Bodywork Tools

Whether you're a professional in bodywork repair or a DIYer looking to fix, modify, or paint your car, you're going to need car body repair tools. Whether you're servicing the masses or just looking to make some progress on your project car, Cromwell has all the tools you'll need to get the job done from our own leading own brand Kennedy to suppliers including Sykes-Pickavant and Verinor.

Cromwell stocks a versatile range of high-quality car body repair tools, used by automotive professionals around the world.

What are car body repair tools?

Car body repair tools come in all kinds of shapes and sizes to perform any kind of automotive bodywork repair - from panel reshaping, to respraying and paint-matching.
We'll go into much more detail about the different kinds of bodywork tools, as well as what jobs you'd use them for, below.

Why buy car body repair tools?

Whether you're setting up a body shop, working on your own garage projects, or enhancing the number of jobs you can perform in an existing body shop - car body repair tools are the enablers. After all, the worker is only as good as his tools.

Most bodywork jobs are fiddly or complex, as you'll likely be removing dents without causing paint damage, repainting sensitive surfaces to get an exact match with other panels, and more. In these scenarios, having professional quality tools can really make the difference between a clean, top-quality job and continuous headaches.

When are car body repair tools used?

• Dent removal - A selection of tools are available to help remove any kind of dent from a panel. From suction cups to stud welder pullers, no dent is too large if you have the right tools.

• Shaping panels - Damaged panels often need reshaping. This is typically done by hand with a hammer / dolly.

• Bodywork filling - Bodywork with deep scratches or holes can be filled with the help of bodywork filler.

• Bodywork painting - Scratched, damaged, or rusted panels require re-painting. This is usually achieved with an air paint sprayer.

• Modification - In order to fit, customise, or paint a body kit, body repair tools are required to provide a secure, flush fit with existing bodywork.

Types of car body repair tool

In order to effectively repair bodywork, you'll need a plethora of tools to get it looking like new. There are hundreds of tools available to help you achieve bodywork perfection, so we've narrowed it down to a few of the main types for your consideration.

• Hammer / dolly set - If you're looking to really iron out the kinks in damaged panels, you're going to need a panel beating dolly. These often come in sets with specialised panel beating hammers, which allow users to straighten out even the most dented panels. These tools are designed to last a very long time, so invest wisely - you'll probably never buy another.

• Dent pullers - Stud welder dent pullers are an evolution of screw-in dent pullers. The big advantage of stud welders is that there's no holes left behind after use. Stud welder dent pullers have studs that are spot-welded into place, then pulled to remove even large dents.

• Suction cup pullers - You've probably seen those videos of smaller dents being removed with an insubordinate amount of duct tape being quickly ripped away from a panel. Suction cups enable users to do a similar thing on a more... Professional level, without leaving unnecessary marks, scratches or causing excess paint damage. Cromwell stocks these handy tools in single, double, and triple head configurations to suit any size of panel or dent.

• Block sander - A common sight in repair shops, block sanders are required for general buffing and sanding purposes as well as cutting high spots and finding low spots in bodywork.

• Sanders - Sanders, specifically dual action sanders, are very nice to have when it comes to car body repair. Not only do they save you a huge amount of time when it comes to basic panel sanding, they are invaluable for making quick work of shaping body filler. These versatile tools have a myriad of other uses around the garage or workshop, meaning you're likely to use them for more than just automotive purposes.

• Air compressor / paint sprayer - Typically, car body repair involves fixing and re-painting certain panels. To get the best results, a paint sprayer is recommended. With a paint sprayer (and a suitable air compressor to match) users can quickly apply as many coats as needed to get the panel looking like new.

• Putty knives - Putty knives are used to mix and spread body filler, an invaluable resource when it comes to body repair.

• Grinder - Grinders are required for custom work or body kit modification and are the best power tool to remove rust.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of car body repair tools. Different jobs often require different tools, accessories, and gadgets to achieve the desired results, and the Cromwell range is much larger than just what we've mentioned here. If you require specialist help to decide what's right for your job, feel free to ask our experts for personalised advice.