I hear people say "There's no bondo on my car!" or "It's a bondo baby".
I would think every car has some filler somewhere, just as every car has rust......... somewhere?
So when does the filler/skim coat become a filled pannel?
How thick or how much before you cross the line?
just wondering?
T.C.

check out this thread, www.chevelles.com/forum/Forum3/HTML/004850.html (http://www.chevelles.com/forum/Forum3/HTML/004850.html) for some good info on your question.

------------------
Leo Paugh
Maryland Chevelle Club #017
A.C.E.S.#3731
progress has little to do with speed, but lots to do with direction.
Maryland Chevelle Club (http://www.chevelles.net/mcc/mcc.htm)

I don't think he meant that he wanted to know how to apply BONDO. BUT, How can you lose reading a MartinSr post anyways! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

"I would think every car has some filler somewhere, just as every car has rust......... somewhere?"

Here's some insight on the "rust free" Southwest. I just moved from the heart of the Rockies to the Desert Southwest. I expected to see all of these pristine examples of Chevys, Mopars, etc. tooling around town with not a rusty care in the world. You know what? It hasn't happened yet! Sure, the DEGREE of rust is lower than where I came from, and MUCH lower than the salt belt. Are the cars RUST FREE? NOPE. I've looked hard, all. ALL OVER. Are nice Rust Free examples here? SUre they are, I've seen a few...A FEW. And they sure as ^&% don't come cheap either.

There are cars around that need "other" body work- but hey , it is RUST FREE!! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/rolleyes.gif .I saw a car the other day -a 66 Chevelle 2dr. - RUST FREE. BUT it looked like it was sideswiped by a Greyhound BUS- literally! The whole pass. side was caved in almost a foot! You'd have to replace the whole passenger side of the car ANYWAY- RUST OR NOT. There are alot of cars down here that looked like they were used as baseball and golf ball backstops- many to the point of calling for panel replacement (gee- like rust?! ). ALso, very poor repairs last here longer- holes filled with bondo, etc. So, for all you salt belters out there- don't despair. IF you find a car where you are with a repairable amount of rust, BUY IT. Don't worry about what you could get here in the SW. Add to the PREMIUM price people place on these supposed "rust free" projects out here (many of which have a milk crate seats and vise grips on the steering wheel shaft for an interior), and the prices even out. I know this is a little off topic, but yes TC, there are cars with filler and bondo-even where they supposedly are not supposed to exist. They do rust here, but it takes longer to rust. BUT rust is rust regardless of where you live- little or a lot, it still calls for the same types of repairs.

[This message has been edited by JU87 (edited 06-28-2002).]

Thanks guy's:
I was also thinking of the amount of filler used?
How much would be conidered a skim coat or should I say how thinn is considered a skim coat? As oposed to what would be considered filled?
Lets say if I only had 1/16 max thickness over the entire car, is that a skim coat?
How about 1/8,1/4?
So if max is (?) then I can say I have a bondo free car, it just has a skim coat?
T.C.

I would consider a 1/16" or less is a skim coat. I also feel that there are VERY few 35 year old mid sixties cars that don't need some filler work on EVERY SINGLE PANEL. In the 25 plus years of doing this work, I have never seen one. I have seen some that needed very little over most the car. I have metal finished these panels and but was unable to make it "bondo free".

As I have said in the past on this subject, just make your car straight, paint it and have fun. Any person that says you shouldn't put any filler on your car either hasn't got a clue. Or he has a half finished "perfect" car in the garage that he will likely never drive even if he did actually finished it.

------------------
1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
"Fan of most anything that moves human beings"

Thanks Guys:
I was just wondering about what was considered a bondo free car.
At most car shows you can allways find the guys with the perfect untouched bondo free cars. Especially in the for sale section, does anyone know how much Filler was used from the factory?
T.C.

Filler wasn't used at the factory unless you count lead.I doubt any 30 year old car is filler free.I don't care what anyone says.Even if you put new panels on the whole car.Hell half the time we get a new panel for late model cars at our shop and they have a ding or three in them.Also a good number of cars probably have filler in them before they're even sold as new.I worked at dealerships and a lot of cars would get dinged up on the lot,during transport,test drives ect.So as far as the guy selling a bondo free car knows,it could have been sideswiped on the lot in 1969 before he bought it.I could do a bondo free car to but it wouldn't be straight.Would you rather have an arrow straight car with some plastic in it or a 'Bondo free" car that looks like a bag of walnuts?Hey i can say theres no Bondo on my car,because there isn't.Theres Rage Gold though. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by boomhauer (edited 06-29-2002).]

Far be it from me to call anybody a fiber.
But unless a car has ALL ORGINIAL PAIN AND PANELS. and it's been repainted and it's straight. there's FILLER in there.
There are execptions to the rule. localy in bethlehem Pa there is a place that dose nothing but 100,000 plus resto cars.
It's lead, hammer weld and new fabed panels. Last time there was a Dusenberg Phampton 1/2 million plus car. But were talking apples not oranges.

I had heard that most every car had a skim coat,but didnt know where the line was drawn between "filled and skim".

Thanks T.C.

Listen, many guys will pile on primer and call it "bondo free" when in effect if they would have "skim coated" it with filler it would be a better end product.

I do believe that there are plenty of cars out there that have been restored with no filler and primer used as it should.

As I was reading your posts and typing this I have been going over all the cars in my head that I have done and have done one! It was a totally virgin 1969 Shelby GT500 Convertible. This was in about 1988, this thing had original paint without a single ding! Believe it or not the metal body parts (all the original Ford built products) were enamel and the fiberglass panels (front fenders, hood, deck lid, quarter extensions) installed at the Shelby factory were lacquer! It had the original reflective stripes etc. It was a four speed "Drag pack" car and worth a small fortune now! That is one car he could advertise as "Bondo free", I will vouch for it.

My Corvette loving buddy Eric had a 1972 LT-1 with ALL original paint and hardly a scratch on it. It had about 30,000 miles on it with original hoses and belts, the works. It could be advertised as "bondo free". He just bought a '69 Vette convertible with 57,000 miles that is striped to bare glass and has had no repairs EVER. It is beautiful in bare smooth glass. By the way it is a testament to my preaching about when to strip a car and when not to. The previous owner had a very nice Vette with low miles, he decided to strip it, got over whelmed and now the car has a new owner and he sold it for a lot less money than if he would have left it the heck alone. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/frown.gif

------------------
1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
"Fan of most anything that moves human beings"