hey guys well this is my process of shaving side moldings, im actually working on mine right now, so far all i ahve is sanded it down to the metal with a grinder and a DA (dual action) with 80grit. now ive heard people say "fiberglass and bondo will crank!!" but i knwo it is not true, i saw a guy that had his moldings shaved for 4 years with fiberglass and bondo and it still looks nice, another one of my friends did his 2 years ago and it still looks great. so here are the steps

1. sand it down to the metal, not just the where the hole is but the surrounding area as well so u can have more room to work with. after feather out where the metal meets the original paint (feathering technique is wen u can see layers example: metal, primer, then paint) this step is integrated in other steps as well
2. dent in the holes GOOD (this is the step people **** up on thats why their **** cranks) with a flathead and hammer. remember to dent them in really damn good. this is prob the step that makes or literally breaks your work
3. apply either long or short strand fiberglass over the entire side so it can come out really good. a nice thick layer, make sure the fiberglass sinks through the other side (u can check by removing ur door panel)
4. let fiberglass dry/harden then sand

now a question....which grit should u start out with....someone please list the steps on which grit u used until right before u apllied bondo. is it 35....then 80....then 120? or wut?

5. after sanding down the fiberglass smooth now apply bondo. (mix with hardener and that sutff to make it not so think, i forgot the name ) apply it as u did with fiberglass but only thicker so u can work with it more.
6. sand the bondo like so with the fiberglass.
7. after u think it is completely smooth and not waving apply guide coat. this is so u can see the highs and lows of your work. this is another important step.
8. after applying guide coat sand again.....

another question...after applying guide coat (or preimer, whichever u use to see the highs and lows) wut grit do u sand with

9.sand or apply another layer of bondo, this time make it a thinner layer than the first time.

repeat steps 7 and 8 until u completely smooth for preimer and paint.

if i missed anything or its confusing to u i am sorry, im not a autobody guy, im just a teen that is in the middle of shaving his moldings. please list any steps i made or if u can, answer my questions, haha. i made this thread so it can hopefully help guys out there that dont want to weld. thanks for looking!!


Modified by mmhmm at 5:47 AM 5/11/2005

 

bum u hippos!

 

hi