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Body filler brand???

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David_Doan

Jedi Warrior
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Anybody have an opinion about body filler brands? Bondo is cheap and available. I've read about other stuff that is easier to work with but is hard to get and 2x-4x the cost.

Thanks,

David
 
I like most of the evercoat fillers as well
 
I have used both. I think Evercoat sands better so I use it when possible. They also have some fillers with chopped fiberglass in them. That can be helpful if you are repairing thicker/deeper sections that might flex. (Yes... I know pounding the dents out is best but there are times when you don't have the right tools).
 
found evercoat on amazon, about 50% cheaper than local. Free 2 day shipping with prime. But no hardeners listed as prime eligible???

Edit: Fine print says hardener is included.
 
David_Doan said:
Anybody have an opinion about body filler brands? Bondo is cheap and available. I've read about other stuff that is easier to work with but is hard to get and 2x-4x the cost.

Thanks,

David
Click to expand...


Yep: leave it alone and find a good metal man
 
Keoke said:
Yep: leave it alone and find a good metal man
Click to expand...

My car is beyond that... the hours it would take are beyond the value of the car...

DSC_0775.JPG
 
David, cut a hole under where your licence will end up so that you can get your hand inside. You can get that a lot closer to where its got to be before filler.

Kurt.
 
Right. You really want that filler to be as thin as possible. If not it will almost surely eventually crack and even peel.
 
The other problem with thick filler is shrinkage.

That is certainly a problem area. The metal is stretched in a thousand different directions by the previous repair effort.
I've used stainless steel shrinking discs with some success, but that one would take much patience.
 
Bondo is porous, so if applied directly to metal rust can form, also causing cracking with age.
apply a dyno glass as basic filler because it is non porous. use the bondo as a finishing product
 
One other process is body leading as the initial build; get it close with the body lead then use a thin coat of polyester filler, finishing off with build primer. But the metal has to be perfectly clean or you will not be able to properly tin the steel for the lead to stick. After leading is done sand and clean meticulously, then seal with epoxy primer. The plus with leading is that it doesn’t shrink, it doesn’t absorber moisture, and it flexes with the metal and will last for ever. The A pillars are leaded on all Bugeye, mine was still in perfect condition after stripping. The negatives, you need to have skills, special tools and the materials are expensive.


.View attachment 27843
 
I posted this to the wrong thread but comments on aluminized body filler like LabMetal or AllMetal. Supposedly this is the modern substitute for Lead. I'm guessing applied like Bondo but much tougher to sand and smooth. AllMetal comes with a catalyst and I think Lab Metal works out of the can but a thinner is available for get it to flow.

I've got pinholes around my turn signals and in the lower valence plus more screw holes than I can count on the bonnet for various reasons. People are describing backing a pinhole with copper plate and then MIG Welding shut then peeling off the copper plate. If the metal is really thin to begin with can I clean with metal prep?/ acid? / neutralize and then build up with either MIG or use one of these aluminized body fillers. What works best?
 
If the metal has rusted too thin to weld, then you need to cut it back further and weld in a patch.

Applying filler over pitted metal is almost always a bad idea no matter what measures you take to remove the rust and neutralize.

If you can clean the rusted metal back (by sanding) to a smooth clean bright shine and still have adequate thickness, then you are probably OK.
 
Yep, I know Trevor. I keep looking at the bonnet trying to figure out how best to attack it. I probably just need to flail away with the flapper wheel and get on with it instead of cogitating. But sometimes time spent cogitating and asking advice ends up saving time in the long run. I've not finished up majority of projects on wife's honey do list but now it's "Honey, time to go to the cottage this weekend, I need to get my water skiing fix as much as I possibly can. 2 1/2 months and skiing season will be over so I need to get it while I can." Trying to find time to start on Bugsy but kids and grandkids coming to the lake for the weekend. If I could only clone myself and this thing called work seems to get in the way...
 
Trevor Jessie said:
The other problem with thick filler is shrinkage.

That is certainly a problem area. The metal is stretched in a thousand different directions by the previous repair effort.
I've used stainless steel shrinking discs with some success, but that one would take much patience.
Click to expand...


I'm a novice at all this body stuff. I'm going to do the best i can with Evercoat Rage Gold. Hopefully I can do as good as the previous "professional" job.
 
Be sure you get the right amount of hardener and let it cure completely before applying subsequent coats. You may want to do the initial shaping with a rasp before it completely cures.
 
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