16 December 2011

plastic fantastic

This past week I've been a bondo slinger.
black face


























Not with bondo though,
there's this Evercoat product called Z-grip that makes it fun to use.
Somehow it doesn't clog up the sandpaper,
which is a huge problem if you don't like to wait for it to cure.
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**ok this is my hack tip
I had the partial can of z-grip from a previous project,
but no cream hardener.
Evercoat uses a blue pigment, Bondo uses the red.
Are they the same?
Well,
the active catalyst in both is BENZOYL PEROXIDE,
since they both are a polyester resin based filler.

(now read page 4 for some further confirmation!)
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA503396
According to this report by the U.S. Army,
its basically the same stuff.

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skim coat cover up


























Yeah I had to use a skim coat over that dreaded corner.
Didn't want to show this picture really,
but I've not had many secrets to my loyal 18 readers,
so why start now right!
filler?
what filler?


























The filler coat is actually not as thick as it looks,
but man it actually looks respectable now,
especially with that epoxy primer.
bumpy back




















The next worst spot was underneath the rear window.
If you look at the shadow there's an obvious dent festival.
This is after hammering out all the big dents!
(There is a back panel behind the seat,
so access is really limited.)

Remember this was a work truck,
with a diamond plate bed and an engine hoist frame welded to the floor!

layers





















The amount of filler applied,
and the amount sanded off is about half.

85 corvette rear end mounted




















Slinging bondo isn't the only thing going on.
Ken's been scrubbing the aluminum so it's damn shiny,
and most is ready for the final installation.
dents?
what dents?


























Again with the epoxy primer.
The panel still has some little dinks,
but it doesn't have the baggy eye look that it had before.
This was all done without a longboard too,
just an electric porter-cable 6" DA sander.
brows




















The "last" part was the front fenders and grille area.
There was a bunch of heavy damage to both eye brows,
as well as the grill surround being welded up,
and removing the turn signal mounds.
Oh yeah,
also the crunched drivers front fender bottom.
Lotsa hammering but not good enough without the filler.

This shot is important because it also hints at what made this part of the job enjoyable,
my new used fan.
See it on the bottom corner there?
I had been searching for weeks (on CL) for a good shop fan,
and this deal came up at the most opportune time.
Without it I'm not sure if I would have tackled this part.
smooth
1955 chevrolet pickup






















So now this main part of the body is about 90%.
The plan is to let the filler and primer cure while the mechanical part continues.
(Hopefully there won't be plates of bondo on the ground after launching off a hard bump)
Later on next week I'll try sanding and using some glazing putty to fine tune the feathering.

While I can pick apart certain areas,
it is so much better than it was.
Yeah it sucks to use the filler,
but the total amount used was less than 1/4 of the gallon,
and seriously half was sanded off and blown out by the fan!
Just don't tell anyone please.

Next up,
mechanicals...

TP

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