Hey Guys,I couldn't stay away.I got a new project,I sold my HD and bought a long wanted 66 SS Chevelle from a relative.The car looks pretty nice but,I want to redo it.I may repair or replace the Quarter panel and need some advise.When I was younger,we used to use bondo,it that still the filler to use or is there something better today?I have one more question,The paint on the car is very thick and I want to stip it to bare metal,I want a good base for paint and to see how much filler is in the body.What is the best way to remove the paint?Take it and have it chemically stripped or use a DA?Can I buy something to chemically strip it myself?
Body parts and filler
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
Jim, Kool car to pick up, wanna sell it,just kidding.As far as body filler goes Rage is probily the best but double the cost of say Chromalite Rage being about $20 a gallon if i am not mistaken, but it sands soooooo nice.As far as stripping goes i would have it soda blasted by a reputable dry stripper. chemicals are a pain in the butt , very messy to use but if thats the route your gonna go get your self an Aircraft grade stripper and be very care ful on what you get it on it will ruin chrome and melt plastic ( tail lights and so on )Good luck with the new- old wheels.
Nice ride,but it would be hard to part with my scooter for another cage.Try a razorblade scraper in a spot to see if that will pull some off.It can be common to pull a few paint jobs off this way if it's been painted several times over 30 years or so with lacquer primer sandwiched in there alot.Usually a top surface will work the best.Once you get a few layers going it'll sheet off.Might save some money having it stripped if you can get some of the looser stuff off.I'd pull the chrome and everything possible so you can get the whole outside to steel to find the rust that's waiting to crawl out a year after you're done.As soon as it's stripped etch prime and DP (epoxy primer) it,then do your mud work right over it,the job will last much longer.If you can get the razorblade to work you'll notice small moisture bubbles in the primer where it separates,the etch and epoxy will eliminate this happening over time.Rage is top shelf mud and Basecoat Clearcoat is right up there too.The Chromalite and Dyna Plus is good stuff too but will sand harder like Joe said but I wouldn't go any cheaper than this.Forget the old Cuz and heavyweight bondos.
Thanks Guys!The paint is cracking and I can pick it off in flakes,it's about 1/32 thick and comes off to the metal.It seems like the primer didn't stick very well.The car was done about 10 years ago.I will try the razor blade and see how hard it is but,I can't imagine it all coming off very easily.I can see this becoming a very big pain in the *** .If it becomes too much to handle,I like the soda blasting idea.There's a guy down the road who sandblasts,I'll see if he can sodablast and how much.Got any idea of cost to get a car blasted?Thanks again,Jim
I really have no idea what the cost is.Whatever you do DONT let him sandblast it!It takes a highly skilled operator to do it without warping the the car into a total mess and someone that knows how to do it will still get warpage.I'm sure there would be someone in a 60 mile radius that has a soda blaster or media blaster if you're near a few big cities.If the razorblade does want to work,here's a trick to avoid heavy scratches in the steel.First look down the edge because they aren't true,then mount it in the holder so the edges are cupped up.Just to be safe I drag it back across a piece of steel about 6" to deburr it.Be careful though because those holders can flip out a blade and here comes skin.Believe me it hurts and I've lost 2 tendons from it in my fingers.If the blade doesn't peel it easily go up to a stiff putty knife sharpened and honed,much safer.If that fails there's always stripper if you can't find a good blaster.Let us know if it comes to that and we'll give you the do's and dont's.Since you sold the scoot for this it is a big block right?Can't remember what they came with.
Rex,I remember reading here sometime back not to sandblast,I was thinking if the guy by me sandblasts then maybe he sodablasts too.But I'm gonna CAREFULLY try the blade trick you described.I have some thin kevlar (cut proof)gloves I think I'll use em.
In 66 the SS Chevelle was only offered with a 396.It currently has a 400+HP 350 but...I just bought a 396 to build for it.I'll work on the Big Block after the body gets all done.I'm sure I'll be asking you guys many questions.The bike came out great but this car will be a real challenge for me.Can I paint the pieces(doors,fenders,hood etc) then put it together or will the shades be differant?It sure would be easier for me.Nothing fancy,just a nice red BC/CC.
In 66 the SS Chevelle was only offered with a 396.It currently has a 400+HP 350 but...I just bought a 396 to build for it.I'll work on the Big Block after the body gets all done.I'm sure I'll be asking you guys many questions.The bike came out great but this car will be a real challenge for me.Can I paint the pieces(doors,fenders,hood etc) then put it together or will the shades be differant?It sure would be easier for me.Nothing fancy,just a nice red BC/CC.
Actually you'll get a nicer job spraying it in pieces since you won't have to tape off the jambs-no tape lines as long as you rig a way to hold the parts suspended.As long as you're not spraying high metalics,candies and pearls there's no problem.If you get the color in qt cans get a gallon can and 'box' them together to eliminate the chance of a slight variation between the qts if they had to be mixed.I will suggest this though to make it easier.Have the door jambs basically ready to paint and preferably have the hinges in color or cleared and scuffed.Then seal and blow some color where the hinges mount and mount and align the doors when it dries.This works best if the doors are gutted but they don't have to be as long as they're taped up and the latch,striker and weatherstrips are out.As you paint the shell pull the door open to blow the jambs and you can reach the hinges and the front of the door jamb and the post with the door shut since the fenders are off.You will have to make up a stop so the door doesn't close all the way and touch the body jamb,but when you're done there are no tape lines in the jambs and no scratches or chips trying to get those damn doors back on and adjusted.Where you do have to put panels on cover the edges with about 3 layers of tape to get them on without chipping the paint,then remove the tape and set up you gaps and tighten it down.When you're done just brush touch the fastners where the socket knocked off the paint.
You can sandblast metal but it's not really good to for stripping because it heats and swells the metal and it cools so fast it locks in the high position except for places that are glued to braces,like if you found some spider rust on the hood under the paint and blasted it you'd end up with a raised area there and have to shrink it or melt the high out with mud-neither are much fun on top surfaces.Stripping paint this way is really hard to work evenly to control the heat.The worst case I saw and had to deal with was a 32 5 window the owner insisted on having blasted by this guy that knew what he was doing.Fine,it's your $.When he was done we had to throw away the louvered side panels for the hood and warped the p!ss out of the rest of the car,and this was good thick steel unlike the 60's on.Luckily he pulled the car after I spent a week and a 4x8 sheet of steel handmaking and welding in patches.You want to have fun try making the 'bead' that runs around the body in the rear lower corners where 3 of them meet and it's all compound curves
I thought it was cool though since the guy he took it to really commended me on the metalwork and 2 years later the car still wasn't painted.Haha,what a Richard Cranium.
Anyway,she sounds like it'll be a great ride when you're done and something to be proud of.If the bike came out great so will this,it's just bigger.Ask away if you need help
You can sandblast metal but it's not really good to for stripping because it heats and swells the metal and it cools so fast it locks in the high position except for places that are glued to braces,like if you found some spider rust on the hood under the paint and blasted it you'd end up with a raised area there and have to shrink it or melt the high out with mud-neither are much fun on top surfaces.Stripping paint this way is really hard to work evenly to control the heat.The worst case I saw and had to deal with was a 32 5 window the owner insisted on having blasted by this guy that knew what he was doing.Fine,it's your $.When he was done we had to throw away the louvered side panels for the hood and warped the p!ss out of the rest of the car,and this was good thick steel unlike the 60's on.Luckily he pulled the car after I spent a week and a 4x8 sheet of steel handmaking and welding in patches.You want to have fun try making the 'bead' that runs around the body in the rear lower corners where 3 of them meet and it's all compound curves
Anyway,she sounds like it'll be a great ride when you're done and something to be proud of.If the bike came out great so will this,it's just bigger.Ask away if you need help
Ok,No sandblasting,sounds like nothing but trouble.I'm glad I can paint it in pieces,it'll be easier for me and I'll be able to get a better job I think.Should I wait to do my final wetsand and buff after the whole car is done?Should I scuff and reclear the whole thing when I'm done and the parts are back on or is that a waste of time?Oh,and we say Richard Knoggin!