Most cars have a compund curve that goes from the rear to the front of the car. Bondo should only be used when the imperfection is below this compound curve line. If this is followed you will never have build up on door edges, or thick filler.Most people use a sander to get the bondo smooth, but actually you will get a better job if you learn to use a grater file to remove the bondo down to the proper surface before you sand. If you learn to work to the compound curve of the car, not the panel, you will have a better job. You can get a smooth surface but be too thick, and produces what I call the triple wave, that is, separate compund curves on every panel. Watch the cars driving to a rod run as they p*** you and you will see every panel has a compund curve when it should be one compund curve from back to front.
if the surface under the filler (or lead) it wont last. its all about the prep work. you do have a couple of more things to worry about when it comes to lead and painting it. if you used bondo brand, then you ****ed up. use a brand like evercoat. that **** is awesome. my buddy has a 40 ford 4dr conv. that was done in all lead about 10 yrs ago. its cracking like you wouldnt believe. it wasnt painted and was just in primer. so moisture got under it. filler can last just as long as lead if the prep work is there. lead and filler are pretty much equal for filling jobs. the only advantae lead has is when it comes to jambs and edges. you can build lead up better.
Chad do you think the foster built '36 doesnt have bondo in it???? its a stunning car and it is straighter than a straight thing - how come there are no shots of it going from bare metal and then through the paint process to the end? it must have bondo in it, its the same as all the other big builders cars though...they all have bondo in them
I think this guys are using PPG bondo ?!?! paint and primer are PPG, bought that myself, not sure about the plastic.
there is a HUGE difference between a couple of coats of high build or a light coat of skim and having "bondo in it". Suffice to say neither of them changed the contours or shaped that car.
Is that red oxide or is it one of the ppg dp products because you dont want that mud on top of plain old red oxide lacquer primer ? Pat
Thats red Oxide but is not old. Its been shot 10 months ago when pealed to bared metal. We thought it would be better to sand it off and leave it as a base and for extra protection instead of pealing the whole thing again. Base for body prep of course, the final base before paint will be primer.
On this car I straightened the panels 1st. Made a repair on the right 1/4 with a small sheetmetal panel. Did the heat n file on the door dings, then blocked the whole car down with 150 to a point where the existing finish was real thin. I sprayed 2 wet coats of K36 over it, then reduced and tinted the last coat with some black. I blocked the car complete with 400 and then shot it in base/clear. I also blocked the clear coat with 1000 on a paint stick then 2000 on a Meguires sanding pad, then wheeled it out with Meguires #3. I took these pics in Sept during a refresh for some show stuff. I did this car about 8 years ago.
It's not a matter of how old it is it's a matter of what kind of material it is, some primers arent made to put filler over !
if you asked me two years ago when i started my build i would have said "very little to none". then once you get a grip on reality and the fact that your working on an old vehicle (60 yr old work truck in my case) the tune changes to something like "however much it takes haha".....to a certain extent of course.
I don't think there are any absolute rules when it comes to getting metal ready to paint. Bondo, lead, hammer work and shrinking are all necessary at time. My skills have improved a lot in the last fifty years and when I look at pictures of cars that I used to think of as perfect, I now wonder why I quit so soon. Build it , drive it and enjoy it. By the way, there are a lot of lessons waiting to be learned in that Merc maybe you should be doing some of the work.
Used properly, it's excellent stuff. Used improperly, it's still pretty damn good. Whenever I do a weld on a body panel, I always skim it with Duragl***. Makes the seam stronger and a better base for either primer or Bondo, whichever you use. I've never had a ghost line or a crack reappear on a duragl***ed seam. If you're not comfortable with s***ch-welding a complete seam on a rust panel you can do abbreviated s***ches, leaving some small gaps lengthwise, and DG will fill the rest. I've seen people fill rust holes by spreading the **** 2 inches thick on a piece of newspaper and then slapping the paper onto the car. God help me, I've seen some of those repairs a few years later and they haven't broken back off. I'd never do that but it is strong ****. Personally, I'd never lead a panel these days. Too many health risks, too much heat that could induce warpage, and frankly the new stuff works at least as well.
so im wrong when i start a new thread without searching, but then also wrong when i resurrect an old thread instead of posting a new one? okay dude...
Not *****ing about resurrecting, just saying that what you added is the same as what everyone said 3 years ago, and you didn't even have an answer. "none but as much as is needed"
i would call that an answer in my book. your right when you said its been the same **** for like 5 pages though. whatever, do you want to stripe my truck or what dude
The Jalopy Journal
