[TR] Hot Body, filler

[MMoore8425 at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/7/2008 10:05:14 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
tr3driver at ca.rr.com writes:

That's  my opinion.  It's a lot of work to beat the sheetmetal back to  where
you can keep the filler as thin as it should be; so most shops just  get it
kind of close then plaster on the Bondo.  Some pros feel that  multiple
layers are OK as long as each layer doesn't exceed 1/4"; while  others I've
talked to say that anything more than one layer (of less than  1/4") is
asking for trouble.

When I had a (cheap) shop do my TR3A,  there was a 2" diameter spot that just
flaked off (taking the paint with it  of course).  A friend of mine who
worked in a body shop took one look  and said "too thick".

Lots of other things (including temperature) that  should be "just so" and
frequently aren't.  The high-end body shops  actually air-condition the area,
just to control temperature and humidity;  plus let the car sit overnight so
the metal matches the air  temp.

Here's some more info  :
http://www.roadsters.com/filler/



I bought a  "rust free" 63 E Type several years ago. It was all primed  and 
had been someones 20 year project. I used an ice pick and scratched several  
places and founf them to be sold. The ship where I took the body started sanding 
 the car and as they sanded into the filler, they found rust. The body had 
rusted  under the filler everywhere the owner had used filler. It wasn't that 
big a deal  because none of the bondo was very thick, but it required all the 
old bondo to  be removed and the body sanded to bare steel. I wish I knew 
exactly what the PO  did wrong. I normally use metal prep and a rinse and dry before 
I put any filler  on.
 
Mike Moore 59 TR3A



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