body filler application

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clementine

Flight risk
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Hellooooo FABO,
I have done a lot of body work on my car. It looks pretty good, but its my car. I now have a side deal that is going to require filler on someone elses car, so.......I am seeing different methods out there. Some say the paint must be removed, some say it just needs scuffing, and some are saying it needs to be bare metal then primed before filler applied.

What say you? its a rear quarter on a late model non mopar so Ill spare you the details on that, but only mention because it is a rust free situation with fairly thin metal.

Thanks fabo!!
 
In for the deets on this one. Gotta do my c pillar seams on my roof at some point.
 
I am doing a full paint on my current build. For me it is down to bare metal, epoxy primer, urethane sandable primer, hit with 350 grit, clean and apply filler. Block until it is as straight as your perseverence allows, final prime with sandable, block and shoot color. But that's just me. Lots of ways to skin this kitty------------------
 
Yes it can be brutal work, here is my current setup-----------------the car is on a rotisserie--

DSC01761.JPG


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In for the deets on this one. Gotta do my c pillar seams on my roof at some point.
Just a suggestion, and not many people follow it anymore; but don't just use filler on your C pillar joints. Find someone who still can do lead. The quarter panel joints need too much filler, and when filler gets too thick, it WILL crack. Not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually it will. And there goes your nice expensive paint job. Newer cars don't have as big of a joint to fill, and can get away with it. I know people do it all the time, but I wouldn't. JMO.
 
Just a suggestion, and not many people follow it anymore; but don't just use filler on your C pillar joints. Find someone who still can do lead. The quarter panel joints need too much filler, and when filler gets too thick, it WILL crack. Not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually it will. And there goes your nice expensive paint job. Newer cars don't have as big of a joint to fill, and can get away with it. I know people do it all the time, but I wouldn't. JMO.
There are some good you tube vids out there.
 
As for the c pillars i take all the lead out. grind that area weld the spots that wasnt done by the factory i use duraglass then a fine filler to make it straight If its just a small dent i grind it down to metal feather edge the paint put my filler on & block it straight just make sure you use a heavy grit sand paper so the filler has some thing to bite to
 
I'm DA sanding all the clear coat crap off this beater pickup and will sand all the scratches down to metal, feather the edges and hit it with a primer. For the final rub down, I'll block sand it again lightly looking for low spots the block misses, fill with glaze , block sand flat again and be done with it. final rinse, dry, tack rag wipe down and paint. If it comes out semi good, great. If it comes out awful, DA again with 800 and polish it out. Single stage forever!
 
As for the c pillars i take all the lead out. grind that area weld the spots that wasnt done by the factory i use duraglass then a fine filler to make it straight If its just a small dent i grind it down to metal feather edge the paint put my filler on & block it straight just make sure you use a heavy grit sand paper so the filler has some thing to bite to
ah yes I forgot about the duraglass. sounds like he has new quarters to roof seam so for the experience I might try to lead it.
 
Hellooooo FABO,
I have done a lot of body work on my car. It looks pretty good, but its my car. I now have a side deal that is going to require filler on someone elses car, so.......I am seeing different methods out there. Some say the paint must be removed, some say it just needs scuffing, and some are saying it needs to be bare metal then primed before filler applied.

What say you? its a rear quarter on a late model non mopar so Ill spare you the details on that, but only mention because it is a rust free situation with fairly thin metal.

Thanks fabo!!
My can of plastic filler says it can be applied over OEM paint. If you can keep from breaking into the metal you can skip the need for DTM primer or if the filler covers all of the bare steel, same deal. One drawback to doing it this way is that you have nothing to fill with the primer because your plastic is level with the topcoat. I do it all of the time. Sometimes I’ll fill a deep scratch with filler to keep the repair small instead of feathering everything out and filling with epoxies and polyesters.
 
I'm DA sanding all the clear coat crap off this beater pickup and will sand all the scratches down to metal, feather the edges and hit it with a primer. For the final rub down, I'll block sand it again lightly looking for low spots the block misses, fill with glaze , block sand flat again and be done with it. final rinse, dry, tack rag wipe down and paint. If it comes out semi good, great. If it comes out awful, DA again with 800 and polish it out. Single stage forever!
The new single stage urthane looks great, flows great.
Until it sits in the sun for a year, it dulls fast.
I painted my Willys with single stage, it turned dull as crap after time.
Yes it will buff out but modern base/clear is alot better.
Straight out the gun, with no buffing.

Z1iWIW.jpg
 
I got 3 cars that scream clear coat sucks. Newest is a factory Caravan, circa 2012. Paint lasts 10 years? 92 Lexus, whole top is cooked. My Mazda repaint is garbage. I may just paint the SOB fleet white and never worry about clear coat cancer again. That white just peels of exposing bare metal!
 
I got 3 cars that scream clear coat sucks. Newest is a factory Caravan, circa 2012. Paint lasts 10 years? 92 Lexus, whole top is cooked. My Mazda repaint is garbage. I may just paint the SOB fleet white and never worry about clear coat cancer again. That white just peels of exposing bare metal!
Did you keep the old cars waxed, the older OEM clear was not very good without care.
 
No matter what I tell you, it woudn't have been enough as they are toast. The 2012 is a place mat sized patch above the passenger seat for some reason. The hood of the SC400 is flawless and the roof is totally void of clear....
 
No matter what I tell you, it woudn't have been enough as they are toast. The 2012 is a place mat sized patch above the passenger seat for some reason. The hood of the SC400 is flawless and the roof is totally void of clear....
The hood has probably been repainted or replaced. 7 years has always been life expectancy of paint in sunny areas. Nothing has changed. Clear is clear and pigment is pigment but this is a plastic filler discussion.
 
As for the c pillars i take all the lead out. grind that area weld the spots that wasnt done by the factory i use duraglass then a fine filler to make it straight If its just a small dent i grind it down to metal feather edge the paint put my filler on & block it straight just make sure you use a heavy grit sand paper so the filler has some thing to bite to
That Duraglass is the Bomb
 
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My can of plastic filler says it can be applied over OEM paint. If you can keep from breaking into the metal you can skip the need for DTM primer or if the filler covers all of the bare steel, same deal. One drawback to doing it this way is that you have nothing to fill with the primer because your plastic is level with the topcoat. I do it all of the time. Sometimes I’ll fill a deep scratch with filler to keep the repair small instead of feathering everything out and filling with epoxies and polyesters.

So it is advised that bare metal is primered before putty correct?
 
Metal doesn't shrink. That is what we are trying to avoid. Shrinking
 
Scenario... deep scratch, maybe some depression. No real deformation of metal causing eyebrows. Scratch that sucker good in th deep part. 150 on the edges. Fill it up with some high quality filler. My cost is 100 bucks a gallon these days. Sand it with 150 while its still soft. Use a lot of paper cause it will plug.
It would be nice to see a picture of what you are dealing with.
 
Just a suggestion, and not many people follow it anymore; but don't just use filler on your C pillar joints. Find someone who still can do lead. The quarter panel joints need too much filler, and when filler gets too thick, it WILL crack. Not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually it will. And there goes your nice expensive paint job. Newer cars don't have as big of a joint to fill, and can get away with it. I know people do it all the time, but I wouldn't. JMO.
If you are talking about regular filler, I agree. When I dig all the lead out of a seam, I smooth it out with a product called Metal 2 Metal by Evercoat. It is a metal-based filler that is VERY strong, cures VERY hard, is waterproof and will not crack. You can also use a fiberglass reinforced filler, but I like the Metal 2 Metal stuff.
889.jpg
 
Hellooooo FABO,
I have done a lot of body work on my car. It looks pretty good, but its my car. I now have a side deal that is going to require filler on someone elses car, so.......I am seeing different methods out there. Some say the paint must be removed, some say it just needs scuffing, and some are saying it needs to be bare metal then primed before filler applied.

What say you? its a rear quarter on a late model non mopar so Ill spare you the details on that, but only mention because it is a rust free situation with fairly thin metal.

Thanks fabo!!
Filler will stick fine on OEM paint. Scuff the area with 80 or 120 grit dry paper for good mechanical adhesion. Then clean the area thoroughly and apply the filler. Thin coats like always. Then prime and paint.
 
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