Just flipped my opinion on using bondo on classic car panels

I always thought bondo was just a shortcut for lazy work, but then I heard a 40 year veteran at a shop in Detroit say he uses thin layers on his own restoration projects to keep metal from warping. That made me see it differently, like it's a tool not a cheat if you use it right. Anyone else come around on something they used to hate in the trade?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbara_jenkins668d ago

Man oh man, @henry_ross that experience with your first car is exactly why so many of us have that gut reaction. Makes me think of my uncle who swore off using any filler after a nightmare job on a '72 Duster he bought from some guy. Turned out the whole quarter panel was basically a bondo sculpture with a little metal underneath. He still brings it up at every family cookout like it's a war story.

henry_ross9d ago

Hated on bondo for years (mostly because my first car had a quarter inch of it holding on by rust). Changed my tune after watching a guy use it to fix a dent on a '67 Mustang trunk lid without any heat distortion. Thin layers with a proper metal prep and sanding steps makes a world of difference.

danielr999d ago

Straight facts right there. Bondo gets a bad rap because people slap it on rust like it's magic fixing compound. But when you actually prep the metal right and keep the layers thin, it's a completely different animal. Heat distortion from welding is a real pain on classic sheet metal so bondo has its place if you're smart about it. The key is knowing when not to use it, like covering up structural rot. Thin layers with proper sanding and you'd never know it was there.