Well ive decided to fiberglass everything that at first I thought I was going to bondo. ie door holes, rear quarter rust and Im also making an amp rack and a kick panels enclosure.

My question is when I read all these DIY's at the end they all use bondo anyways to fill in holes.

Is there no way to make fiberglass smooth without any holes? Because this will save me a lot of time and money if I know I cant get it smooth on the outside of my car.

Thanks

 

you will never get fiberglass perfectly smooth without some sanding effort unless you are pulling gel coated parts from a mold....

there's always finishing work to be done...

 

True.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rcurley55 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you will never get fiberglass perfectly smooth without some sanding effort unless you are pulling gel coated parts from a mold....

there's always finishing work to be done...</TD></TR></TABLE>

A small tip would be to use glazing putty for the small holes instead of bondo.

 

No I no I cant get it smooth without sanding, but can I get it perfectly nice and smooth by using 60 grit, then 200 and then 600 grit. Would it be smooth with no pockets?

 

 

Typically, even a skim coat of bondo (or other plastic body filler) is step one. Then you can use either a putty (I like cake icing) to fill your pin holes or you can spray on some poly primer and sand away!

 

cake icing??

 

I use 3m red glazing putty. I think he's pulling your leg with the cake icing.

If you sand enough it will get smooth. It's easier to use a little bit of putty though and then sand.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PIMPIN &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">cake icing??</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

Pulling your leg...naaaahhhh....

http://www.handsontools.com/st...=9170

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rcurley55 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Pulling your leg...naaaahhhh....

http://www.handsontools.com/st...=9170</TD></TR></TABLE>
OMG i just checked the address on that site, that place is like two seconds away from my house, literally not even one mile away. now i know where to get some tools!

 

there are tricks used to cut down sanding time, but there will always be sanding to be done.

 

I dont give a **** about sanding and how long it takes me to sand. I just want to have to not use bondo and was wonderring if firberglass could be made with no holes on its own

 

i dont understand why so many people have such issues with bondo. if used properly, it is a great tool for smoothing things. i dont think you can get fiberglass smooth enough to get pinholes out, just use glazing/spot putty to fill the holes.

 

When I tried to shave my moulding with bondo I first attached a mesh sheet across the hole so I wouldnt have to use as much bondo. But There was always big hols and I could never get it smooth, would always be wavy.

Was my first attempt but it turned me off for sure

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PIMPIN &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">When I tried to shave my moulding with bondo I first attached a mesh sheet across the hole so I wouldnt have to use as much bondo. But There was always big hols and I could never get it smooth, would always be wavy.

Was my first attempt but it turned me off for sure</TD></TR></TABLE>

I wouldn't shave mouldings with bondo - but that's just me personally...

you won't get anything right the first time when it comes to body work...gotta practice.

Seeing that people have been using bondo for years, it's an accepted step....gotta learn to work with it. If it's coming out really wavy, it may be your sanding procedure too...

I'm not a body man though, so I really can't help you too much past that...

 

Try using a higher quality applicator. The bondo brand ones are kind of stiff and harder to use. I picked up some soft yellow ones from a local paint shop.

Also try using less hardener so that you have more work time to get it right.

Body work is tough and time consuming. Don't give up!

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PIMPIN &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">When I tried to shave my moulding with bondo I first attached a mesh sheet across the hole so I wouldnt have to use as much bondo. But There was always big hols and I could never get it smooth, would always be wavy.

Was my first attempt but it turned me off for sure</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

Just picked up some glazing and spot putty, like 3 little tubes