[janderson]

I have a few questions about bondo. First on the back fender of my 1967 mustang, there are a few holes about the size of a pin head. The guy before me put bondo over them but it fell off. How do I need to fix this? Second both of my back fenders are covered with bondo over dents in the metal. Do I need to leave what of this isn't cracked or full of holes on or does it all need to be sanded off and put new on? It matches the shape of the car just some of it is cracked. Third how do you apply bondo to an area that isn't full of holes just dented, and is there any way to bend the metal back out and if so how? I have found some information on the internet but they don't go thru the whole process so if someone could take me through the whole procedure it would be very appreciated.

thanks

[casselracing]

you need to take it all off. if it cracked once there is a reason it cracked. no point of putting your time and money into it for it to crack out again. strip it all off. get your self a good set of body hammers and dolleys. use the hammer on one side of the metal and the dolley on the other side. just do it easy u dont need to hit it hard just little taps either in or out to get it closer to straight. then you really should epoxy primer it where you go to bare metal at that way it seals moisture and stuff out of the metal. then put your body filler on. i recomend evercoat rage body filler. then do your body work. if you go through to bare metal make sure you re epoxy the bare metal spots. then put regular primer on the body filler and block your primer and finish sand it with like 600 grit then seal and paint

[Blue 88 Coupe]

Number one. If you can get behind the fender like if its off put a little fiberglass or bondo behind the hole then when it hardens put the bondo on the over side so it wont fall threw. make sure to always grind where your putting bondo to make sure it sticks good. Second. Sand that old crappy junk off if you want to do it right. No need for that butchered crap on there. Also make sure your using a good bondo like a smooth finish one. dont just go to walmart lol its a stang after all
Third. theres a special tool that you weld a tab onto the dent and you use a slide hammer to pull it out. But if yah don't have this then heres another way. If you can get behind the area that is dented smash it out with a hammer gently. Make sure to have a block on the other side so you don't push it out so far. Also you could just fill the dent unless its to big like golf ball size and maybe a cm deep just fill its easier but big ones smash them out. Sorry for kinda rambling any other questions just ask

[janderson]

Thanks for the help, but casselracing said you should use epoxy primer where you go to bare metal at. I have sanded the whole car down to the metal so how does epoxy primer work? Also if you bend the metal back out do you still have to put bondo on it or not?

thanks

[silver69]

Yeah, you still have to put filler back on unless you dolly it out perfect and I think that is very hard to do. the epoxy primer is a 2 part primer, 50% solids and 50% activator once combined has a short pot life(usually less than an hour) and should be applied to the car. I have seen this put over body work with great success as well as bare metal. trouble is you usually sand trhough it if you perform bodywork on top of it. The others are right - if the old bondo is cracking get rid of all of it - period.

[silver69]

Have you thought about just putting on some 1/4 panel skins??? might be a lot less work in the long run?

[Player]

I read some studies awhile back which showed that filler was much much stronger when applied directly to the metal. I'm not sure where epoxy primer would fall into that mix, though.

[andrewmp6]

The pin holes really need to be welded up.And the dents need to be pulled out and beat back as smooth as you can get.The key is filler is less is more.Most people use it as cover over like your car which is wrong.But if both of your quarters look like the moon i would just replace them.

[Icerat]

Less is more is a true statement with filler. I recommend Metal 2 Metal from Evercoat, it is the best on the market for repairs. The holes need to be repaired with metal, not filler or fiberglass. Those will only be temporary repairs. The dents should be pulled or dollied out from the back side. The rule is no more than a 1/4 inch of filler anywhere on the car. It is fairly simple to get a panel within a 1/4 if correct even if you are not a body man. The primer is personal preference. I have seen both good and bad results with using it before filler, it is all in the prep. I would not suggest replacing the quarters unless the dents are horrible. It is always better to repair than replace unless the damage is very severe especially on older cars. Cutting them apart leads to the opportunity for misaligned panels and rust to form in new places. Most of the tools you need you can buy fairly cheap and will last you a long time, it is a good investment.

[Player]

I talked to a body guy recently who said he uses spot putty to fine-tune the surface (small imperfections) once he's done with the filler. Is this something that you guys do as well, or just use filler?

Do you buy Metal 2 Metal online, or locally?

[Icerat]

Yes, absolutely. Spot putty is finer, smoother, easier to sand and has less potential for pin holes. By all means use it as the top coat over filler to make it 'perfect'.

Metal to Metal you should be able to buy from any body shop/paint supply place in your area. I buy it locally from CarQuest but I am not sure if you have those where you live. Like I said it is made by Evercoat so you should be able to ask around and someone can direct you to a local supplier. Always remember that it all sands off, if you don't like the way it turns out, try again, it is cheap to redo at this stage.

[Player]

Thanks Icerat! I hope this is information that is helpful to the thread-starter (don't mean to steal the thread ).

So is the 2k epoxy primer/sealer before vs after filler an ongoing debate?

[silver69]

2k high build primer is a heavy solids primer that goes on after all filler work and is rubbed down with long blocks to finish smoothing out the panel, or at least that is what i do with it.

[Player]

Would that be something like SPI?

[66 restomod]

SPI sells a really good and reasonably priced paint products.
The 2K epoxy primer is great. They also have good High build primer and clear coats. Lots of people also like their truck bed liner for undercoating

http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/Pricing%20Info.htm

I like Rage body filler. Light weight and sands easy

By shooting epoxy first, it gives a solid foundation that seals the metal completely and is hard as nails. You can then add filler, High build primer and then a final seal coat of 2K epoxy to sandwich in all of the body work and keep moisture out. The seal coat will also give a uniform texture and color for your base coat.

Good Luck and Be Safe
Ron