GodSpeedGTA

iTrader: (1)

I am getting ready to do paint and body on my GTA and there is gonna be quite a bit of bondo work...shaving antenna, door locks, maybe even shave side lights front and rear...also my rear bumper has some strange deep scratches in it that run into the "pontiac" part...so thinking of smoothing that all out and erasing "pontiac"....anyways there is gonna be a lot of bondo and filler under my paint

im doing a really nice paint job...and the paint is the type (not telling) that you dont want ANY FLAWS SEEN...so should i just try to get new body parts or can you use the bondo as long as you do it right and be just fine?

its mainly about sanding when it comes to the bondo correct?

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

If you have to ask, its too much bondo. If you can, weld the antenna, door locks, etc. I bondoed my antenna and had no problems whatsoever, but if possible I'd have welded it. And bondo + flexible parts = cracking.


There was massive damage on my quarter panel and I used about a softball sized amount of bondo to repair it. Can you tell where becuase no one in person ever could. Also, when the car was totalled, I took a bad to it and couldn't break it. If used right its a very valuable tool, just like any other properly used tool. Just remember, if you can feel it you will certainly see it.

FSTFBDY

iTrader: (33)

weld plates in all the stuff you want to do.

anything more then a skim coat of bondo is to much in my book.

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

Maybe a picture of my quarter panel would make more sense in regards to my initial post. But yeah, bondo isn't made to fill large areas although it does work for that.

GodSpeedGTA

iTrader: (1)

i agree with the metal plates and such but once the metal plate is welded in how do you even out the surface?...is filler different from bondo?

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

You use filler to smooth things, not to fill gaping holes. Bondo is a type of filler.

FSTFBDY

iTrader: (33)

weld the plates in and grind the welds, weld more if you have to. once you get it the best you can use a bodo with hairs it in.

http://www.autobodystore.com/FillerMatls.htm is a good start for ya..

just weld plates in instead of using all glass. or bondo.

http://www.bondo-online.com/Default.asp

soulbounder

If you are that concerned about using too much bondo on a very nice paint job you could always use body solder.

But if you do go the bondo route, I agree with TPI383. Skim coat at most.

GodSpeedGTA

iTrader: (1)

well im having a professional body man of over 40 years of show car and truck work advise me on the body work later this week

i will DEF weld a quarter for the antenna and door lock cylinders and then use the best filler recommended by my mech/body man to level the surface and also clean up some slight rust areas

for dents ill be using harwoods stud welder kit with a tool called a dent killer which pulls the dent without the slide hammer to the perfect level so i wont have to worry about over or under pulling the dents out...they should come out perfectly level and smooth...

also TRUST ME im prepared to sand the living crap out of this car...i dont even mind hand sanding so trust me the entire car is gonna be smooth as glass before im ready for primer...i also checked the bumpers and they are fine the paint is just split so it looks like its cracked or deeply scratched but its not

two questions....what is the best tool for sanding the entire car...i know DAs leave swirls etc...if not used properly...whats the best fool proof tool...also what other stuff should i use in prepping the body...paint stripper, chemicals/cleaners...etc.

FSTFBDY

iTrader: (33)

The stud welder will work so will a slide hammer. but your still gona need a skim coat of somesort.

a DA will be fine.

Use a good Hibuild primer and block sand the complete car. fill all the low spots ,sand the high spots , again,again,and again till its all the way you want it...

JeremyNYR

iTrader: (2)

why use a quarter? spend a few bucks and get a sufficient guage piece of steel to cut and weld into place.

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

Practice.

If this thing is your baby and you are doing all this for the first time, leave enough in the budget to do it again, becuase you'll end up with flaws no matter how careful you are.

GodSpeedGTA

iTrader: (1)

bc its cheaper easier and noone is ever going to see it and i dont have any places near me where i can go buy steel

whats the point of using high quality more expensive material when it works the exact same way just as well and will nv be seen

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

Every hardware store I've even been to sell steel.

JeremyNYR

iTrader: (2)

The Sears near me has sheetmetal of varying size and thickness. I'm completely inexperienced at welding, but I'm assuming that it'd be easier to weld steel to steel rather than another type of metal. And I'm assuming it'd hold up better. I could be completely wrong, just something to look into.

Xophertony

when you say you are using a quarter do you mean a coin, as in what we put in vending machines, or is this some kind of body work term i do not understand?

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

Welding in quarters is actually common practice due to the difficulty of cutting a nice round circle as opposed to pulling a 25 cent piece out of your pocket.

Datarogue

total agreement with TPI383 and Soulbounder... I've done bodywork since I was in my 20's and am almost 50 now. If you intend to keep the vehicle you are doing this work on, more than 3 or 4 mil's of filler (bondo or any other plastic or fiberglass fill material) is unacceptable. years down the road it will come back to haunt you... and has been said already, any areas where flexing is inevitable should definately be metal (either steel or leading, leading being a technique which has almost gone the way of the dodo in this day and age) any edge areas should be metal also, never leave plastic filler as a door edge straightener! yikes! or trunk or hood edge for that matter. plastic filler is ONLY to be used as leveling agent... or in the case of some unscrupulous bodymen, a quick fix to make a vehicle sell quickly

KEVIN G.

Welcome to our little community Datarogue, Glad to have another kindred soul onboard. It is nice to see another face that can shed light on some of the ways we do things in the biz.
One hundred percent correct an all answers given, by the way.
It is too bad lead has gone the way of the dinosaur, but you know that money and time are the name of the game these days. (i never had the chance to learn, My brother however, has the skill. He got me into the biz about 20 yrs ago)

Edit: Sorry, was going to offer another solutiuon, "Allmetal" is a good substitute for fiberglassing over welds, (wich is always a good Idea), It is water proof, strong as he!!, and is a nice way of getting a bit of steel back into the repair.

Nikole

jimp2001

I'n response to the original question... for me, any bondo is too much bondo. Use as little as possible.

GodSpeedGTA

iTrader: (1)

well i fig whatd youd all say and sure enough thats what has been said but im still kinda curious...all these cars that have "everything" shaved and customized but still have show car paint jobs and such...how do they do it bc i know they have to use fillers dont they?

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

I just thought i'd throw this out there, as everyone seems to hate overly using bondo:

We've all seen the vehicle that buddy buys, it looks good, etc. But they decide to give it a paint job, and what a shocker, there's giant gobs of bondo underneath!!! holy cow, what an idiot! Look at all this awful bondo hiding this terrible body work!

Now the sidepoint that I think i'm the only one noticing: This bondo has been "hiding" bad body work for many years, and no ones noticed. Is it really so bad?

This girl in high school had an old ford truck, looked beautifully restored.. turns out the wheel wells were 100% bondo. Did anyone know? nope. Did they spontaneously explode one day? naw. Maybe if someone beat on it mercilessly they would shatter, but hey, sheet metal would have bent, and you'd have the same problem: some moron beating on your vehicle with a hammer...

I'm not advocating excess bondo use, but 1/8" -1/4" is pretty acceptable. "mils" you can make up in primer surfacer. It's not quite as flimsy as people think sometimes.

KEVIN G.

Yes they do. We have all seen the Rides, and Overhaulin', where they slick the whole car with polyester, A lighter form and easier to use, but yes, still "bondo".
It is a valid repair method when, like anything, used in it's correct form.
No it is not meant for covering rust holes. No it is not for filling holes to "shave parts".
And no, it is not for urethane parts.
But, when the metal is as close as it can get and there is no porous spots, or holes, that can allow moisture to get to it, It will last. It is on good steel, and unless it gets hit there again, it will last.

1989karr

I agree....what's wrong with driving a "bondomobile"? lol If it's done right it will last.