Hello brothers. I did some bondo work on my custom 48 Plymouth that is about 1/4 inch thick in some parts last summer and now it is starting to crack.. Is there somthing else out there that I can use that works a whole lot beter? Id prefer to use onother product befor I resort to lead. I dont know of any shops out here in the Inland empire (Ontario) that does lead work so if you know of a guy who is not to expensive feel free to shoot me his number..Thanks in advance..
rage gold is a premium body filler. i believe it's made by evercoat. the cracking you're experiencing is likely from too much hardener. most modern plastic fillers don't crack easily even during some minor flexing. good luck and sorry this happened. sorry to say but i would completely remove the existing filler before adding any other filler.
Use a fiberglass filler like Kitty hair made by evercoat it works good too. This will not crack at all.
Rage Gold for sure. Smooth as butter while spreading. When i went to autobody and paint school, one of the evercoat reps came in, we laid some rage on a door, sanded it, he hit with a mallet and it did not crack. Make sure the surface is preped right.
The modern, high quality catalyzed fillers are really getting to actually be better than lead. The only reason to use lead anymore is for tradition. Which, as it happens, is a good enough reason for me.
There are some instances where lead is a still a better filler, I personally know of one HIGH dollar street rod shop that still does a lot of lead work in certain cases. That said, MOST people, and most places are better off with rage extreme or rage gold and PROPPER mixes and prep work. Can someone link him to the filler artical that was on here a few years back???
I would use the lead before any plastic filler anyways because I do pick and file and lead work. But if your plastic is cracking, there are other problems at work here and a lead repair would have made no difference. Plastic repairs don't usually crack in that short a time period unless something else is going on. Were any structural repairs done under the plastic, and were they done properly? I would grind it all of and find the root cause of the problem first. Plastic has good repair capabilities and longevity if the complete repair is done properly. To a point, the method of repair is more important than the products used, and I think some of the people here have missed that point.
Darkk has it exactly right....WHY is your filler cracking? You probably don't have good metal under it. Lead will do the same eventually, if you don't solid weld your seams, or if your body mounts are bad, and the sheet metal is flexing too much. Find out why your filler is cracking first. A well done repair is needed as a foundation to build on. Next, try to work your metal so less than 1/4" is needed. 1/8 or less is very good. At that point, any filler you use will hold up well. Lead is not completely necessary in most situations. There are a few where I prefer to use it, like in areas of high stress, or vibration. Like door edges, maybe where the roof meets the top of quarters on chopped cars. Fix your foundation first, before painting the house!
Yes, straighten that metal out more and use as little as filler as possible. make sure metal is clean and least prepped with 80 grit.
would be interesting to see how you would remove the bondo and prep the area for lead the metal needs to be really clean before the lead will work. like some have said on here get the metal right in the first place then add your filler dont try and fill in the whole depth with one coat do it in many thinner coats and you will have less chance of the cracking. We use very little filler of anykind we through away more old filler than we actually use. good luck with the car RED
You're kidding right? Have you seen how thick some of these clowns put that stuff on? It does hold well though....
I have a spot 3/4" deep i did 10 years ago, then bomb canned over the top on my POS daily and it hasnt had a problem. Not that i'd do it on anything i cared about, but it should work
nope. I don't believe in the 'cave and pave' method. I know there are people out there that do some jacked up shit with filler, I just choose not to.
Well since we're on the subject, I'll play along. Kitty hair works well for deep spots and will prevent cracking. It will, however, completely detatch in one chunk, if the structure underneath is not flex free. And Rage Gold is shizzy good stuff, accept no substitute. Has anyone mixed Rage and fiberglass resin, 50-50, for a skim coat? I've never done it over metal body work, due to lack of expirence. But I have done so several times on fiberglass subwoofer boxes. It layes down smoother, with less defects, and has a stronger suface. I don't see why it wouldn't work the same, but I don't want to spread bad info if it's a no-no.
I wood say what is underneath the filler is it welded solid . Is rusted is metal clean. No body has motioned that. I am just saying .
i've never mixed it 50/50, but have added resin for skim coat. it sands a little harder but man does it lay out without pinholes. used in moderation i haven't had a problem. can't say the ratio because i don't measure i just add to my unhardened mud until i get the consistency of warm honey then harden and spread. only small areas, mainly to fill pinholes or touch up like spot putty. i only use it over cured, sanded bondo or cured hardened primers (sanded also). not bare steel. good luck.
There's a product called metal to metal that we use. Sands easy like filler but is made from aluminum. But I'm not a body guy, that's what my body shop is for to finish off our metal work.
not a bad product....just don't use it over any weld seems or else you will be able to see the seem in the paint after it cures. found out the hard way on this.
i dont ever like to put on any filler mor than an 1/8 of an inch thick, like was said earlier in the post, make sure your metal is good, take care of any oilcanning. If your going to use heat, make sure your heat effected zones are really clean. sand the bare metal with 40 grit minimum or use a grill brick (stink block) to get into all the low spots. Mix up some evercoat duraglas and use that to get closer to level only....dont build it up cause its a bitch to sand. Sand that in 40 grit. next apply properly mixed rage gold or 3m platinum filler (rage gold guys- try 3m platinum! I just switched and LOVE it. very few pinholes and sands like a dream!) sand with 80 grit. apply evercoat metal glaze or Icing, whichever u prefer, finish sand with 150 grit. Also, if you're not using guide coat, you're gonna be using a LOT more filler haha...hope this helps
I hate bondo as well. That is why I only use duraglas, rage gold, 3m platinum, and evercoat metal glaze.
I was trying to be brief. I hate all of the above as well. With the exeption of a few responders on the topic, I probably have spread more of that shit in my lifetime than the rest combined. I simply prefer a hammer and dolly, but accept the fact that it can be a handy finishing aid at times. I don't have to like it...
Funny, I always use the term 'bondo' to refer to ANY polyester filler. Never really meant it to mean the specific brand Bondo. I guess guys only use that term today to refer to the brand? Back in the day, Bondo was probably one of 2 or 3 fillers that were available, but I dont' remember it being that bad. I DO remember that most fillers were VERY heavy and hard to sand. I think lead may have been easier to knock down. Back to the post, I'm not a big fan of the metal fillers. They harden up too much, and can be brittle on a flexible panel. They expand and contract at more of a rate than plastic, so the witness up through paint more, in my experience. And I really don't believe that they are instrumental in preventing rust. If you have holes in your metal or weld seam, the water is going to rust the metal and push out the filler, no matter what filler it is. Waterproof filler doesn' stop the metal from rusting if it comes from behind! I've never had any trouble with filler coming loose, but I solid weld everything, and seal up the backsides to protect it.
Hey FLAT BLACK, I'd like to see pictures of your 48, a cool year for old Plymouths! Just so we're clear, filler work IS NOT metalwork! In a good number of instances, had the metalman taken the time to finish the job, none of the later problems would have ever got a chance to happen. Anything you put beneith a paint job, be it " Kitty Hair" "Tiger Hair", glass ,resin, anyone of a dozen "space-age'' plastic fillers, including those silly metalfilled ones, and all those "HY-BUILD" primers, oh, and lets not forget the new "Hi-TECH" spot puttys, and yeah, even lead can crack under the paint. The rule is: the fewer the different kinds of material beneith a paint job, the greater its' chances for long term survival! I've looked at several paint jobs done in the last two-three years, job costing 8-10K+, and all in the " FAIL MODE" All suffered from the same problems-thick layers of filler, hy-build, spot putty & too much clear! Take the time now, to learn to work metal and avoid all the trouble in the future " Life ain't no Disney movie "
I do it for $65.hr plus the lead but i would bet you have another issue that needs to be corrected first. Body fillers are getting real good and if applied correctly are better than lead in most aplecations up to 1/4" thick. Lead still has its advantages as it can be applied very thick and it shapes real easy. I have seen lead over 1 1/2" thick that was applied over 30 years ago that still looked good. If interested pm me. Rick
The Jalopy Journal
