Wanted- 911 body work tips/info ect..

[herman maire]

I have come to the conclusion that body work is a serious art....And those who posses these rare quality's are much more skilled than I ever thought.

I could really some suggestions on technique.... Working with fillers, sanding blocks, materials ect.... cause I am about to loose my mind. Seriously this Sh%$ is part of the restoration I was least looking forward to

As of right now I am working on the rear quarter panels.... I spent the whole day trying to fill in a few bumps ( So simple in theory) on the top of the wheel arches.

No matter how much effort/time I can still feel small dimples or bumps.... cant see anything imperfections I just feel it with the palm of my hand.


My process
1- All metal is sanded to 180G paper
2-apply filler to area only that need it (this alone took 5-6 attempts)
3-spot putty (over filler) sand 180G-240G
4- ready for prime

Any tips ? I always used sanding blocks, most of the time the 14" block and 6" some times.

Would really apreciate some tips here

[village idiot]

The thing that gets most people when it comes to body work is that they focus on too small an area, i.e. just the low part or depression of the dent.

When you get a dent in metal the area around the depression actually raises up higher than the surrounding metal. That's why you can still feel it.

Here's a crude mspaint that I did. The red line indicating how the metal was before and after damage has occurred.


Bodywork is an art to be sure and there are people much more skilled at it than I on this board. Hopefully one of them will chime in.

[Gearbox]

Your problem is spotting the dents and using too little bondo. Also the use of "spotting putty" is not warranted with the new products on the market. Buy a quart of Evercoat finishing filler. The company also makes a "Eurosoft" version which spreads like cream. If you are working on several small dings in, lets say, a 12" area, spread the Evercoat Eurosoft over the entire area in one contiguios patch, extending 2-3 inches beyond the 12" area. Get a sanding block or rubber hose (for the fender lip) and wrap 80 grit around the block or hose. Use a "cross hatching" motion, lower left to upper right for a number of strokes, and then reverse, upper left to lower right for the same number, to knock down all the high spots. When you have roughed out the correct shape, switch to 150 grit and cross hatch until good. Now here's the trick, DO NOT break the bondo skin to expose bare metal. This is what is causing the ripples. If one spot should continually break, tap it down with a hammer and re-apply the filler. Feather the edges until you can't feel them anynmore, and lightly cross hatch again untill the entire patch feels smooth and flat. A good epoxy primer like DPL-80 (grey) DPL-90 (black) will fill in all the sanding marks left by the 150 grit and flow over all the feathered edges making the repair invisable. I suggest priming the whole panel for best results. The cross hatching will ensure that everthing will be perfectly flat and your hand covered in filler powder will detect any abnormalities. Go slow, it's not that hard. Good luck, Allan

[herman maire]

Guys thanks for taking the time to help me out.

You pointed out the first mistake I was doing by focusing on too small of a area... I was literally trying to just fill the low spot and thats it. I will try your method today and if any metal shows through....Its gonna get the hammer.

The filler I am using is also Evercoat. The first is (Light weight filler) and the second is (polyester finishing/spot putty) is this similar to what you are talking about? I am going to buy the stuff you suggest today.


Need opinions on this method- I saw a while back on a hot rod TV program where they were finishing the gaps on the hood for a show car. They used filler over the edges of the hood+feders and when it cured they cut it open with a small air cutting wheel. I have 1 spot on my door where its a bit lower than the quarter but the rest of the door gaps are perfect.... I plan to fill right over and cut it open same way they did on the program. Opinion's please

Also what is the best sanding block for working on quarter panels?

[village idiot]

Here are two of my favorites:

Sands nicely with virually no pinholes so finishing with spot putty is not normally needed

Perfect for flat surfaces such as doors, hoods etc. and even gentle radius curves like our quarter panels.


There are other versions of this sanding block that have different bottom shapes for curved surfaces as well as various lengths.

As far as the door gaps, yes you could do that but I'm not sure it's what you need to do. A picture of that area would help.
Tom

[Gearbox]

Originally posted by herman maire
The filler I am using is also Evercoat. The first is (Light weight filler) and the second is (polyester finishing/spot putty) is this similar to what you are talking about? I am going to buy the stuff you suggest today.

Evercoat leaves virtually no pin holes requiring spotting putty as long as you mix and spread it well. Plus any tiny minor pin holes will be covered by the epoxy primer. Any larger holes can be covered up by the same Evercoat product if needed. The polyester resin in evercoat is mixed with a ultra fine powder, so the filler acts like a spotting putty as well.

Originally posted by herman maire
Need opinions on this method- I saw a while back on a hot rod TV program where they were finishing the gaps on the hood for a show car. They used filler over the edges of the hood+feders and when it cured they cut it open with a small air cutting wheel. I have 1 spot on my door where its a bit lower than the quarter but the rest of the door gaps are perfect.... I plan to fill right over and cut it open same way they did on the program. Opinion's please

Ahhh......just be careful. Despite the wonders of the new fillers, it could only do so much. I wouldn't extend out on the door side, rather build up the door jamb quarter side. And I wouldn't go too crazy there as well. Show cars are trailed around and aren't subject to the jolts and vibration of daily drivers. Build up of more than .125" may crack down the road.

Originally posted by herman maire
Also what is the best sanding block for working on quarter panels?

Start with the basic 3M block. Despite the quarter having curves, the block will be fine, just keep it moving in that cross hatching motion. You can get fancy with all those "Shaped" blocks, but I never found it necessary. On the fender lip, I use a plain rubber sqeegie 2"x3"x3/16" thick. It conforms to the tight radius bends and applies even pressure (or even a rubber hose would work fine). Just remember to cross hatch and keep moving. Have fun, Allan