Im trying to get an idea on putty and bondo, because i have small minor dents and dings. I tried the red putty(advance auto) but wasn't all that great. And what might be the best way to approach this project as far as smoothing the outcome. I know to sand it after it drie, but for laying it down?

Thanks in advance,
Mike

 

Red putty good for pinholes but i don't think it good for dents. How does the minor dents and dings look like?

 

like if someone opened a car door to it on accident, small imperfections. And a good size(possible baseball bat dent) to the pillar above the passenger side door(eg hatch)

 

I'm using Evercoat Rage Gold right now, which seems to be the industry standard along with the Extreme version. I've been very happy with it. Try to keep it less than 1/8" thick by using a hammer/dolly to work on the metal before you fill it.

 

evercoat z grip is another good choice. its not quite expensive as the rage but it is more than the bondo brand. It is a whole lot easier to sand then the red stuff. It all depends on what or how much u want to spend. YOu get what u pay for in my opinion...

 

i appreciate it guys, last question. Where can i pick it up at? Local(autozone/advance?) or just online w/ bigger manufactuers?

again thanks,
mike

 

z grip is my favorite, very lightweight and doesnt clog nearly as much as bondo. You can pick up z grip online, or at the local paint supply store. advanced and autozone may carry it, but i thought they just carry regular old bondo which is junk compared to z grip.

 

thanks

 

as far as z grip goes which one would you suggest? Evercoat Z Grip Skim Coat Body Filler or EVERCOAT Z-GRIP LIGHTWEIGHT BODY FILLER? or they just about the same...thanks

 

well, i have already tried the red stuff in my biggest dent...it didnt turn out to pretty! lol anyways what would be the best way to remove it now so i can do it the right way.

 

Probably gonna have to sand that stuff out of there unfortunately. I picked up filler online, but you can get it at a local auto paint store if you have one nearby. Most auto parts stores only carry Bondo brand.

As far as which one, I haven't used the Z-Grip, but you don't want the one that says Skim Coat unless that's all you're doing. If you're doing a dent, then get the lightweight filler. Make sure you take it down to bare metal and feather edge the paint out around it to get good adhesion! And use a good long block to guide off of the surrounding area when you're shaping it.

 

thanx bro

 

make sure you sand all the paint off in thed area too body filler doesnt stick to paint very well.

 

No problem man, I'm in the middle of a body project right now too...and I wouldn't have gotten very far without people helping me. If you have any more questions, you can hit me up via PM and I'll do the best I can.

 

i appreciate it...yeah im about done as far as dents. But like gashes/scratches in the bumper im goin to do now. Would the bondo be a good idea for that or putty? Then off to Aberdeen Army base to paint it in the paint booth hopefully this coming up weekend if the weather holds out!

 

I sanded bumper scratches out where I could by tapering them out but where I had to fill rock chips or deeper stuff, I used flexible polyester glazing putting. Just don't try to fill a big low spot in the plastic with it (like a dent type of thing).

 

i gotcha, thanks for the heads up

 

i honestly would try to get all the dents out as much as possible. any body filler will do as long as the prep work is legit...

 

What-ever you do. Don't know put bondo on paint, only on bare metal. If you could get the dent straighten a bit more. It would be better to just apply bondo over it and sand it off with 40 grit paper to 180 grit. Primer and sand it down to 400 girt paper then basecoat to clearcoat..