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Minor body repair question - should I even bother?
Hello everyone...
Got a small issue that I'd like to get your opinion on...
When I went to pick up my new Vette I walked around it and didn't notice any major body issues. My wife was standing on the passenger side about 15 ft away and noticed that the passenger rocker right in front of the rear wheel was scraped really good. The damage was mostly on the bottom and for the most part you can't see it...but if you stand back far enough and look down you can notice it.
Can't post pics right now so I'll try to describe it as best I can...
The scrape starts at the rear wheel well and goes about 8 - 9 inches. The majority of the damage is on the bottom of the car...but again, you can slightly see it if you stand far enough away and look down at the bottom edge of the rocker.
It wasn't a deal breaker so I bought it. Now the more I think about it I'm wondering if it absolutely needs to be repaired. It is scraped to the point where the SMC fibers are evident and look like little hairs coming off of it.
Should I get some filler and fill it in, smooth it out, and do a quick paint job just to make it less noticable? Could it possibly wear more over time and let water in where it shouldn't be going?
Sorry if this is a dumb question...but just wondering what you all think. It's not worth a $300 - $500 body shop bill to me, and I think I could make it near unnoticeable...but I'm wondering if it is even worth the time. Should I just slap some touch-up paint over it and have done? If I did that then you certainly wouldn't notice it much...
LOL! My wife drove over a parking lot divider on her BRAND SPANKING NEW 06 Coupe.
Same exact damage. It botherd ME more than it did her cause like you stated, its NOT very obvious.
I jacked up the passengers side (pretty high) tapped off the undamaged area, sanded off the paint around the damaged area, filed it in with synthetic body filler removed the tape and blend sanded the repair smooth. Some grey sandable primer and some mix to match paint spray paint. Go to you local automotive paint store and they can mix you up a can of paint matched paint and put it in a rattle can! Works FANTASTIC!
When the job was done,, you could NOT see the damaged area.
SO,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, If it bothers you and you want a pretty car.. GETERDONE!
Even if you dont do a DIT DOT 100% perfect job, it will be 99% better than it is now.
Well...I guess my only saving grace is that the car is white...so it doesn't show up as bad as it would if it was a darker color, that's for sure. I could put some touchup on the edge that you can see and from a few feet away you wouldn't be able to tell...
I'm still getting used to a body construction that isn't made out of sheet metal. There is one spot on the very bottom of the car that is almost punched through - almost.
Should I be concerned about water getting inside somehow? Frame is aluminum and the rocker itself is glued on, right? If not...then I just might clean it up, touch it up, and call it good.
Wouldn't be able to tell with it going 55 down the road anyways!
Any porusis material (like SMC) can and will be damaged and contaminated by water, dirt, oil, grease, etc.... The longer its exposed, the more difficult it is to dry it out and clean it.
Dry it out with a heat lamp and,,,, Seal it with white paint for now and worry about it later down the road.
Well...I guess my only saving grace is that the car is white...so it doesn't show up as bad as it would if it was a darker color, that's for sure. I could put some touchup on the edge that you can see and from a few feet away you wouldn't be able to tell...
I'm still getting used to a body construction that isn't made out of sheet metal. There is one spot on the very bottom of the car that is almost punched through - almost.
Should I be concerned about water getting inside somehow? Frame is aluminum and the rocker itself is glued on, right? If not...then I just might clean it up, touch it up, and call it good.
Wouldn't be able to tell with it going 55 down the road anyways!
LOL! My wife drove over a parking lot divider on her BRAND SPANKING NEW 06 Coupe.
Same exact damage. It botherd ME more than it did her cause like you stated, its NOT very obvious.
I jacked up the passengers side (pretty high) tapped off the undamaged area, sanded off the paint around the damaged area, filed it in with synthetic body filler removed the tape and blend sanded the repair smooth. Some grey sandable primer and some mix to match paint spray paint. Go to you local automotive paint store and they can mix you up a can of paint matched paint and put it in a rattle can! Works FANTASTIC!
When the job was done,, you could NOT see the damaged area.
SO,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, If it bothers you and you want a pretty car.. GETERDONE!
Even if you dont do a DIT DOT 100% perfect job, it will be 99% better than it is now.
Bill
Well, several months later I finally got the nerve to do my first stab at body work...
I had made another post about this in the General forum and someone suggested using JB Weld plastic repair. I went to the local Autozone and they didn't have any so I got the Permatex Plastic Welder instead. That stuff sets up FAST - I was sanding it within 15 minutes of putting it on. I let the first pass cure overnight and I filled in the gaps this morning. Also put on two coats of primer. The primer was white so it almost blends in where you can't see it at 10 feet away! The only way you can tell is that the Speedway White is more of a "creamy" color...
So far it looks pretty good. Will be sanding primer and painting in the next few days. I'll post pics when done.
Won't be "DIT DOT 100%" for sure...there are still some pits...but they are on the bottom of the rocker where you would have to lie on the ground and look up to see them. I'm anxious to see how it all turns out with 3-4 coats of DupliColor Perfect Match and 3-4 coats of clear...then polished out with Meguiar's compound.
Not perfect but a ton better than it was. I used some Meguiars 105 at the end but it's obvious it needs some more polishing as you can see a definite difference in the clear up close. Honestly, from a foot away standing next to it you can't tell. Maybe I'll quit being OCD about it and just be happy that I didn't totally ruin it in the process!
Not perfect but a ton better than it was. I used some Meguiars 105 at the end but it's obvious it needs some more polishing as you can see a definite difference in the clear up close. Honestly, from a foot away standing next to it you can't tell. Maybe I'll quit being OCD about it and just be happy that I didn't totally ruin it in the process!
The PW is one of my go-to products for all kinds of fixes on plastics. If I mix it per instructions it dries before I can use the batch. I mix it FAST for 10 or 15 seconds and apply it real quick.
Glad to hear of another use.
I honestly was scared to death to do this...I've never done any kind of body work before and this is proof positive that if I can do it then anyone can. Like I said...a few pits here and there. It's not 100% but much, much, much better.
Now I'm holding my breath to see how my targa top refinish is going to turn out. Been laying on clear coat and plan to polish by hand in a few days...wish me luck!
09-22-2014, 06:58 PM
Minor body repair question - should I even bother?
