Body Filler Preparations

[ethan santin]

Hello FABO,

I have begun researching and studying the world of DIY body work in order to get my duster as ready as possible for paint. I wanted to come on here and seek the opinions of experienced body guys about how to approach these areas and prepare them for body filler. (See attached photos below for A and C pillars and the dent on passenger side quater) any and all information you guys could give me about properly repairing these spots would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
Ethan

 

[67/6barracuda]

I’m not about to give you the right restore method of lead and all that. When I did mine I just used fiberglass bondo. Some recommended products like all-metal and comparable products. I went with the cheap wrong method and so far it’s worked out fine.

 

[mopowers]

I'm no expert, but this is how I'd do those seems: Eliminate or convert the rust, scuff if with 36 or 40 grit, shoot on some epoxy or etch primer, apply all-metal, get the shape close and finish with lightweight and spot putty before high build primer.

 

[Oldmanmopar]

Bare meta then Epoxy prime then a deep slow speed grinder scratches for adhesion. Apply fiber strand putty first to moisture proof it from the back side when there is a seam or holes. level it with a cheese grater and then apply bondo for your finish.

 

[shep76]

I’ve used kitty hair to fill those. Clean and scratch as good as you can. You can also cut a patch and weld it over the seem instead of filling. Lots of videos on YouTube showing how to do it that way.

 

[PROSTOCKTOM]

I would cut metal patches myself and then use Evercoat Tiger glass over that and then Evercoat Rage Gold for filler.

You can pull that dent out using a stud welder. Even the one they sell at Harbor Freight will handle that job.

All of those repairs can be done it's just going to take some time and patience.

You can do it.

Tom

 

[WymanV]

Were that in my shop I'd blast it clean and weld those seams shut. They're compound curves so they can take a blasting without warping and closing those seams will prevent moisture from getting back in from the back of the seam and rusting under your filler, which is what happens under the lead.

Another fun tip to consider: The best metal prep for filler work is blasting. Fillers bond to all those little pits in the metal much better than the long scratches from a grinder.

 

[Oldmanmopar]

Nothing like starting with bare metal. We blast everything but flat panels. They get paint stripped an light scratches to fix a dent. The grinder marks seen were under the original paint after using paint stripper and steel wool.

 

[ethan santin]

Thank you for all the replies you guys I appreciate it.

 

[TheGrateRonzini]

Done it both ways. Lead and filler. Lead gotta be lightly blasted, cleaned and tinned and then the solder. If you have experience with radiator work, then lead will be easy. If not, All Metal->Fiberglass filler (duraglass or fibralite)-> lightweight filler or glaze- 180-220 finish, high build primer(i have been loving the upol 4:1)

 

[ethan santin]

Done it both ways. Lead and filler. Lead gotta be lightly blasted, cleaned and tinned and then the solder. If you have experience with radiator work, then lead will be easy. If not, All Metal->Fiberglass filler (duraglass or fibralite)-> lightweight filler or glaze- 180-220 finish, high build primer(i have been loving the upol 4:1)

Thanks for the recommendation, this actually pretty close to what I ended up deciding on. After some googling and conversations with friends I decided to save some cash and skip the fiber glass. Sanded it down to bare with 80g, prep it with soap n water, then acetone. All metal -> Mud -> then finish with 180