New bondo over old?

[silver912e]

I uncovered an unexpected bondo repair on one of the rear quarterpanels while mechanically strippping the paint from my car. It looks pretty involved (60% of the panel). I did a few "bore holes" and it looks like the bondo layer is under 1/8 inch throughout the repair. Can I just clean up the areas I damaged with some fresh bondo without causing problems in my new paint job?

Thanks.

[911pcars]

Thick layers of Bondo (past and soon-to-be applied) may haunt your paint job.

It's always better to spend more time on the metal work. For best longevity, use only a very thin layer of filler. It's also good to know the condition of the base metal upon which the previous filler was added to avoid rust and surface blem issues in your nice paint.

However, everyone has their own "good-enough" threshold. The goal is to make it as high as possible.

Sherwood

[john walker's workshop]

always take it down to bare metal and try to improve the panel issues that were hidden by the bondo if you can. i once heard a "bodyman" say, "mmm, bondo, covers a multitude of sins".

[LakeCleElum]

Use "paint remover" to get rid of the old bondo and start over..........

[cgarr]

Originally Posted by john walker's workshop

i once heard a "bodyman" say, "mmm, bondo, covers a multitude of sins".

Then bless me Father for I have sinned

[DUK]

A small propane torch and scraper work well to remove bondo. Just my .02

[RickM]

IMO, "bondo" has it's place as an acceptable leveler. I agree that the underlying metal should be straightened as much as possible but body filler is typically needed a a skim coat.

I would rid the body of the older filler and further repair the base and use new filler as the foundation for your paint. You don't know what the original consists of and, like other materials, filler has come a long way. Modern filler is lighter and more stable than it's predecessors. Additionally the new filler may expand differently from the old under temperature extremes....potentially creating problems.

[silver912e]

Thanks guys,

You convinced me to go the extra mile and take care of it properly