Dave_The_BMXER
05-30-2010, 11:36 AM
Hi guys, I've been working on this post for my blog stanceiseverything (http://www.stanceiseverything.com) for awhile and I am almost ready to post it but thought I should 'workshop' it here before I post it to see if I missed anything.
Be forewarned it's long
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Supplies
The most important thing about taking on any project is making sure that you have all the necessary supplies BEFORE you start, nothing sucks more than getting part way through and realizing you don’t have something you need and having to run over to the local parts store before it closes only to find out it closed an hour earlier than you thought.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass is what does the structural portion of the repair you can use mat or cloth, and I currently have both in my garage but for his application I used fiberglass mat.
Fiberglass mat is pretty easy to use you tear/cut it into portions you need mix the resin and hardener together then apply the resin/hardener mix to the damaged area via a brush, brush the mat, then apply the mat to the damaged area using a stippling technique. The cloth works in essentially the same way but you cut rather than tear.
A fiberglass repair kit, like the one below, will have everything you need.
http://www.stanceiseverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/supplies.jpg
Body Fillers
The cosmetic portion of this requires using three different levels of fillers: Short strand fiberglass filler (‘kitty hair’), plastic filler (your typical bondo), and spot filler (fast drying red filler).
Short strand fiberglass filler
Short strand fiberglass filler is two part (filler and hardener) product that is the hardest and strongest of all of the fillers used in this repair, after this the other fillers are more appearance level filler, fiberglass filler is the hardest to sand of all the fillers used.
Plastic Filler
The second type of filler used will be plastic filler, generally when people refer to ‘bondo’ this is the type of filler they are talking about. Like the fiberglass filler its a filler/hardener combo but it does not contain any fiberglass and is therefor easier to sand but offers less structural support.
If you did all of your repairs with this filler there is a good chance it will crack and fall out later.
Spot putty
The final type of filler used in this project is “spot” filler. It’s pre-mixed filler than provides little to no structural support but is great for filling small imperfections, pinholes and stone chips. It sands out very easily, provided you let it dry completely first. It also comes in a UV version that will dry faster if you leave it in the sun
In regards to brands of filler, I currently use ‘Bondo brand’ because it’s what Canadian Tire stocks and had I bought a bunch of it from a previous project (for my e30) so I still had quite a bit left over.
However it is considered relatively low grade and a lot of guys won’t touch it so if you can find Ever coat (http://www.evercoat.com) pick some up.
Sanding Materials
You will need the following grades of automotive sand paper to do a good job:
80,100, 180, 220, 320 (Initial sanding, Fiberglass filler, Plastic Filler, spot putty)
400, 600, 800 (Spot putty, primer coats leading to color)
To do an exceptional job you will also need:
1000-2000 and rubbing compound (Removing runs, dust, orange peel) – Color sanding always seems to bite me in the ass (rattle can paint is easy to sand through) so I take special care to avoid runs and try and lay the paint as smooth as possible so I can avoid this step.
A sanding block is highly recommended for this job as not only does it make the sanding even it makes it much easier to do.
Paint
You will need at least 3 different types of paint for this job: Sandable primer, High-build primer, Primer sealer (if working with metal), base/clear mix (this is what I had) or base and clear in different cans.
I get all of my paint material from Cawthra Automotive (http://www.yellowpages.ca/bus/Ontario/Mississauga/Cawthra-Automotive-Supplies-Ltd/323459.html) since they have a wide variety of automotive supplies and will mix rattle cans to your paint code. I have received the odd bad paint can from them but most of the time the results have been good.
From what I understand Napa also mixes paint in cans for you but none of the locations withing 30 minutes of me do so.
The paint supplies I used on this project: Base/clear, Sandable primer, high build primer
http://www.stanceiseverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/materialpaint.jpg
Misc supplies
Additional things that you will need for this project are: mask, safety goggles, a sanding block, a tack cloth, and a trigger for the spray can if you feel necessary (can really help when using standard spray cans).
Be forewarned it's long
----------------------------------------------
Supplies
The most important thing about taking on any project is making sure that you have all the necessary supplies BEFORE you start, nothing sucks more than getting part way through and realizing you don’t have something you need and having to run over to the local parts store before it closes only to find out it closed an hour earlier than you thought.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass is what does the structural portion of the repair you can use mat or cloth, and I currently have both in my garage but for his application I used fiberglass mat.
Fiberglass mat is pretty easy to use you tear/cut it into portions you need mix the resin and hardener together then apply the resin/hardener mix to the damaged area via a brush, brush the mat, then apply the mat to the damaged area using a stippling technique. The cloth works in essentially the same way but you cut rather than tear.
A fiberglass repair kit, like the one below, will have everything you need.
http://www.stanceiseverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/supplies.jpg
Body Fillers
The cosmetic portion of this requires using three different levels of fillers: Short strand fiberglass filler (‘kitty hair’), plastic filler (your typical bondo), and spot filler (fast drying red filler).
Short strand fiberglass filler
Short strand fiberglass filler is two part (filler and hardener) product that is the hardest and strongest of all of the fillers used in this repair, after this the other fillers are more appearance level filler, fiberglass filler is the hardest to sand of all the fillers used.
Plastic Filler
The second type of filler used will be plastic filler, generally when people refer to ‘bondo’ this is the type of filler they are talking about. Like the fiberglass filler its a filler/hardener combo but it does not contain any fiberglass and is therefor easier to sand but offers less structural support.
If you did all of your repairs with this filler there is a good chance it will crack and fall out later.
Spot putty
The final type of filler used in this project is “spot” filler. It’s pre-mixed filler than provides little to no structural support but is great for filling small imperfections, pinholes and stone chips. It sands out very easily, provided you let it dry completely first. It also comes in a UV version that will dry faster if you leave it in the sun
In regards to brands of filler, I currently use ‘Bondo brand’ because it’s what Canadian Tire stocks and had I bought a bunch of it from a previous project (for my e30) so I still had quite a bit left over.
However it is considered relatively low grade and a lot of guys won’t touch it so if you can find Ever coat (http://www.evercoat.com) pick some up.
Sanding Materials
You will need the following grades of automotive sand paper to do a good job:
80,100, 180, 220, 320 (Initial sanding, Fiberglass filler, Plastic Filler, spot putty)
400, 600, 800 (Spot putty, primer coats leading to color)
To do an exceptional job you will also need:
1000-2000 and rubbing compound (Removing runs, dust, orange peel) – Color sanding always seems to bite me in the ass (rattle can paint is easy to sand through) so I take special care to avoid runs and try and lay the paint as smooth as possible so I can avoid this step.
A sanding block is highly recommended for this job as not only does it make the sanding even it makes it much easier to do.
Paint
You will need at least 3 different types of paint for this job: Sandable primer, High-build primer, Primer sealer (if working with metal), base/clear mix (this is what I had) or base and clear in different cans.
I get all of my paint material from Cawthra Automotive (http://www.yellowpages.ca/bus/Ontario/Mississauga/Cawthra-Automotive-Supplies-Ltd/323459.html) since they have a wide variety of automotive supplies and will mix rattle cans to your paint code. I have received the odd bad paint can from them but most of the time the results have been good.
From what I understand Napa also mixes paint in cans for you but none of the locations withing 30 minutes of me do so.
The paint supplies I used on this project: Base/clear, Sandable primer, high build primer
http://www.stanceiseverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/materialpaint.jpg
Misc supplies
Additional things that you will need for this project are: mask, safety goggles, a sanding block, a tack cloth, and a trigger for the spray can if you feel necessary (can really help when using standard spray cans).