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The Bodywork Thread before you get to Fleckers Paint Thread

jeepyj

Middlesex NY
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
57
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442
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Middlesex NY
First. . . link to paint thread. The PAINT thread!

We're gonna need some bodywork guys in here because I'm not one. I just have a project that's been thrust upon me. I warned the guy that I wanted to practice on my own stuff before I did his but he assured me that his was the one to be practiced upon. I will have more questions than answers. Here's an easy bit to start with. The truly horrendous parts will be posted later. There are a lot of hand made parts in this "custom cab" now.

The hood I found had holes where the antenna used to live. "Old Blue" has the antenna on the cowl so the holes had to go. The heat distorted the metal inward and created a nice divot for filler. I ground it flat-ish and sanded it with 120 before the first batch of filler. I think I did three in total.

Edit: That copper pipe end cap in the third pic was held to the backside of the small holes to fill them with mig wire.

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A double row of stainless pop rivets spaced at 3/4" apart will hold a bed side patch panel on better than a tread separation can take one off. That's my hack bodywork tip of the day. :flipoff2:
 
Worked in a body shop as my first job when I was 16. First and foremost thing I learned about working with body filler is using proper rigid sanding blocks. You want a hard, flat surface to sand with to get a consistent finish.

Foam sanding pads and other non-rigid sanding tools will leave ripples in the shape of your fingers.

The best way to check for flatness and consistency is using an ungloved hand. You can feel incredibly slight changes in surface height by running your fingers over it.
 
Worked in a body shop as my first job when I was 16. First and foremost thing I learned about working with body filler is using proper rigid sanding blocks. You want a hard, flat surface to sand with to get a consistent finish.

Foam sanding pads and other non-rigid sanding tools will leave ripples in the shape of your fingers.

The best way to check for flatness and consistency is using an ungloved hand. You can feel incredibly slight changes in surface height by running your fingers over it.
Yeah. . . It's not flat yet. I was a custom woodworker for 19 years before I became a desk jockey. My most hated part of that job. . . sanding! This is perfect for me. LOL. I still hate sanding. I had a wood block. . . trash. I did buy the Durablock AF4402 sanding block for this. I also have a power inline sander, electric orbital sander, and DA. I think I should have gotten four of the sanding blocks because I change from 80-120-220-320 quite often. Also. . . maroon scotch brite = 320
 
I think I should have gotten four of the sanding blocks because I change from 80-120-220-320 quite often. Also. . . maroon scotch brite = 320
Good thing you mentioned that, i totally forgot. Multiple sanding blocks was another biggy. Every grit was a dedicated block. ranged from 80 grit to 320 if i remember right.

the 80 was affectionately referred to as "the brick" and works absolute wonders for rough sculpting a filler patch while it's still wet enough to come off in little crumbles. That takes whole hours off of your sanding time vs working with completely hardened filler.

I think the rule of thumb i was told for scotchbrite was Grey~=120, Red ~=400, and Green ~=600. I'd have to ask again to make sure I have those right but I think thats what it was.
 
Good thing you mentioned that, i totally forgot. Multiple sanding blocks was another biggy. Every grit was a dedicated block. ranged from 80 grit to 320 if i remember right.

the 80 was affectionately referred to as "the brick" and works absolute wonders for rough sculpting a filler patch while it's still wet enough to come off in little crumbles. That takes whole hours off of your sanding time vs working with completely hardened filler.

I think the rule of thumb i was told for scotchbrite was Grey~=120, Red ~=400, and Green ~=600. I'd have to ask again to make sure I have those right but I think thats what it was.
Gray is the finest.

Same concept when polishing on the lathe....

Roughest to finest:
Red - Green - Gray
 
A double row of stainless pop rivets spaced at 3/4" apart will hold a bed side patch panel on better than a tread separation can take one off. That's my hack bodywork tip of the day. :flipoff2:
This truck had aluminum tape painted blue for door skins and nice green copper sheets riveted in for floors.
 
Errr...I r confused.

My maroon ones are the only ones that are labeled. My gray must be the 7448 or 6448 because they're definitely less aggressive than the maroon.

I guess green is only for pots and pans? :laughing:

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Errr...I r confused.

My maroon ones are the only ones that are labeled. My gray must be the 7448 or 6448 because they're definitely less aggressive than the maroon.

I guess green is only for pots and pans? :laughing:

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Having 3 different shades of gray in something like scotchbrite seems asinine to me, I'm confused too now:homer:. I notice green isn't even on that list...
 
:grinpimp:

YES! Let's do this. I am NOT a pro body guy, but I do body work more than I like.

My arsenal of tools are, but not limited too:

Mig welder ~ old millermatic 175
Stud welder ~ cheapie from harbor freight. Works great and gets the job done as well as the 500 dollar rigs.
MAP torch
Grinder and various discs from flappers to cut offs
Slide hammer/s ~ random's I bought over the years
DA ~ basic Bauer model
Hammers and dollies ~ varity of flats and curved
Variety of sanding blocks ~ see below
Variety of sand papers/ scotch pads
Some stands for panels ~ home made

My go to filler is Evercoat. I use a pretty good selection based on what I am working on. For just getting down and dirty fillng larger issues I use evercoat z-grip and move on up from there. I will use Upol too at times. It just depends on the job.

My sanding blocks are all over the map. Hoagies, Durablocks and some home made jobbers. BEST basic starter set I have found:

The longest block I have is a 24" for larger flat surfaces.



LOVE ME SOME DENTSIDES TOO! :beer:
 
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I love em all man! Dent's, Bump's, Square Bodies, Heeps, Sammies, Toys.

I have NO brand specifics.

I especially love high boys though. :beer:
 
Also... I have a fairly straight tailgate for that if ya need one. :flipoff2:
 
I'm not sure how to deal with the seams in the bedsides. I want to clean them out good. get all of the seam fill out and down to mostly rustless. Then POR 15 from the inside. primer / seam fill / paint the outside. I considered doing the muriatic acid in the seam but I have no water in the shop to rinse it with and it's winter now and a huge PITA to get to water.
 
See that tiny hole in the cowl right above the fender in the above pic?

I wire wheeled it. :laughing:
1.jpg

Then I cut it out
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welded in a new chunk of whatever
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Then drilled some holes to use a homemade dent puller to pull it back out because I was impatient and put way too much heat in it.
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Pro tip on dent pulling without holes made by screws.... cut a washer in half and tack it on the area you want to pull. When done grind it off , no holes to back fill with a weld. :grinpimp: I use a little hook on my dent puller to tug them with and a body hammer around it to get the area flattened out.
 
Pro tip on dent pulling without holes made by screws.... cut a washer in half and tack it on the area you want to pull. When done grind it off , no holes to back fill with a weld. :grinpimp: I use a little hook on my dent puller to tug them with and a body hammer around it to get the area flattened out.
Well, I was going to go to HF for that stud welder you pimped but I have washers and the homemade dent puller needed mods anyway. :beer:

If I wasn't at work, I'd be running up there to try it out. Shit, I turned the heat back to 45 for the rest of the week.

.
 
Pro body work tips:

Step 1: Wait until you are old enough to have vision problems
Step 2: Remove glasses
Step 3a: Congratulations! Your body looks fine!:beer:
If not satisfied, Step 3b: You are old enough to have glasses, put them back on and write a check to the body shop of your choice.:beer:


I got nothing else to add. My expectations are low and I'm a hack when it comes to body work. I have done it and had decent results, but by no means should anybody be taking tips from me.
 
Pro body work tips:

Step 1: Wait until you are old enough to have vision problems
Step 2: Remove glasses
Step 3a: Congratulations! Your body looks fine!:beer:
If not satisfied, Step 3b: You are old enough to have glasses, put them back on and write a check to the body shop of your choice.:beer:


I got nothing else to add. My expectations are low and I'm a hack when it comes to body work. I have done it and had decent results, but by no means should anybody be taking tips from me.
Sound advice homie! LOL... And yah, I wear glasses. :lmao:
 
See that tiny hole in the cowl right above the fender in the above pic?

I wire wheeled it. :laughing:

Then I cut it out

welded in a new chunk of whatever

Then drilled some holes to use a homemade dent puller to pull it back out because I was impatient and put way too much heat in it.
Question for anyone about this kind of repair. What do you do about the inside of the patch to prevent future rust? That seems like a pretty tight spot to get to the back side of. Weld through primer on the back before you weld it in? What about where the welds burn off the primer?

I have a 96 Ford that needs cab corners. Between the paint thread and this one, it makes me motivated to try some body work.
 
Question for anyone about this kind of repair. What do you do about the inside of the patch to prevent future rust? That seems like a pretty tight spot to get to the back side of. Weld through primer on the back before you weld it in? What about where the welds burn off the primer?

I have a 96 Ford that needs cab corners. Between the paint thread and this one, it makes me motivated to try some body work.
Myself, I cut the old panels off, sand blast insed where the panel was, and back of new panel.
Prime paint and undercoat if applicable.
The only bare metal will be where you weld. If ya can go paint it and seal it later.
 
:grinpimp:


Stud welder ~ cheapie from harbor freight. Works great and gets the job done as well as the 500 dollar rigs.
MAP torch
What is the stud welder for?

What is the Torch for?

Just curious if I am missing out on something fun.
 
What is the stud welder for?

What is the Torch for?

Just curious if I am missing out on something fun.
Stud welder is for pulling dents in a uniform manner...

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It comes in especially handy where ya can't get a hammer and dollie into...

The map torch I use to braze or heat up metal I need to form a little easier/ get back into shape.
 

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Nobody mentioned the term feather edging while sanding? Tsk tsk...

Before starting ANY work, clean area w/wax & grease remover. Usually a 2 step process.

Before paint, use tack cloths/wipes-
 
Nobody mentioned the term feather edging while sanding? Tsk tsk...

Before starting ANY work, clean area w/wax & grease remover. Usually a 2 step process.

Before paint, use tack cloths/wipes-
All covered in the paint thread....

And YES, I feather all the edges out with the DA before I apply filler. I also glaze over any suspect areas with evercoat metal glaze and feather out if in doubt.

I love this stuff:


Yah it's pricy, but smooths out like glas and extremely easy to sand and shape.
 
I don't use a stud welder, I put a screw in my slide hammer and tack the screw to the sheetmetal to pull.

I have a few ends for the slide hammer so I can weld one more than one if needed to swap back and forth if I need more than one pull point.

So redneck version of what you did there.

Just a tack on one side of the screw, breaks right off. Only once or twice have I ripped a hole in the sheetmetal removing them. LOL

Cool.
 
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