My '88 GTA somewhere down the line had some minor bodywork done to the left rear quarterpanel. They used a body filler, and it almost looked half decent but they didn't do a good job sanding it down and finishing it, because you can easily spot where the filler was applied standing 10 feet away. They also f'd up around the rear sidemarker lamp. The whole car is going to get new paint anyway, and I'm trying to get this tightened up before it gets painted. I've heard people say I should go at it with some fine grit sand paper, like 320 grit, and it'll smooth out okay; I've also heard people say I should just start the whole thing over. Could someone shed some light on this for me? Aside from just replacing panels, I've never really done any real body work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

anything? i assume some of you have had some experience with bondo

 

if its on there really thick or anything like that, i would take it all out and start over.... if itsjust not blended real well, id sand/smooth it in...... *shrug*

but im pretty new to bodywork myself.

 

try and sand it first. i do all my body work with 120 grit. hows the body line? might have to add a little than sand some back off. look down in there from the hatch area and see how big the dent is

 

If it's really bad I would grind it out and start over. Use a quality filler and knock it down with a coarse paper (I usually start with an 80 grit and work up to 150). Cover it with a good high build catalyzed primer/sealer and block it down (again I block with 240, 400 and finish with 600).

 

redo it if it looks bad from afar they probably didnt prep the metal right underneath it. they guys above already did a good job of explaining the basics of mud work, it would also be a good idea to give it a coat of poly putty to finish it of. it sands smoother than mud and covers pinholes alot better.then a good 2k primer and a block job, when you block it down use a longblock not a short one a long block will cover more area and sand down any high spots a short block follows the contours of the high spots and doesnt sand them down

 

Gee I don't know if my car was ever in calif. but I have the same problem in the same spot. You don't notice it much until the sunlight hits it just right. When i get a paint job I was just planning in sanding it dorn to ware it is suspose to be.

 

Grind it out with a D/A sander. If it is a complete half *** bondo job you can spot from 10 feet away, I bet my lunch there is a half assed prep job underneath. Do it now and save your self the headache of having to tear up new paint to fix it later when it rots and then try to get a paint match.