Body jig

Unless damage is limited to cosmetic panels, all repair work to body members must be carried out on a body jig, to ensure that impact damage has not spread into more remote parts of the structure. Mounting on a jig will also ensure that the straightening and panel replacement procedures do not cause further distortion.

If original dimensions cannot be satisfactorily restored by these methods, damaged structural members should be replaced. Damaged areas should be cut away using a high speed saw, NOT an oxy-acetylene torch.

As a rule, body dimensions are symmetrical about the center line. A good initial check for distortion is therefore to measure diagonally and to investigate apparent differences in dimensions.