whats the best way to fix dimples in the hood?

[Lord Warlock]

I have a few issues with the factory hood.  I'm in the process of stripping the car down to get ready to spray it with primer and do whatever body work is required before its first repaint ever. 

On the hood, approximately where the springs mount to it, I have two dimples (on one side, and 1 on the other)bending the metal up, which happened when i had the hood loosely bolted on and had pulled it down, these dimples need to be hammered down somehow.  While I feel perfectly adept at working minor dings/bondo and painting, working metal isn't my strong point.  What I had planned to do was heat the spot up with a blow torch then gradually try to hammer the dings down flush with the surface of the hood, or if possible even slightly below the level of the hood so I could smooth over with Icing filler.  I've read about shrinking wheels that attach to a grinder, and figure that would also probably work, or even buying some dry ice to shrink metal.  What do you guys recommend?

2nd issue:  the bolt plate that mounts inside the channels of the hood on the left side (the piece that the springs bolt on to and hold the hood to the springs) came loose and is sliding around inside the inner and outer panels.  At this stage I have no idea where it actually is, but can hear it slide around when the hood is moved around off the car.  I'll need to figure out what the best way to get that piece out, as well as how do I get it or a new piece rewelded so i can actually bolt on the hood again? 

3rd:  the corners of the hood closest to the cowl, got slightly bent on the corner, not a bad bend but you can tell they were bent down a little, this happened when i had the hood off a few years back and crab walked it on pavement (its awkward to maneuver by yourself) when the hood is mounted in place, or even sitting loosely in place the metal corners aren't flush, I figure a small amount of bondo would fix it but would like to know if this is something a body man can fix.  I'll probably have to take it to a shop to have the bolt plate rewelded in anyway.  I can take a picture and post it to clarify if needed. 

Lord Warlock

[Drop Top]

On your first issue I would try a little hammer and Dollie work before you bring out a blow torch. On the rest of your problems a picture would be in order first.

[RogerDodger]

I agree with Drop Top on the blow torch. You could do more damage by warping the sheet metal. Issue #2 is a tough one. If you can get it back into place you might be able to hold it with a bolt or a magnet while its welded in place. That doesn't sound very easy. You might have to cut a small hole to access it and then weld a patch back. A picture will help with the 3rd issue.

[Lord Warlock]

Ok, i'll take some pics, and post them.  The reason i was thinking torch was because of the bracing on the underside of the hood would restrict dolly work. 

[Lord Warlock]

I'm not sure whether the size of the pics are small enough to post, but here is what i have.  The dimples shot is kind of hard to see, they are near the center of the picture and along the edge of the hood.  The corner mentioned is a pretty clear shot though. The other corner is fine.  The hood is just sitting in place.  I'll try to get better shots in daylight tomorrow, maybe i can get a clearer shot of the dimples. 

[4402tuff4u]

Looks like that happen from the hood being stored/dropped on it's edge with the points to the floor. That could be straighten and with the skim coat you probably wont see it. If it's corrosion then you might have to mig weld/build up the corner and edge, grind/sand to shape. Nice project by the way.