Body Repair

What Is in This Category, by Job

Panel and bumper holding: paint stands, parts carts, and dollies

Ten of the eleven Innovative Tools and Technology listings are stands and carts (the eleventh is the Scangrip UV curing gun covered further down), and they split by what they are rated to carry. The Door-Fender Single (I-DFS) holds one door or one fender, is rated to 85 lbs., measures 32 in. W x 22 in. D x 40 in. H, and weighs 40 lbs. The Door-Fender Double (I-DFD) holds fenders and doors in any combination on a 32 in. W x 32 in. D x 40 in. H frame with a 75 lbs. maximum load and a 55 lbs. unit weight. Both let you mount parts in the same position they occupy on the vehicle, which is the point: color and texture match, and no missed edges.

Bumper covers are a different problem, and the two SuperStands are built for it. The SS-II holds any plastic bumper cover without touching the paint surface, has five locking positions, rotates the cover 90 degrees, and its support arms adjust from 53 in. W to 78 in. W. Its rated load is 25 lbs. The newer SS-6 uses the same 44 in. W x 30 in. D x 53 in. H envelope and the same five locking positions and 90-degree rotation, with a 35 lbs. maximum load. Neither is a general-purpose panel stand; the load ratings tell you that plainly.

For heavier handling, the I-DJ Door Jack and Bumper Handler Stand is rated to 200 lbs., adjusts from 7 in. to 32 in. off the floor, offers 8 in. of front-to-back tilt plus side-to-side tilt, and lets one technician handle a large bumper or door alone. The I-TBD Truck Bed Dolly is the heaviest stand here at 600 lbs. capacity; it opens to 38 in. to 59 in. L x 44 in. W x 26 in. to 33 in. H and folds to 38 in. L x 44 in. W x 15 in. H for storage. The I-XS X-Stand is the flexible one: its support arms adjust 14 in. to 30 in. W and 37 in. to 44 in. H, it carries a 125 lbs. maximum load, and the support arms have extensive padding to protect panels during the repair. The listing states the stand suits any repair, paint or storage job, including jobs involving glass. The I-XS-SA Support Arms Option adds large-bumper capability to it and is sold as an add-on, not a complete stand.

Small parts get the OPR Octopus, a 24 in. W x 24 in. D x 70 in. H rack with eight swivel clamps for moldings, flares, and fuel doors, painted vertically to save booth floor space. Staging is handled by the SSPC-A Parts Cart-A: 41 in. to 51 in. W x 31 in. D x 44 in. H, two 40 in. x 24 in. shelves that adjust every 3 in. and are rated to 125 lbs. each on patented high-carbon heat-treated brackets, plus two support arms, two bungee cords, and six metal hooks.

Frame and structural repair

The structural end of the category is the iDEAL FR-77-20, a 20 ft. steel-plate tilt-deck platform frame rack. Its deck is 82.6 in. wide and 19.7 in. high, tilt-deck operation is rated at 7,700 lbs. with drive-on ramps, and it carries two 10-ton pulling towers with telescoping heads, adjustable tower collars, and an overhead boom pull tower extension. Hydraulics run at 10,000 PSI from two air/hydraulic pumps with pressure gauges, fed by quick-disconnect fittings, and the rack ships with two 10 ft. pulling chains with hooks, a universal wheel stand, and a dead vehicle dolly. The universal anchoring system uses adjustable-height pinch weld assemblies, which is what makes it a universal jig rather than a vehicle-specific fixture. Ship weight is 5,953 lbs.

Measuring is sold separately. The FR-PROMEASRKIT covers 250 mm to 2955 mm (9.8 in. to 116.3 in.) on a triple-telescoping aluminum scale with laser-carved readouts, three precision extensions, 16 measuring probe tips from 8 mm to 28 mm, small, medium, and large cone tips with a tip holder, and a magnetic self-centering probe, all in a lockable aluminum case. Ship weight is 15 lbs.

For localized pushing and pulling there are seven hydraulic items. The OTC 1513B is a 4-ton porta power set. Two of the four pumps publish an output figure: the OTC 4020 air/hydraulic foot pump, rated for up to 55 tons of lifting and pressing capacity, and the Sunex 4998 air/hydraulic foot pump at 10,000 PSI of hydraulic output. The OTC 4012A hand pump publishes only its two-speed operation and the OTC 2510A only its two-stage air/hydraulic design; neither lists a capacity. Plumbing parts are stocked too: the OTC 9767 hose is 6 ft. long with a 1/4 in. internal diameter and factory-fitted 3/8 NPT male fittings, and the OTC 9798 is a hose half coupler.

Rivets and rivet nuts

Seventeen listings, the largest block in the category, cover riveting. That reflects how modern panels actually attach. Hand tools start with the Astro 1423 13 in. hand riveter and the 1442 hand riveter kit. Air tools split by rivet diameter: the Astro PR36 sets 3/16 in. blind rivets, the PR14 sets 1/4 in. Cordless options are the Milwaukee 2550-20 M12 3/16 in. rivet gun at $323.67 and the 2550-22, listed as the kit version, at $441.25. Neither listing publishes what ships in the box, so confirm whether a battery and charger are included before you order.

Rivet nuts run on their own size ladder. The Astro PRN1 is a pneumatic 3/8 in. rivet nut setting kit; the PRN2 is the 1/2 in. automatic version. The 1452 XL nut riveter kit is the manual tool, listed for nuts and threaded inserts up to 1/2 in., and the 1450 and 1455 cover rivet nut and rivet stud setting. One drill-driven adapter lets a standard drill do the work: the ADN38, for 3/8 in. XL rivet nuts. The ADR14 is a different kind of adapter, one that converts standard rivet tools to set XL blind rivets up to 1/4 in. Consumables are listed in four threads: RN1024 in 10-24, RN14 in 1/4-20 (100 pack), RN8M in M8, and RN10M in M10 (100 pieces). The listings publish setter capacity in inches and consumables by thread size, and none of them publish a cross-reference between the two; check the tool's installation instructions for the thread sizes it accepts before ordering consumables.

Spray guns, pressure pots, and paint room support

Six spray listings cover the tip sizes a refinish department actually uses. The EuroPro high-transfer guns come in 1.2 mm (EUROHE102), 1.3 mm (EUROHE103), and 1.9 mm (EUROHE109). The EUROHV109 is a 1.9 mm HVLP gun with a plastic gravity-feed cup. Two pressure pot kits pair a 2-quart pot with a gun: the 2PG7S with a 1.2 mm gun, the 2PG8S with a 1.7 mm gun.

Around the booth, the Astro 45800 Speedy-Strainer is a cordless vibratory paint strainer stand, and the Astro 7306 is an adjustable 7 ft. paint hanger. The DJS-00106 paint room ramp set is two 18 in. x 18 in. heavy steel plates for rolling vehicles over a booth threshold or over cords and hoses; the pair is listed at 42 lbs. The Scangrip SG-UV-GUN handles UV curing: UV LED at a 395 to 400 nm peak wavelength, center irradiance of 340 mW/cm2 at 10 cm and 14 mW/cm2 at 56 cm, an 11.1 V / 8000 mAh Li-ion battery giving 40 minutes of operation and charging to 80 percent in two hours, IP30 and IK07 ratings, 8.5 in. L x 3.75 in. W x 12 in. H, and a stated curing time of one minute with no heat produced on the panel. Note one inconsistency in that listing: the spec block gives both "4 lbs. including battery" and a 1.5 lbs. net weight. The 4 lbs. figure is the one tied to the battery, so treat that as the in-hand weight and confirm with the model spec sheet if it matters.

Hand tools, door skins, and plastic repair

Ten trim and panel hand tools cover teardown and reassembly: the Astro 4524 plastic prybar molding remover, the Astro 9581 precision panel clip pliers, the Astro 9589 four-piece upholstery set, and from GearWrench the 2106 inspection sticker remover, the 3702 two-piece hog ring pliers set, the 41840 push pin pliers set, the 84060H four-piece door panel and window repair kit, the 84065H curved trim pad removal tool, the 84080H four-piece flat scraper set, and the 2314D 2-1/2 in. wire cup brush for surface prep.

Two pneumatic door tools handle skin work: the Astro DS1000 door skinning tool and the DS2000 door skin removal tool. For plastics, the Astro 7601 is a cordless plastic welding and hot staple kit for cracked bumpers and broken mounting tabs. Suspension work that lands in the body shop is covered by the Astro 78100 Goliath ball joint XL C-frame press.

Polishing and finish correction

Five finishing consumables round out the category: the DeWalt DW4988 7.5 in. wool polishing pad, and from Milwaukee the 49-36-2789 3 in. black foam finishing pad, the 49-36-2790 3 in. polishing pad, the 49-36-2791 3 in. wool cutting pad, and the 49-36-2438 M12 polisher and sander five-piece accessory pack. The 3 in. pads are for tight panels, edges, and spot correction; the 7.5 in. wool pad is the one listed for aggressive cut and compounding on oxidized or heavily corrected panels.

Body carts and rotisserie mounting hardware

The Auto Twirler Body Cart Pro (AT-BC-PRO-ASSY) is the heaviest body-handling item here: a 3,000 lbs. rating, adjustable in height from 25 in. to 33 in., width from 0 in. to 63 in., on four 8 in. polyurethane-over-cast-iron casters rated at 1,250 lbs. each with two caster locks. It has eight independently adjustable mounting posts, each with a 2 in. x 4 in. pad and a single bolt hole, with about 10 in. of adjustment in six posts and about 19 in. in two, so a mount can be pulled to repair a mounting point while seven others still carry the shell. It stores in a 12 in. x 63 in. x 24 in. space and is manufactured in Utah. Two things it does not include: the 3 in. square, 3/16 in. thick center tubing (the listing notes the length varies based on the car), and the AT-BC-PRO-CONNECT sets. It ships bare steel, with red or blue powder coating available at additional cost.

Three vehicle-specific mounting kits are stocked. The Camaro Kit Plus is built for the AT-ELITE-R-ASSY Elite Rotisserie; the Camaro Kit Pro is built for the AT-PRO-ASSY Pro Rotisserie and uses a two-piece clamp collar for a tighter fit. Both give access to the rear leaf spring shackle mount and the front sub-frame stubs on first- and second-generation Camaros and Firebirds, and both ship as a four-piece front and rear set with a hardware package. The Mustang Kit Plus covers 1964 1/2 through 1973 and most Ford unibodies; in the rear it mounts at the leaf spring perch or the rear bumper mount, and in the front the listing states it can be mounted with the standard 16 in. mounting arms, either by drilling a second hole to match the bumper bracket location or by ordering the kit pre-drilled. That listing does not name a rotisserie model, so confirm the fit against your machine before ordering. The AT-PRO-16in-ARM-KIT is a pair of 16 in. Pro mounting arms, sold as a set of two, for adding or modifying arms on a Pro rotisserie; its listing names the AT-PRO-ASSY Pro Rotisserie. The rotisseries themselves are listed under their own category, not this one.

Two more handling items: the Sunex 7708 car dolly is rated at 1,500 lbs. for moving vehicles, panels, and partial assemblies, and the DJS-00108 frame saddle bracket set is 4 in. wide to fit most full-frame vehicles, sold in pairs at 5 lbs., for keeping a frame mobile through a full restoration or frame swap. The AME 95010 is an 18 in. H x 18 in. W black-on-orange tailgate warning flag; its listing publishes no other specifications.

What You Need to Install and Run It

Most of this category needs nothing more than floor space and shop air. The stands and carts are mobile on locking casters, and none of their listings states a power or air requirement; the number to plan around is the footprint, listed per model in the table below, plus the storage envelope for the two that fold (I-TBD collapses to 38 in. L x 44 in. W x 15 in. H; the Body Cart Pro stores in 12 in. x 63 in. x 24 in.).

Air is the one shared requirement. The iDEAL FR-77-20 frame rack is the only item that publishes its figure: 100 to 120 PSI of supply air, driving hydraulics at 10,000 PSI, with the spec sheet listing electrical power as not applicable. The pneumatic tools here (the DS1000 and DS2000 door skin tools, the PR14 and PR36 rivet tools, the PRN1 setter, the spray guns and pressure pots, and the OTC and Sunex air/hydraulic pumps) all run on standard shop air, but their supply-air requirements in CFM and PSI are not published on these listings; check the model spec sheet before sizing a compressor around them. The 10,000 PSI quoted on the Sunex 4998 is hydraulic output, not an air requirement. The PRN2 is listed only as an automatic setter, and its listing does not state an air requirement, so confirm that on the model spec sheet.

No item in this category lists a line-voltage requirement. The powered tools are battery-driven: the Milwaukee 2550-20 and 2550-22 on the M12 platform, the Astro 7601 cordless plastic welder, the Astro 45800 cordless strainer stand, and the Scangrip UV gun on its 11.1 V / 8000 mAh pack.

Floor space for the frame rack is the first constraint: a 20 ft. deck at 82.6 in. wide, plus room to drive on over the ramps and to work around two pulling towers with an overhead boom extension. Neither the required ceiling height nor any floor, slab, or anchoring requirement is published on the listing. Confirm both against the FR-77-20 user manual, linked from the product page, before you commit a bay. Freight is quoted separately on the iDEAL items: $2,360 per unit for the FR-77-20 and $95 per unit for the FR-PROMEASRKIT, to any address in the contiguous 48 states, with Alaska, Hawaii, and remote or limited-access locations excluded and quoted separately. Orders of more than two units need a freight quote.

All eleven Innovative Tools and Technology listings ship free: the I-DFS, I-DFD, SS-II, SS-6, I-XS, I-XS-SA, I-DJ, I-TBD, OPR and SSPC-A stands and carts, plus the SG-UV-GUN curing gun. The other 62 listings in this category do not carry the free shipping flag. Twenty-one of these listings, the Auto Twirler, Innovative, DJS Fabrications, iDEAL and AME items, do not publish a stock figure and are marked "Call us up for details!"; call to confirm availability and lead time before you plan around them. No listing in this category publishes an on-hand quantity, so confirm availability on any specific SKU before you build a schedule around it.

Certifications

None of the 73 listings in this category publish an ALI, ETL, ASME, or OSHA certification mark in their specifications. The only manufacturing claims stated are Auto Twirler's "Made in the USA" note on the Body Cart Pro, manufactured in Utah, Innovative's patented high-carbon heat-treated shelf brackets on the SSPC-A parts cart, and the Scangrip UV gun's IP30 and IK07 ingress and impact ratings. If your insurer, OEM certification program, or state inspection regime requires a specific compliance mark on a frame rack or a lifting device, ask for the manufacturer's documentation on that exact model before you order.

Load Ratings and Footprints Side by Side

Unit weights are taken from each manufacturer's published specifications; the shipping weight your quote is based on may differ.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which stand do I need, a bumper stand or a door stand?

Go by the rated load, not the look of the frame. The SuperStands are built to hold a plastic bumper cover without touching the painted surface and are rated at 25 lbs. (SS-II) and 35 lbs. (SS-6). A door or fender needs the I-DFS at 85 lbs. or the I-DFD at 75 lbs., which mount the part in the same orientation it sits on the vehicle. A large bumper or a heavy door that one technician has to move alone is the I-DJ at 200 lbs.

Do the Auto Twirler kits include a rotisserie?

No. The Camaro Kit Plus, Camaro Kit Pro, and Mustang Kit Plus are mounting bracket sets, each supplied as a four-piece front and rear set with a hardware package. Two of the three name the machine they are built for: the Camaro Kit Plus for the AT-ELITE-R-ASSY Elite Rotisserie, the Camaro Kit Pro for the AT-PRO-ASSY Pro Rotisserie. The Mustang Kit Plus listing names no machine, so confirm the fit against your rotisserie before ordering. The 16 in. Pro mounting arm kit is sold as a pair of two arms and its listing names the AT-PRO-ASSY Pro Rotisserie. All ship bare steel, with powder coating in red or blue available at extra cost.

What is not included with the Body Cart Pro?

The 3 in. square, 3/16 in. thick center tubing is not included, because the listing notes its length varies based on the car and it is too expensive to ship. If you cut it 30 in. longer than the body, Auto Twirler's listing notes it can be used as a subframe and mounted to their rotisserie with optional swing arms. The AT-BC-PRO-CONNECT sets of two are also sold separately, as are straddle pad posts and leaf spring posts.

Is the frame rack price the whole cost?

No. Freight on the FR-77-20 is $2,360 per unit to the contiguous 48 states, and four accessories are sold separately: the FR-77-TBK25 tool board kit, the FR-PROMEASRKIT measuring kit, the FR-EWINCH electric winch, and the FR-BAGJACK air bag jack. The listing also notes that Tuxedo collects sales tax on orders shipped to California. Budget the measuring kit in from the start if you plan to document structural repairs.

Which rivet or rivet nut tool matches my fasteners?

Match the tool capacity to the fastener diameter first. Blind rivets: the PR36 and the Milwaukee 2550-20 and 2550-22 set 3/16 in., the PR14 sets 1/4 in., and the ADR14 adapter converts a standard rivet tool to set XL blind rivets up to 1/4 in. Rivet nuts: the PRN1 sets 3/8 in., the PRN2 is the 1/2 in. automatic setter and the manual 1452 covers up to 1/2 in., and the ADN38 sets 3/8 in. XL rivet nuts from a drill. Consumables are listed in 10-24, 1/4-20, M8, and M10, and no listing publishes which threads each tool accepts, so check the tool's instructions before ordering them.

Which spray gun tip size should I order?

Four tip sizes are stocked. The 1.3 mm EUROHE103 is the one listed for primers, basecoats, and clearcoats, on solvent and waterborne material; the 1.2 mm EUROHE102 is listed for primers, sealers, and mid-viscosity coatings, with base and mid coats called out. At 1.9 mm, the EUROHV109 HVLP with its plastic gravity-feed cup is listed for medium-viscosity coatings, while the EUROHE109 shares the 1.9 mm tip but its listing names no viscosity range. If you need a fed supply instead of a cup, the 2 quart pressure pot kits come with a 1.2 mm gun (2PG7S) or a 1.7 mm gun (2PG8S).