bodywork

[joeymazz]

hey guys just a quick question. can i use any automotive body filler/puddy to do my body work on my chop top?

thanks

joey

[Fat Brian]

A lot of guys here use two part auto body filler here. It doesn't shrink like some of the tube varieties do, just make sure what you use won't ruin your plastic by testing it on a scrap part first.

[BKcustoms]

automotive fillers work great, just make sure you prime and sand the part before applying filler or it is likely to not stick very well.

[Jdurg]

Also, make sure that the filler you use is classified as a filler and not just a spot putty or glazing compound. I have a bunch of varieties of Bondo in my house. I have a larger "tub" of fiberglass reinforced Bondo that is used for when I need structural stability and need to mold and shape something. This stuff dries ROCK HARD and provides great structural stability. I've only been able to find it in fairly large sized tins with the red hardener in a separate tube.

Another form of Bondo I use, when I need some subtle smoothing of some work or have some very small gaps is a two part glazing and spot putty. Like the fiberglass filler stuff, you need to mix the red hardener into the white paste that comes from the tube. It's MUCH softer than the fiberglass Bondo and therefore is not suitable for structural work. But it does do a great job of filling small gaps and for filling sink marks and depressions. Since it's a catalyzed compound, it won't shrink or crack over time.

The third Bondo product that I generally use is also called a Spot Putty and Glazing Compound, but this stuff comes in a single tube and cures via solvent evaporation and not via a catalyzed reaction. It takes it about half an hour to cure and it's purpose is for filling in the small pits or bubbles that can form in the two part compounds and making things ultra smooth. After I do any work with the fiberglass Bondo and the softer putty, once it's fully cured I apply a very thin coat of this single tube stuff to smooth over the work. It can then be sanded and takes paint beautifully.

Yeah, it's a bunch of extra work, but the results really do turn out great. I just started using this process when building the large scale '86 Corvette a while back as the body had quite a bit of issues with it, and have refined it a bit as I build my 1/12 Scale 1967 Corvette Coupe. (It's going to be critical for my working headlight project).

[Ace-Garageguy]

The flares on this 1/12 scale model are being built with actual 'bondo', the large-can, courser grained real-car filler (NOT the fiberglass reinforced stuff, because I built structure to suport the filler). It's sold under a lot of names in a lot of price ranges, and some handle better than others, but they will all work. I'm using the course filler here because it's okay in thicknesses over 1/4 inch and this is a big model. I don't personally recommend priming first. Scuff your plastic thoroughly with 180 grit paper, and correctly mixed filler will stick just fine.

The flares on this 1/25 scale model are being done in the finer-grained, 2-part automotive glazing putty. Most of the manufacturers of this stuff recommend it to be used in less-than 1/4 inch thicknesses. Since this is a smaller model it works well. Again, it comes in various names, prices and packages, and we all have our favorites. I prefer USC Icing. Again, properly mixed material will adhere just fine to 180-grit sanded bare plastic.

If you get your 'bondo' work really right, you can sand it to 400 grit and primer it directly. If you still have MINOR flaws, the one-part lacquer spot-putty Justin mentions will work to fill them. It's the same as Squadron, Testors and other model-market putties in that it dries by evaporation and shrinks a lot. Only use it to fill very slight imperfections and let it dry THORUOGHLY before attempting to sand it. The one-part stuff does usually tend to stick a little better to a primered surface, but it WILL adhere adequately to 180-grit sanded bare plastic.

MIXING OF THE 2 PART MATERIALS IS CRITICAL. If you use too much catalyst, it will 'kick' too fast, not stick well and sometimes stay rubbery. If you use too little catalyst, it will stay gooey, won't stick well and clog your paper when you try to sand it.

This chopped top was finished out with two-part glazing putty and one-part spot-putty, primered with Duplicolor high-build.

The results.....

[greymack]

Hi there I see your looking for a good source of body filler well try using Napa brand 2 part body putty and the number for that is 906110.Its a light weight polyester finishing and spot putty.I use this stuff all the time sands easy sticks to bare plastic and primered.Also don't shrink either well hope that helps you some.