While traversing the aisles of Home Despair a few days back, I spotted Bondo in the paint dept. Far as I know there is no longer an automotive paint store in town. So I'm wondering if this stuff would work ok on the dented door on my 31 roadster I talked about a while back or I should wait until I can get to the big city (LV) up north and get some moh bettah stuff. I have the about 6" x 10" dent pulled up to where it would take less than a 1/16" coat of Bondo to finish it off. The Bondo would go on bare metal and then be rattle canned with an enamel primer. I'm not sure if the enamel primer - Rustoleum red oxide - is water proof, but it wouldn't bother me to shoot a coat of black rattlecan enamel over it for a while. Sort of an inverse primer spot....
My experience with Bondo brand filler is that it is REALLY hard to sand, almost like concrete. It also shrunk really bad. However this was 25 years ago so things could very well have changed. Currently we use Rage Extreme gold and it works really well. It's easy to spread and easy to sand. I guess if I had the choice I would obviously use the Rage, but seeing how Bondo is all that you have available locally and it is pretty cheap, give it a try. If it's just not working out for you, you can always grind it all off and start over with a better product.
i won't comment on the Bondo brand stuff, my experience with it is years old so i may very well not know what i'm talkin about! do you have a NAPA parts store? have you asked them if they can order in paint supplies? they should be able to get the good stuff in for ya.
Myself, I'd wait and spring for a premium filler. I haven't used Bondo brand for years, so maybe they have improved it along with the other fillers, but I make it a habbit to use the very best materials I can get. Too much involved in a re-do if something fails to take a chance on materials that I dont trust. While your in the big city, pick up some better primer at the automotive paint store too. You can seal off the area with most any paint or clear, so get something easy to sand off later.
since you're putting rustoleum on it, you're gonna have to be stripping the car again anyways if it ever gets painted, so go ahead and use the cheezy bondo, worst that could happen is you'll have to do it over when you paint the car.
NAPA Micro-Lite space age filler. Good quality stuff. I have a gallon can I've been using for the last 10 years.
Bondo Brand does suck but if your metal work is good and you just need to skim it it will be fine. Hell im cheap i use it all the time it just really sucks to sand.
Thanks guys. The NAPA Micro-Lite sounds good. There's a NAPA store down the street and I didn't think of them for body work stuff. The body is a Brookville and I'm pretty sure the red oxide primer on it is lacquer primer. The usual drill from what I hear is to wash it off before priming with the good stuff. And if I had to do the door over, like Squirrel says, it won't hurt. Besides, I'll get a touch of bodywork experience. Seems like it's always a long time between for me doing body work.
I second this recommendation. I have never touched filler in my life before my current project and the Extreme is really easy to use.
Just my two cents, if possible stay away from the cheap stuff. The cheaper stuff dries like JB weld which makes you sand forever. They also don't feather out worth a crap. The stuff will drive you mad if your a beginner, you haven't lived untill you "chase" a dent across a panel.
bondo has a bad problem of shrinking back after paint. which will look like ass holes under the paint with scraches. if you are going to use an urathain base paint (most paint is) anything lacquer or enamel will react with the paint and priner in time if not right off the back. that is even if you use a sealer primer befor paint to seal it. pluse all primers are not waterproof, no matter what the can says. pluse bondo works like a spung. i have seen even morrning due mess up uncovered bondo. not tryin to crush but good thing to know. for a filler i would use evercoat z-grip. good luck man.
Why dont you just order some good stuff online. I use evercoat rage gold. Great stuff, easy to sand Heres the website. http://www.autotoolmart.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_prod.html?p_prodid=10024&p_catid=0
I think you should keep working the door metal until it's straight. Unless you're too busy... ETA Be concerned more with shelf life and old stock more than filler brand in your case. Buy from the always air conditioned store.
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