The present invention relates to a method of repairing automobile bodies, and more particularly, to a method of repairing areas of sheet metal for automobile bodies which have been damaged as by accident or rust.
The sheet metal of an automobile body is subject to damage of various kinds. Where the damage is caused by rust or by relatively minor "fender benders" it has been possible to repair the damage using a body filler which may, for example, consist of a synthetic resin combined with a filler which is mixed with a hardener and then applied to fill the dented or rusted areas. Also, lead or some other metal with a low melting point has been used in the past to fill dents in automotive sheet metal, although this is less common today.
Where relatively large areas have been damaged, a reinforcing material such as a mat made of glass fibers has been used to support the body filler. The use of fiberglass reinforcing has proved difficult because there is no readily available method of attaching a reinforcing mat to the damaged area. Additionally, prior art practices have relied on the strength of the body filler itself to connect the body filler with the sheet metal of the automobile. For instance, it has been a common practice to drill a plurality of holes through the damaged sheet metal area to be filled so that when the body filler is applied it extrudes through the holes before hardening, thus forming a mechanical connection between the body filler and the automobile body.