Bring on the Bondo... (long)

[dodge dude94]

We use panel bond adhesive at work all the time. It's a two-part epoxy and works very well. BUT, surfaces need to be real clean and your work time is a pretty short window.
I wouldn't see an issue with using panel bond if you have enough clean metal to work with.

One of my friends replaced most of his cab corners that rotted out and he use panel bond and so far it's holding up just fine, **** is like concrete lol

 

[kdryan]

Ok, so back to work on this...

I ordered this a couple weeks ago and when it came, needless to say it was a bit large and needed to be cut down...



I went around on the bonding agent and the gun for a bit debating wether to get the cheaper stuff and cheaper gun or just go with the 3m. I got this today in the mail. $80 on Ebay for gun and tube + 2 nozzles...





Cleaned up the rocker and the rust turned out to be a bit more extensive than I had anticipated... Paint was completely stripped by the time I was done.



Test fitting the cut down piece



Applied the bonding agent. After this I spread it out with a paintbrush as per instructions.



Went ahead and put a few pop rivets in as well since that area was going to be hidden. Note to self: DO NOT DROP THE PIECE IN THE GRASS WITH BONDING AGENT ON IT! Because I didn't do that... And I didn't have to clean it off with a cloth and do it all over again... No, not me...



Bottom with rivets in place. Should be enough to hold, I think.



3M says give it four hours to dry. I thought about using some body filler on the front seam but I think I won't. Next is to spray primer it then when I get all of the body work done I'll get it painted.





Let me say, I understand that this is a very amateurish job and I am certain that many body men out there that see this will be cringing. It is my first attempt of any kind at this and I know I am not any kind of an expert. I will keep this thread going for whatever body work I do from here on out.

Opinions?

 

[Joe w.]

Looks good man I wouldn't worry about what someone else thinks

 

[clownprince]

The reason pro's are pro's is because they do it all the time. A lot of us are amateurs and enjoy doing this stuff. Nice job man, looks good!

 

[dodge dude94]

Hey, it works. My only thing is always make sure ALL the rust has been removed and the whole area behind it shot with rust preventer.

 

[15ecodiesel]

Here is a site that can help you and your son do this body work it's called learn auto body and paint also has a site on you tube


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[kdryan]

No link...

 

[Jimmy68]

Ya already did it. It looks good. My way is fill large holes with newspaper and then fill everything with fiberglass. Sand smoothish and finish with bondo. Sand that smoother and paint. Lasts a few years or sell it and shut up. Lol.
Tremclad rust paint thinned with varsol, use a air sprayer or electric and get a nice looking glossy paint job. Lasts a few years.
Rusty fenders get a nice Bushwhacker fender flare to cover them up. Truck looks like a million bucks.

Man, I like that panel cover though.

 

[15ecodiesel]

No link...

Learn auto body and paint.com


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[marine6212]

Well aren't we just superior... I've only had the truck a year and the only reasons I bought it were A: So I don't have to drive my 2013 Mustang in the snow and crap, and B: to have something my son and I could work together on. The object here is to learn, not to throw the thing away because we only want to swap out fenders.

I am not against replacing the rocker panels, in fact I would prefer it but I do not possess a welder, a place to weld, or even welding skills. My first thought was to have a body shop replace them but at $1200 per side it's a bit prohibitive and defeats the learning process. The stick on panels people are talking about here are tempting and using Bondo isn't my first choice; it's simply the most expedient method.

Is there a community college or technical school in your area that teaches welding?

When I took welding classes people used to drop of their projects all the time for us to weld up! You provide the materials and the get experience welding something different than a coupon!

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