Mission accomplished.  The dent is completely gone,
without any trace.  He drilled a 3/8" hole in the lip
that receives the grill and inserted strange metal
tools to massage the dent away, with mirrors attached
to the outside of the body so he could see the dent
from various angles while he worked.  The hole was then
plugged with a neat little black plug and some
sealant.  He drilled it dead center in the middle so if
you ever happened to look under that lip and see it, it
looks like it belongs there.

The dent was about 3" in diameter, not very deep, no
creases.  He said if it was much deeper, the paint may
have cracked, so I was lucky this time.  Cost:  $100
bill, no receipt.  Normal is $175 at your home.  I did
all the prep work and drove to him at a car lot where
he was working, so he cut the price!  He did it right
along side the street in the Castro.

Thanks for the replies.  Because he drilled in that
lip, there was never any chance of hitting anything
that might reside up in the nose.
steve

Steve Schwenk wrote:
>
> No, it's a small dent.  Looks like someone hit it with
> their hand.  I'm off to meet the dent remover guy.
> They took a dent out of my sliding door several years
> ago for $125 in about 15 min. and it looks perfect.
>
> I'll let you know what he says.  I am meeting him at a
> car dealer so he can show me where to drill an access
> hole, which is nothing.  He is a mobile unit.
>
> Karl Wolz wrote:
> >
> > Steve,
> >
> > If it's a big, broad dent, you might try pulling it out with a suction
> > device, such as that used by window installers.  I'd certainly try that
> > before drilling any holes.
> >
> > Karl Wolz
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Steve Schwenk" <steve@SYNCRO.ORG>
> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > Sent: Friday, June 22, 2001 1:39 PM
> > Subject: What's Inside Vanagon Nose?
> >
> > > To my horror, I discovered a dent in the fron of my
> > > vanagon...right in the nose...that wide, flat piece of
> > > metal just below the windshield and above the radiator.
> > >
> > > The good news is that it sould pop right out using the
> > > paintless dent removal service (air bag from behind).
> > > The bad news is that there is no external access to the
> > > space because there is a piece of steel attached just
> > > below it to form a double wall effect.  I would have to
> > > remove the dash to get to it.
> > >
> > > I would like to just drill a hole (1")in the lower
> > > portion of the body piece (like this > ) so that the
> > > dent guy can then gain access to the rear of the dented
> > > portion of the sheetmetal.  I can seal the hole with a
> > > plug like VW does in other areas.
> > >
> > > My concern:  what is inside the nose?  Are there wires
> > > or hoses or anything else i might bugger up by drilling
> > > into the "bottom" portion of the nose behind the grill
> > > and above the radiator?
> > >
> > > Thanks for any info.
> > > steve
> > >