Tom Porter

My vette has the usual scrapes and scratches for a 11yr old car. Overall the paint looks very good but not perfect. No major body damage. None of the areas are bad enough to warrant replacing the body panels. I do have some scratches in the front and rear that are to deep to buff or sand out. What type of body filler is recommended? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Tom Porter

Any body guys out there?

TUF-NUF

AU N EGL

3M makes a composite body filler.

BlackZ06

Go here for a general overview of 3M automotive products ....

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...e/Aftermarket/

This product description says it adheres to SMC (which is what the Corvette body is made from ... except the front and rear fascia) ....

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...beVBF19DZVHXgl

search around the 3M site ... they have a complete product line to solve almost any body/paint issue that could come up.

ajg1915

I think Gm uses Lord Fusor Products.

http://www.lord.com/

vjjack04

You can use almost any good plastic filler; however I have had best results with SEM; do you plan to repaint it yourself as well...?

These folks sell the SEM product at what seems to be a good price.

http://yhst-13811118617756.stores.ya...39noswplp.html

CF6873

Are these scratches or cracks? The SMC fillers are what you would need for cracks. If they are just scratches I would sand most if not all of the scratch out and fill with polyester putty. Any body shop supply store will have many to choose from. Some of the more popular ones are Fiberglass Evercoat #416 and 3M 5821. These putties can be applied over any sanded substrate (including cured paint) and go on very smooth and creamy. You would then block sand the putty with 220 grit sandpaper and finish with 320 grit. Then apply primer, sand the primer and apply the paint.

dougbfresh

2 part spot putty works great. No shrinkage and solvents won't make it "pop" like the old stuff in the tube. In many cases, if you use high build primer on those spots, wetsand smooth, then prime/seal you should be good for most scratches (not DEEP gouges).

jirasvet

If your scratches are not in the SMC and in the paint only than you could
use a high solid building prime that would fill in the scratches, basically all
you would need to do is block sand through the clear and possibly through
the base coat until the scratches are gone. Using a building primer would
eliminate the need for any filler.

In my opnion

If there are no cracks in the SMC in my opinion a building primer should do
just fine. Primer is easier to work with than trying to fix pits in putty, putty
can crack why use a filler or putty when a high solid building primer can do
just as good and half the work. I have always used 600 grit before
applying BC/CC. 320 will still leave fine scratches to those that no what to look for

BlackZ06

GM uses the Lord products on the Corvette for the F55 suspension shock absorbers ...

http://www.lord.com/tabid/3329/Default.aspx

but for paint GM has used DuPont products for the Corvette since it was first built ....

http://www.performancecoatings.dupon...tte_codes.html