Body work filler preferances

A

a_colo_native

Guest
I remember somebody asking about my preferances as far as filler
brands. Yesterday was a busy day So I didn't have time to reply. I
used to really like Bondo brand products, but since then the
technology has greatly changed and I am not up to snuff on most of
the newest brands/types available out there. In my experience most
are fairly equal, the key is in the application, proper use and prep
work.

Remember "James Bondo" The blue Amphi I got in Wisconsin? That car
could have been a poster child for poor body work. While it was very
straight looking (good schlupturing), it did have filler from 1/2"
(bad no no) to over 3" in depth over about 80% of the hull! (serious
lazyness). The car apparently had been sand blasted poorly causing
the entire body to be warped severely. I would guess that there was 3
or 4 gallons of filler in that car. That could easilly add 70+ lbs to
the car not to mention it WILL crack and cause many more problems. I
sold it because I did not want to take the time to properly shrink
the metal back to correct shape so I sold it.

I have seen the body work of one local guy who has a nice collection
of cars, but his body work is really amature looking. I noticed on
his truck which looked great at 40', but when you get closer you can
see the edges of the filler (not properly feathered out) and 40 grit
sanding scratches. It made an otherwise nice truck look very bad and
it also devalues it significantly. With poor workmanship like that,
it makes you wonder what else did they cut corners on? All it really
needed was a few more hours of blocking *before* paint was shot to be
very nice. The prep work before the paint is applied (95% of the
work) will make or break the appearance of a vehicle. It can affect
the price by as much as 50%. That is why Earl Shieb's can paint a car
for $200, the body work is the real expense.

John
 
Top