F1 car, or any car for that matter with heavy sponsorship dollars at stake. There are no guys worrying that the car will not look its best on someone’s 70 inch HD TV. The only one you have to please is you. Second, this is a race car. Think about the comparison of a pit bull to a show dog. That fact that the pit bulls ears are a bit chewed up is irrelevant. Same holds true for race cars. They only need to look good from 20 feet. Third, there is a better than even chance some competitor will run into the same panel you have just prepared in the very next race. That fact will dampen your enthusiasm for using the 1200 grit wet sand paper on the primer coat. Finally, and perhaps most important, make sure the finished product does not look like you knew what you were doing. Remember, no sane person likes body work. If word spreads among your racing buddies that you can do competent body work, you will be hassled to death to “help” them with theirs.
We came home from VIR with a badly damaged right rear quarter panel. In hindsight we probably should have skinned the panel, that is, cut off the old panel and weld in a new one. We’ve done this procedure a few times and it’s a pain, but the finished product is quite nice. This time we figured we could pull out the dented portions of the panel, hammer the metal back to shape and then fill and touch up with body putty (Bondo).
Unfortunately, we did not take photos of the metal work on the panel. Essentially the process is one of tack welding a bolt onto the panel where it is dented in and screwing the threads of the bolt on to a slide hammer and pulling the dent out. You then cut the tack welds, move the bolt and repeat as many times as necessary (lots of times). This process took about six hours on Saturday and then was followed Sunday with repeated applications and sanding of body putty until we finally quit for some well deserved margaritas and to watch the pre-recorded Turkish GP (Vettel ?&%%$#).
Monday it was time to paint. First off we wet sanded the completed panel.
Then it was time to mask the areas that would get fresh paint. 
Next we shot the primer coat, let it dry and then another quick wet sand. 
Next comes the color coat. 
And then the clear coat and the finished product. 
Looks fine from 20 feet (that's not a race tire or wheel, rather we use old street wheels and tires when we're working on the car). Granted, not the best way to spend a long weekend, but it's good for the soul and builds character.
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