How to start, bodywork for a beginner?

[patmahe]

Hi,

I was wondering what is the best way to start practising bodywork repairs just to expand my own personal knowledge. Is it advisable to get books, or do courses or is it simply a matter of, get some battered panels and see how you get on straightening them out and painting them.

The reason I want to learn is that, I plan to buy and possibly restore Mk1 MX5 at some stage in the future and I understand that the paintwork on these can be troublesome, so I'll probably do a full respray at some point. But its where to start learning I'm having trouble with.

[V8covin]

If you try and teach yourself how do you know if you're doing it right ? You don't.
All the reading of bodywork books or watching instruction videos won't make up for being shown the correct way to do it from the off.

[Police State]

patmahe said:

Hi,

I was wondering what is the best way to start practising bodywork repairs just to expand my own personal knowledge. Is it advisable to get books, or do courses or is it simply a matter of, get some battered panels and see how you get on straightening them out and painting them.

The reason I want to learn is that, I plan to buy and possibly restore Mk1 MX5 at some stage in the future and I understand that the paintwork on these can be troublesome, so I'll probably do a full respray at some point. But its where to start learning I'm having trouble with.

Assuming that you may have the spare time, why not go and offer to work for a bodyshop for nothing but the experience for a while. It should give you a decent grounding in the methods; then go to a scrappers and get some old panels to practise on.