Paintless Dent Removal on nice originals

[RustyGold]

Has anyone considered Paintless Dent Removal on their original machines?  I have had great experiences with it on my cars through the years.  Original paint never gets damaged in any way and the ding, crease or dent is gone.  Its actually a pretty interesting process and if you find the right guy you will be amazed at the results.  They basically tap and massage it out from the inside without leaving a trace behind.  

Some may consider the dents as part of the character of the machine and should be left alone, which I can respect, but it also might be a way to increase value and aesthetics while retaining that nice original look that we all love.  Thoughts?

I ask because I plan on refreshing the insulation and gaskets on my 39 (which I would never restore) and while the liner is out I just might load it up and bring it to my PDR shop and have a few of the more prominent dings erased.  It will still be original, just.. nicer.  

[MoonDawg]

        Most of those guys are mobil since they service the car dealers a lot.  Call them when you have it apart.

[sodahunter]

Never thought of going with paintless dent removal on any of my machines, but it sounds interesting.  If you decide to go that route, please post up some before and after pics.   

[GreenMo]

Great idea.  Thanks!

[SIGNGUY]

I asked about once from the guy who does my body work and he said because of the grade of metal used on a vintage soda machine and a modern car is SO different, PDR doesnt' work that well.. plus the original paint is not as flexible as something newer and will most likely flake off if you push the dent.
most often when you dent the metal on a soda machine you actually "Stretch" the metal. so in order to get rid of or "Shrink" the metal you have to use heat and when you use heat you will most likely burn the paint or at least discolor it if from the inside..

but would be curiuos to see what you find out.

Good luck!

[RustyGold]

I asked about once from the guy who does my body work and he said because of the grade of metal used on a vintage soda machine and a modern car is SO different, PDR doesnt' work that well.

I was told something similar when I got a small dent in the hood of my car years ago.  The hood was made out of aluminum and its not suppossed to be PDR friendly due to it's metallurgy, but in the end it came out perfect anyhow.  My guess is it will come down to the talent of the PDR tech, but either way it will be interesting to see how it comes out.  If it works well it will be nice to have another option out there for our machines.  Especially for ones like mine that have a few eye soar dings on otherwise nice original paint.

[MoonDawg]

       Please show us the dent you are challenging?

[RustyGold]

       Please show us the dent you are challenging?

Sure.  There is one in particular on the main door that I have in mind.  I will take a picture of it.  The rest are your run of the mill small dents like the ones you get on your car doors in parking lots.  Those I wouldnt normally worry about, but if he's there working on the main door dent then he may aswell smooth out the other ones too.

[Jim]

I would think PDR could provide good results provided the paint is not marred and the dent(s) is not too deep.
I'll bet a good "hail damage" PDR technician would be able to tackle most dents provided he could develop away to gain leverage in using his tools/rods.
I've been an apprentice under my brother the last two summers and will be performing my own hail damage repairs this spring/summer. With that said, I have seen some incredible stuff my brother has fixed! Even though it has been mentioned the metals are different, I think it is very applicable; I have used my tools on restorations several times with great results!
Let us know how it works out...