Body Filler Preferences

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Divenut

Divenut

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Hey Folks,

Going to start some body work, i.e. light damage to rear corner, and light surface rust. Been a while since I've done it, and back then (early 80s) "Bondo" was the filler of choice. But I'm wondering if any of the new options are better. Will be using it to smooth out body work, no holes or rust throughs. Would welcome suggestions anyone may have to share.

Thanks in advance,
Pat
 
USG lightweight filler

amazing how "bondo" brand became known as the generic term for filler but i would say that the Bondo brand dont come even close to the quality of the USG brand.
 
actually its USC now that i look, not USG ...lol

i get it by the gallon only bcoz i have a lot of cars and i have a body shop account with my local paint supplier.
 

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I used USC feather-rite autobody filler (U.S. chemical & plastics) no.21330
Just ask for metal straightening in a can lol.
I use lots, even if a very small dent put on sand off until it is real close (my car is black) so it has to be straight.
Then followed by 2k high build primer, same thing spray on sand off (wet sanding)
To check for straightness is to wet with water then have a light at the opposite of
the way you are looking and eye ball it.
These are my opinion and I am not a body person by trade (self taught) and alot
of mistakes along the way.I am 49 and have been doing alot of cars since my mid 20s Study read the web and so on. Make sure the surface is clean (wax and grease remover).

Oh also were gloves as there are oils on your hands even if they are super clean.
Every one has a way they do things, hope this helps you.

Darryl
 
monook said:
I used USC featherweight autobody filler (U.S. chemical & plastics) no.21330
Just ask for metal straightening in a can lol.
I use lots, even if a very small dent put on sand off until it is real close (my car is black) so it has to be straight.
Then followed by 2k high build primer, same thing spray on sand off (wet sanding)
To check for straightness is to wet with water then have a light at the opposite of
the way you are looking and eye ball it.
These are my opinion and I am not a body person by trade (self taught) and alot
of mistakes along the way.I am 49 and have been doing alot of cars since my mid 20s Study read the web and so on. Make sure the surface is clean (wax and grease remover).



Oh also were gloves as there are oils on your hands even if they are super clean.
Every one has a way they do things, hope this helps you.

Darryl
Click to expand...

Right on the money with proceedure. And I also use evercoat and featherlite
 
i usually use wax and grease remover with a light to check for sraightness ....sometimes the water dont show how it will look shrunk back a bit .....IMO
 
Oldmanmopar said:
Right on the money with proceedure. And I also use evercoat and featherlite
Click to expand...

Thanks! I made a mistake it is feather-rite not featherweight.
Rani yes the term "bondo" got carried away and used as in speaking "does
that car of your have any bondo in it?" I say yes I have 2 buckets in it.
They think I am joking.
I am guessing 90% to 95% gets swept up and put in the garbage,but I do not tell them that.

Darryl
 
I use Evercoat Rage Gold too. A little prone to pinholes if worked too much but otherwise it's pretty good to work with.
 
Rani is right on the money with wax and grease remover for checking bodywork. One issue I had recently is after we checked our bodywork with wax and grease, the residual from it reacted with the water Bourne base. As far as filler, rage gold is good stuff, areas that are a bit higher in stress I use the Kevlar reinforced filler.
 
As the story goes..... Rage and Rage Gold are exactly the same thing other than a color additive and the price.

I have used both but will hold my comment.
 
Also after evercoat rage I use evercoat Slick Sand high build polyester primer for block sanding the stuff is great! Then a 2k urethane of your choice!
 
Thank you all for the replies. I'm glad I asked! I kinda figured some of the newer products would out perform the old "Bondo" brand. Looks like I'll pick up some USC and/or Evercoat.

Much appreciated folks.:thumleft:
Pat

You can see the damaged to the right rear corner in the pic & video below. PO popped a few of the welds and tweaked the rear panel when they dinged it. So I'll need to square it up, re-weld it, fill & smooth. Good times! LOL



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[/ame]
 
I use to wipe with acid back in the ol days just because etching back in the day was done that way to bare metal but materials now a days have better etching properties. And yes rage and rage gold are the same. Gold is sopposeably better at pinhole prevention.
 
gtmopar said:
And yes rage and rage gold are the same. Gold is sopposeably better at pinhole prevention.
Click to expand...

Cool, your experience with the two is the same as mine. If you buy Rage Gold, you are paying 40 bucks for a body filler that's a different color.

Skip the gold, just buy Rage and save $40.


On a side note, I tried 3M™ Lightweight Body Filler. That stuff sucked.
 
I've used just about everything and I've found to take a liking to evercoat Z grip, which is good on bare metal that has been ground/ sanded with 50 grit or coarser.

Rage Gold kind of sucks for sanding, compared to some of the more modern fillers. I've had a lot of pinhole issues with it and it seems to purge a lot of resin after it's dried. It sands well when you let it sit up for semi-dry sanding or cutting with a cheese grater tool, but I don't like it compared to the other Evercoat stuff out there.

Z grip shouldn't be used over paint or primer. You can glaze sanded paint that has been sanded with at least 80 grit, but I wouldn't recommend going finer. Most will go to 180 on paint, but I don't like going finer than 80, before applying filler.

I also use a polyester primer on top of body work that is extensive, to help level the entire area. A lot of it comes off, but it really puts a nice even sand scratch coat on the entire car that doesn't shrink like some 2k primers can and show up in metalics and clears, weeks after. I usually step away from doing filler work at 80 grit, then go straight to poly primer and sand it with 320 linear paper on a 2 foot longboard, dry with a guide coat. Tells you everything. After that, I prime with 2k, let it sit for a week, block sand with guide coat on linear P400 grit, do it again and hit it with 600 wet on a block, with more guide coat. That checks out with some 100k neon tube lights in the booth to tell me if it's straight enough to paint.

That small repair should do fine with an epoxy primer in the small areas, blended base and cleared with blend solvent wherever you choose to stop, if you choose to blend.
 
I used to use Rage Gold, but I've been using "3m Platinum Plus" for about 5 years now. Great stuff and sands like butter!
 

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DaveBonds said:
I also use a polyester primer on top of body work that is extensive, to help level the entire area. A lot of it comes off, but it really puts a nice even sand scratch coat on the entire car that doesn't shrink like some 2k primers can and show up in metalics and clears, weeks after. I usually step away from doing filler work at 80 grit, then go straight to poly primer and sand it with 320 linear paper on a 2 foot longboard, dry with a guide coat. Tells you everything. After that, I prime with 2k, let it sit for a week, block sand with guide coat on linear P400 grit, do it again and hit it with 600 wet on a block, with more guide coat. That checks out with some 100k neon tube lights in the booth to tell me if it's straight enough to paint.

That small repair should do fine with an epoxy primer in the small areas, blended base and cleared with blend solvent wherever you choose to stop, if you choose to blend.
Click to expand...

Please clarify. Are you doing poly high build, then 2K high build?
Thanks.
 
Thanks for all the additional info folks. Much appreciated. I'll post up pics of our progress in our restoration thread.

Be well,
Pat
 
Idaho said:
Please clarify. Are you doing poly high build, then 2K high build?
Thanks.
Click to expand...

I'm using polyester primer surfacer (high build), guide coated and sanded on a 2' board with linear P320 adhesive backed paper, until I'm happy with how flat it is. This is followed by remasking out to cover all areas that I didn't include with polyester, for a urethane primer surfacer (high build).

I don't use polyester primer in the jambs, window areas, gutters or any other place that doesn't require a lot of straightening attention. Any areas that I do not use polyester primer on get coated with a light coat of self etching primer over the bare metal, before urethane primer. Epoxy primers don't need this and can also work.

I sand all of the bare metal with 80 grit paper on a DA for primer adhesion. I've found that 180 is fine on sound prior coatings that are left in place (depending on what is done), but it isn't strong enough to cut steel for good adhesion.

I use panel bonding epoxy on all of the seams, sanded with 180 and followed by a seam sealer that I smooth out with laquer thinner and my finger in a non-latex glove, then sand again with 320 before any primer on those areas to prevent cracking or separating.

I cut the urethane primer with 600 grit (p600 is too coarse) for good metallic layout and I nib each coat inbetween base color coats, going around by hand to get rid of any dust or uneven layout, followed by a final light coat of base. I usually back metallics down and do slightly lighter coats only, to prevent striping/ banding and end up with about 10-13 coats of base. some solid colors get away with about 2-3 medium coats.

Clear goes on light on the first coat left sort of dry in orange peel, let it sit for 30-40 min, come back in with 2nd full medium coat and immediately follow up with 3rd coat on horizontal stuff that takes more UV abuse and lays out nice n flat for color sand.

Color sand lays out with soft backing pad w/ Kovax 1200 dry, followed by Kovax 1500 dry on the same DA, wool pad and egg crate black foam with Meguiars 105 with wool and 205 with foam. FWIW Meguiars is owned by 3M and is cheaper. Kovax blows 3M Trizact away, for color sanding, because it's dry sand and you can actually watch what needs more sanding, as you do it, instead of drying with a squeedgie block and making a huge mess, to check in between sanding.
 
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