What to do if bondo found in car?

Rob I also replaced my trunk lid and hood, the hood had a lot of bondo in the front... bondo over rust.

 

I will need a hood for sure.
When you said in your earlier post "we removed it" what do you mean?

 

I'm really a fan of removing it all to see what is underneath. Had I not done that to my Buick I'd be hating life about now. Filler isn't bad, it just needs to be used in moderation. And the rust needs to be fixed correctly underneath it.

 

As has been mentioned many times, if you are planing on having the car completly redone then yes I would remove the bondo and rework area so you know what you have from the foundation up, but plan on a complete redo and paint and spreading your wallet to do so. If not drive and enjoy until it really bothers you. Plastic filler if use correctly is a fact of life redoing a car and will work fine, the professional grade of fillers are very good today and if used correctly work well. My two cents from a old bodyman who did professional auto body repair for many many years !!!!

 

x2. did that for my two f100's and found out it wasnt really that bad.
and some places were even worse.

 

My bodyguy redid the body work, ie, pulled the quarter out a smidge.

You either should drive and enjoy the car or if you redo it, realize it can take time and think about how you will maintain your interest level. In the end my car is nicer than I wanted it to be (lol) but my interior will be raw so that's cool.

 

There is a balance point, and this point will change in time.

Right now I really enjoy driving my 55 Lincoln, lots of folks I meet really enjoy it also, this in spite of the fact that the drivers rear quarter was crudely repaired using sheet metal screws, smoothly capped with a generous layer of filler. It looks good at first glance, but fenders don't crack...

Anyway, I knew it was like that when I bought it and I will continue to drive the car like it is for some time.



The majority of people don't know the difference, you just have to watch for the people who do, a few will bust your chops, but most will look at your car, then look at you in a bemused way.... Even that can be fun if a person ain't too full of them self.

 

lots of good advice on the thread

in the old days i would buy DuPont Duro auto body solder it hardened like a rock
hard to work with you better lay it down smooth as possible

filled in the dent when i ran out of filler go buy another can
that was before i learned you get the dent out then fill it
saved a lot of money after that

here's a link that shows a Duro ad
foolproof & easy to use it says

http://books.google.com/books?id=QC...wAQ#v=onepage&q=duro auto body solder&f=false

 

x2.

Dr. Google's advice and Rich Wright's advice are spot on in my mind.

 

Here's an idea that might help you make a good decision instead of a hasty one: Look at the back side. Novel, I know, but looking at the back side will tell you everything you need to know about the front side.

 

There is nothing wrong with Bondo. I know everybody is amazed at bare metal finished cars. It's a lot of work, it’s expensive and it is good way to show off your talent if your trying to attract high-end clients . Your looking at body and paint work that would buy a new Camaro maybe even two of them. If I had that kind of money to pay someone to metal finish my project I would have bought a better body to begin with. Most of us poor slops are doing our own body work not because we want to but because we can’t afford to pay someone else to do it.
Thirty years ago I took an auto body cl*** at the local community college that was taught by one of the best metal finishers I have ever seen. He had nothing against using body filler as a skim coat, just don't try and a sculpt car out of this stuff. I start by bumping out the dents with a dolly, then I use a hammer and dolly to smooth things out trying not to stretch the metal anymore than it already has been. If it was a large dent the metal will probably be stretched. I heat a few spots the size of a dime and quench them to shrink the high spots back into place. Then I run a body file over it to see if there are any low spots. Then I ever so gently bump up the low spots and I stop. I use a thin (1/16 inch or less) skim coat of Bondo to smooth things out rather than file and grind away any more precious metal, the sheet metal is already thin enough as it is. This is the way Bondo should be used.
At college we had a stack of used fenders that we would blast dents into and then practice metal finishing on them. This is the trick to learning body work, you need to practice on a piece of metal your not emotionally attached to. Go out and get a junk fender, beat the hell out of it and have some fun.

Originally Bondo had a bad reputation for falling out. Not the new stuff, I dropped a blob on the greasy garage floor and a week later when I went to knock it loose with a hammer and chisel it tore a chunk out of the concrete floor. I would not worry about it falling off a car if it has been applied properly.
Your going to primer the car with what is basically spray on plastic body filler. Then your going to paint it with some form of liquid plastic, Bondo is nothing more than really thick primer and if used as such makes a good repair. I would much rather use a little Bondo than grind away any metal.

 

Like most have said, Bondo has been used on most if not all hot rod. When you get it down to metal pull the dents out with a magnetic dent puller, do not drill and put and old puller on it. 1/16" to maximun 3/16" is fine.

 

the guy that taught me how to do bodywork told me over 30 yrs. ago that bondo is one of a body man's best tools if it's used correctly. now i p*** that on to all the guys i teach.

 

Great thread full of good info. Was wondering what a `magnetic dent puller` is?? Never seen / heard of one before

 

Just drive it now and try to find the panels and parts you want to replace and do it over a winter.