Menu
Fender Repair - cont.
Final Welding and prep
Welding in the new patch
My welding skills are still rather hit-and-miss; some days I do better than others, but the new piece is in place. Now to grind the welds flat.
|
Prep and sand
As will all my bodywork, especially where it will be subject to structural stress, I apply a coat of fiberglass reinforced filler. Metal reinforced filler is also available. I usually end up applying two or three coats to get everything back to shape, but even then, I do not like to have the final thickness be more than a few millimeters, or more than about 1/16 inch, thick. I try to do as much hammer and dolly work as possible before applying filler. High spots can be tapped down with a pointed body hammer, even after this filler has been applied. Make sure the metal is prepped and cleaned, I used a metal prep solution on bare metal, and even between coats.
This filler brings everything into shape, then I apply regular plastic body filler followed by spot putty, to get everything nice and smooth and ready for paint. In my case, it takes several spot coats to fill in all the imperfections. |
Repair number two
Back in the 1950s when my grandfather first bought this car, lead would have been a common material for body repair. By the time my uncle 'restored' the car in the 1980s, plastic filler was all the rage. Still, this car had a lot of lead work, so I am unsure who did the work, but here is another area that had repaired, a combination of rust-through and a tennis ball sized dent. See how this was repired on the next page.
|