Well after all the welded seams new metal roof insert, patch panels, even after grinding down all the welds ,there will be a lot of bondo required on our 29 Model A. There a a lot of different ones on the market,fiberglass stranded ,ultra light bondo.different brands etc. From your experience what is the best brand and best quality to use? Gene
Just chat with the guys at the body shop supply place. I have had good luck with the lightweight blueish one, as well as the ones with the kitty hair, depends on your application. I never use more than a light coat, YMMV.
Most body shop supply houses will stock Fiberglass Evercoat products. Best fillers on the market. Stay away from anything in the chain parts stores.
Can't go wrong with evercoat products. They make a nice plastic filler. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Evercoat's everglass is recommended for rough areas or over welds and places like door edges. Its very durable and strong. They have other products for use over the everglass. Tim
You need to use a fiberglass reinforced filler over your welds. Check out 3M's short strand fiberglass reinforced filler.....easy to spread and sands better than some other fiberglass fillers
The same as painting the temp has to be rather high before applying : Now that Winter is here in Minnesota and the temps have been around zero to 25 degrees and my shop is not that well insulated with too small of a furnace, can I still lay bondo at around 50 to 60 degrees ?
As said Rage gold is a premium bondo one of the best. The best economy bondo is Zgrip. Just my opinion.
Rage, I have found that cheap fillers will load your paper when you begin sanding. All fillers do this to some degree however rage seems to need a light scuff then sands nicely. Used it for years and no issues.
Using evercoat products now, what a difference, this stuff is worth the money. Blazedogs, if you're working in a colder shop, don't be tempted to bump up the hardener, just mix as directed and it will cure, may take longer, a drop light on a stand with a heat bulb is useful, it will heat the filler and surrounding metal, slow temps changes, don't go after it with a heat gun.
Went to a sheet metal class with Gene Winfield last mounth and asked this ? Gene said , if he's not leading he always uses glass reniforced bondo over weld .
I use napa brand. Same as rage but cheaper. Same as the glaze. I never use any kind of fiberglass. If you need to do a deep fill then maybe. Over 40 yrs in the trade here.
I use 3M Platnum Plus. This filler sands super easy, and has virtually no pin holes like a lot of cheaper fillers have. It costs more, but I found I used less to get the job done
I've always liked anything by Evercoat but really didn't see a big difference using rage over z grip for the cost difference.
Go to David Mann"s site (roadsters .com) and read about body filler from a man that sold it for years. I believe his last name is REED. ago
I don't know. I see lots of guys who swear that this and that product is the best, but I've been using all sorts of different brands for over 35 years, and except for ease of sanding, or less pinholing, I dont' see any difference in long term durability of any of the major brand fillers. As long as your metalwork underneath is good, any of the major players will work, and work well. It does help to seal the backsides of any welding with a good rustproof coating ( I use POR 15 or Master Series), in case there's an imperceptible pinhole. I really think the fiberglass stranded stuff is a big waste, unless you only tack weld stuff together, or are real sloppy with your metalwork, same with "all metal" fillers waste of money and takes longer to sand out. And yeah, I've got cars out there I did over 30 years ago that still look good where I repaired them.
I totally agree chopolds. I never use that butcher bondo either. It'a band aid.There is adhesion problems down the line. Fiberglass and metal makes a poor bond.
Short strand fiberglass reinforced filler over weld seams. Or metal filler like all metal. And wire wheel that weld seam first. Rage gold is really good but I recently started using USC pro gold. Shit kicks ass and cost less than rage gold. And they all pinhole. Gonna have to glaze pinholes. Or squeegee with filler again.My .02 Over thirty years experience. Good luck! RS59
I learned from body men years ago that an aggressive reinforced filler over welds works best. I am definitely not a pro but I have had good results with products like USC All Metal, the Evercoat reinforced fillers and I am now kind of liking the U-Pol Fiberall product. It is much easier to work with than the old Tigerhair products I thought were great in the 70's. Once I get the establish level or shape needed with the reinforced filler, I use the lighter weight fillers for the final finish.
You can apply filler at 50 - 60 degrees especially if you warm the work area with a radiant heater or quartz work light.
another one for 3m platinum plus, its definitely worth the extra money. It takes less sandpaper to knock it down, and doesn't require a full skim coat of putty to get rid of pinholes. Rage gold was probably the best filler 10-15 years ago, but there are much better products on the market now. I have never used much of the fiberglass filler, but i have seen it crack and lift when put over top of bad metalwork just as easily as regular filler. After welding something I like to shine a light in behind the weld to check for pinholes, if I find any they get welded up before the filler process starts. If possible it doesnt hurt to run a bead of seam sealer on the backside of the weld too.
If you buy cheap bondo (or the like) you may save a bit in the price, but the cheap stuff will fill your paper a LOT more, and you'll be replacing your sand papaer a lot more. The price may look good, but the cost will be more than if you spent a bit more for the good stuff in the first place.
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