so i found some bondo on my project yesterday, some small "dents" i thought it would easy and that i would just use the shrinking disc to smooth it out. but turns out the dents are right above the truck brace and i cant reach them, any good fillers besides bondo or any alternatives you guys recommend?
the tinning ****er goes on before the lead you have to "tin" the metal prior to applying body lead its kind of like primer for the lead to adhear to the steel
there are great polyester fillers out there now. Dont go to walmart and buy the ****ty Bondo brand stuff, but i guarantee if you ever find a car with NO BONDO ill show you a liar.
I love to use Rage gold, by Evercoat. Much much better and easier than bondo ****. http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=10
I would say in a situation like that filler would be fine. It's really not a bad thing unless you are filling rustholes with chicken wire and a can of filler...then maybe not so good. Just my .02
Evercoat is great, switched to it from what I thought were high end brands from local supply houses, and what a difference, very workable, supposed to have rust preventative properties according to the spec sheets
If it weere me, I'd try to get it a bit closer with a stud gun first, but if you're going to fill it, I'd shy away from lead. I know it's considered "traditional" and "the right way" but modern plastic fillers are head and shoulders above lead. That's my opinion and experience only, your mileage may vary...
+1 Those dents look too deep to just fill with any filler. A stud gun would work great to get those closer. If you go this route and keep the filler to a minimum you should be just fine without having to worry about cracking later. Evercoat is a great filler. It's the choice of multiple shops where I live.
thick lead isn't any better than thick bondo. hard to tell what part of the car is there or what obstructions are behind it but maybe you could cut the bracing out, fix the dents and weld them back in. the shrinking discs are for refining your hammer and dolly work. they are not a subs***ute
The rambler that won the ridler in '08 was leaded up in a lot of places, then covered in RAGE, with a bit of supercharger to make the mud lay out better. Lead aint a dead art, it does have it's places
There are other fillers that are better than bondo and less expensive than Rage. You can use "bondo honey" to adjust the viscosity. For anything that is deeper than 1/8", or larger areas, I use Mar-Gl*** fibergl*** "kitty hair". You can also use a stud gun or weld a washer to spots where you can't get to the back.
Evercoat Rage Gold all they way. I just switched over and love it. great stuff. It's fairly cheap too. probably less than $20 a quart w/ hardener.
cut the braces out then fix the area. reweld the braces back into place when repair is done. the gap the cut off grinder leaves is perfect when reattaching brace
Hey, I can't tell **** from your dark, ****py phone photos, but I'd try to pry up some of the deeper damage with a pry rod or s****, possibly some spring hammering on the ridges, and only than consider filling the remainder of the damage. You could use a stud gun (expensive toy), pull rods or a slide hammer, and after you've pried, pulled or hammered up the damage, be sure to weld up any holes you put into the panel, prior to filling any remaining damage. I wouldn't suggest lead as a filler, unless you've a good amount of experience with its' use. It is very expensive, and has some serious health issues with its' use. As for plastic filler over lead as a repair method......how do you spell butcher? In an ideal world plastic filler should never be used thicker than twice the thickness of the metal. No matter who's name is on the can label, over time all plastic fillers will crack! S****ey Devils C.C. "Spending A Nation Into Generational Debt Is Not An Act Of Comp***ion!"
first signs of hidden bondo 1 when the panels straight . 2 when it pops out . I agree with others here every thing i have ever seen had plastic some where if the cars well done ,prime and block is a filler .c
well the braces....are they spot welded on? if so just cut the welds out so you can get in with a hammer and dolly then weld them back in after its been bumped out........if not then just cut off wheel to gain access (repeat same as above).....if you cant do then use a nail gun(not the best solution since itll leave you with a bunch of camel heads).....or you can always make something that will fit in to push the lows up and hammer them out that way(think old leaf spring and you can custom shape them with a torch to fit the specific need you have....... remember......you dont want to use filler as a subs***ute for metal working itll come back to haunt you(that goes for lead too)!!
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