Showerthought: I was using way too much heat on quarter panels for years

I was working on a 2018 Civic in the shop last Tuesday, and the paint tech, Dave, pointed out the faintest ripple in the clear after I'd finished. He asked what temp I'd been using on the panel, and I realized I'd been cranking my heat gun to about 700 degrees out of habit. He showed me that for modern thin-gauge steel, 500 degrees is plenty to avoid that distortion. Has anyone else had to dial back their heat settings on newer cars?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby_martin281mo agoMost Upvoted

My old man taught me bodywork on a '78 Ford, where you needed a blowtorch to make a dent. Took me a year of ghosting panels on new stuff to realize I was basically cooking them. Felt like a real genius when I figured out the problem.

linda_mason821mo ago

That "faintest ripple" thing seems a bit overblown. I've used plenty of heat on newer panels and never had a customer come back complaining. Abby_martin28's point about old vs new steel is fair, but a little extra heat gets the job done faster. As long as you're not turning the metal blue, you're probably fine.