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im stripping the paint with a combo of using a blade and also paint stripper where it’s difficult to just use a blade. As I’m working on the fender I was wondering — what is the pinkish material? Am I supposed to strip it? I feel like I’m just not sure how deep I should go. I had none of it when I stripped the t tops. Also the top part of the door had it. Not sure if I should just fill this or strip it since it seems pretty thick. Thank you and see pictures especially top of fender and top of door on the right.
since you’ve been using a stripper, you’ll want to remove all of the filler to avoid problems with the new paint. Plus, removing the filler will reveal what kind of repairs were done before.
Be sure you wear a respirator when doing this kind of work. Protect your lungs.
since you’ve been using a stripper, you’ll want to remove all of the filler to avoid problems with the new paint. Plus, removing the filler will reveal what kind of repairs were done before.
Be sure you wear a respirator when doing this kind of work. Protect your lungs.
thanks. I’m concerned that if I completely remove it, i will not know how to create the same contours again. How does one recreate it so it looks similar to the other side and overall good?
thanks. I’m concerned that if I completely remove it, i will not know how to create the same contours again. How does one recreate it so it looks similar to the other side and overall good?
If you have the desire (and the time) to do it yourself, you can do as good a job as anyone in restoring the contours and getting it ready for paint. You can do it with a few hand tools and sanding blocks. Applying the filler is easy and if you make a mistake, you just sand it off and re-apply. Let us know if you want to tackle this and we can give you more specific guidance. Watch some videos to gain some basic understanding and develop your plan.
If you have the desire (and the time) to do it yourself, you can do as good a job as anyone in restoring the contours and getting it ready for paint. You can do it with a few hand tools and sanding blocks. Applying the filler is easy and if you make a mistake, you just sand it off and re-apply. Let us know if you want to tackle this and we can give you more specific guidance. Watch some videos to gain some basic understanding and develop your plan.
Thank you. Yes I will probably tackle it myself like anything else I did in the car so far I did some bondo in the past to fix a bumper in my Honda and it came out really nice, plus I have tons of woodworking experience so sanding is not an issue. I did look from the engine bay side and I see a seam, so my guess is that the fender was replaced and the bondo covers the seam.
So you think I must remove the bondo and not just try to fix the existing mess… which filler should I use, do I just try to follow the body line and then block sand it? Do I need a putty glaze and if so, which one?
The seam you see from the engine bay is most likely a factory seam. There is a bonding strip that runs the full length of the fender from the door to the bumper that is the factory fender/surround joint.
You are at a point where a couple more hours of sanding will allow you to do a thorough assessment of what you are dealing with and ensure you have a the best chance of a long term successful paint job. The presence of that much filler is a red flag that may be covering up damage that was not correctly repaired.
There are many choices for high quality body fillers. 3M Marion Platinum is an excellent choice.
I have never been a fan of putty. Sand out the body filler, then apply Morton Eliminator polyester based primer surfacer. Work with the Morton until you are ready for paint.
The seam you see from the engine bay is most likely a factory seam. There is a bonding strip that runs the full length of the fender from the door to the bumper that is the factory fender/surround joint.
You are at a point where a couple more hours of sanding will allow you to do a thorough assessment of what you are dealing with and ensure you have a the best chance of a long term successful paint job. The presence of that much filler is a red flag that may be covering up damage that was not correctly repaired.
There are many choices for high quality body fillers. 3M Marion Platinum is an excellent choice.
I have never been a fan of putty. Sand out the body filler, then apply Morton Eliminator polyester based primer surfacer. Work with the Morton until you are ready for paint.
thank you for all info. A couple of follow ups:
1. To what grit do I need to sand the body filler? I assume guide coat is best to make sure it was done right. How many coats would you recommend?
2. this is the only primer needed or I should consider also using an epoxy primer?
3. to what grit do I need to sand the primer?
I’ll send follow up photos once I remove the bondo to hear your assessment if you don’t mind.
Filler is typically sanded with 80. Depending on how smooth you are able to lay it down the first coat, you might use 50 to do a first pass but be very careful not to sand down to the fiberglass with the 50.
Evercoat makes coloring agents that you can mix in to tint the filler. That makes it easy to see the high and low spots.
I have done many Corvettes with just the Morton Eliminator but have also used other primers on top of it. A lot has to do with personal experience and preference but one thing to keep in mind is don’t cheap out on the products as they are the most important layer in the paint job.
Depending on the primer, you will use several grits. 150-220 for the initial passes, then working up to 400 before applying a sealer and the top coats. Lots of personal preference here as well. Coarser grits cut faster but you risk removing too much material. Finer grits will take longer to remove the same amount but you lower the risk of sanding through. Know that you can tint the primers as well as the filler.
Filler is typically sanded with 80. Depending on how smooth you are able to lay it down the first coat, you might use 50 to do a first pass but be very careful not to sand down to the fiberglass with the 50.
Evercoat makes coloring agents that you can mix in to tint the filler. That makes it easy to see the high and low spots.
I have done many Corvettes with just the Morton Eliminator but have also used other primers on top of it. A lot has to do with personal experience and preference but one thing to keep in mind is don’t cheap out on the products as they are the most important layer in the paint job.
Depending on the primer, you will use several grits. 150-220 for the initial passes, then working up to 400 before applying a sealer and the top coats. Lots of personal preference here as well. Coarser grits cut faster but you risk removing too much material. Finer grits will take longer to remove the same amount but you lower the risk of sanding through. Know that you can tint the primers as well as the filler.
Thanks again. I don't have personal preference when it comes to corvettes, so following best practice is the way to go for me I plan to paint the car to it's original 1970 Donnybrook Green -- in that case would you recommend a sealer on top of Morton Eliminator? should I tint to help with coverage?
I help at a body shop a couple days a week just to hang out with some car guys. Tuesday and Thursday. My shoulders can't take two days in a row of block sanding filler. Currently working on 65 Cuda doors. Tuesday we filled the small ripples after a bit of pulling and some hammer and dolly. Today we coated both doors with a thin layer of filler and sanded 95% of it off using 80 grit on 12" long board. We did that one more time again with 80 grit on a long board. Then to fill in really small almost you can't see them divots with a two part glaze with 180 grit on a long block. Then sanding primer with 180 and a guide coat again with long block. We do that twice. Then 320 on a long block.
The body shop uses two part Crest filler and glaze. Do not use single stage (like a tooth paste tube) body putty. Always use a sealer before paint.
As said above you have to kind of sneak up on getting everything to get it look right.
Paint stripping question
since you’ve been using a stripper, you’ll want to remove all of the filler to avoid problems with the new paint. Plus, removing the filler will reveal what kind of repairs were done before. 
I did some bondo in the past to fix a bumper in my Honda and it came out really nice, plus I have tons of woodworking experience so sanding is not an issue. I did look from the engine bay side and I see a seam, so my guess is that the fender was replaced and the bondo covers the seam. 
