Quarter panel bodywork question..

[stangman16]

My EFI '66 Mustang will be road worthy here in a week or two and the next big project will be paint. The car seems to be smooth enough for me to prep for painting myself except both quarter panels. If it will save me alot of time without costing an arm and a leg I would like to have a bodyshop prep them for me.

The P/S quarter is cracking where it has about 1/32" of bondo on it and I'm sure the D/S has about the same amount but with no cracks showing. Only the bondo is cracking and not the metal in three 2" radius areas. I sanded one area down and chipped off a good chunk to ensure it was only the bondo. Currently both sides do not look smooth and I assume I will need to take them both down to bare metal to remove the old bondo (since one is cracking)..?

My question though, is how many hours of prep do you think a shop should charge to prep both quarters for me without me touching either one? This will be a 3 night a week driver, not going for show quality but something that is appealing to the eye.

Any advise is greatly appreciated!

Jeremy

 

[zookeeper]

First of all, 1/32" of filler is nowhere near being too thick. If it cracked, it's not because of the filler being too thick. I'd strip it down and make very sure there's no cracks or rust in there. Too often people slap filler over slight rust, then it absorbs moisture, then it falls off. Secondly, if it's that close, why not do it yourself? What have you got to lose, $20 worth of filler and some time? Go for it, you can do it. If filler scares you, there's no way on God's earth you should even consider spraying it yourself. Filler is forgiving, paint is not. Read the can, clean the metal, apply, sand and repeat. It's that simple. Paying a bodyshop $70+ an hour won't teach you anything, but doing it yourself with your own two hands will. Come on, grow a pair and try, heck I'll even help if you post pics or specific questions. We all had to start somewhere...

 

[xoxbxfx]

I personally would take it to a shop...body shop rates seem to be around $40/hr here in the DFW area of Tx. You figure it will be 2-3 hours of work and materials. Save yourself some money and sand as much of that bondo off as you can.

 

[zookeeper]

$40 an hour? I wonder what they pay their bodymen? Good bodymen/painters here make $25 an hour. Really good ones own their own shop and make more with work lined up for months.

 

[stangman16]

First of all, 1/32" of filler is nowhere near being too thick. If it cracked, it's not because of the filler being too thick. I'd strip it down and make very sure there's no cracks or rust in there. Too often people slap filler over slight rust, then it absorbs moisture, then it falls off. Secondly, if it's that close, why not do it yourself? What have you got to lose, $20 worth of filler and some time? Go for it, you can do it. If filler scares you, there's no way on God's earth you should even consider spraying it yourself. Filler is forgiving, paint is not. Read the can, clean the metal, apply, sand and repeat. It's that simple. Paying a bodyshop $70+ an hour won't teach you anything, but doing it yourself with your own two hands will. Come on, grow a pair and try, heck I'll even help if you post pics or specific questions. We all had to start somewhere...

Yeah, my gut feeling is telling me to give it a shot to gain experience with it... but I'm on a time crunch so I need to plan for the quickest method. Last time I was at a collision center here in SA, TX I believe I saw shop rates at about $40-45/hr as stated by xoxbxfx. Granted that's not the only bondo needing area as I'm sure the d/s door and definitely the hood will need it, so I'll get more practice there.

Any comments on this filler? I like the pinhole free and easy sanding mentioned in the description, but I've not tried it yet.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/...UCT&iMainCat=516&iSubCat=518&iProductID=11196

 

[palerider94]

I'd cut it out and weld patch panels in.

 

[chromedog]

how do you know whats under the cracked filler? it could be the last person who repaired the quarter simply didnt blow the dust off the area between coats, leading to poor adhesion. patches should be the last resort.

 

[stangman16]

how do you know whats under the cracked filler? it could be the last person who repaired the quarter simply didnt blow the dust off the area between coats, leading to poor adhesion. patches should be the last resort.

I chipped away the cracked bondo in the surrounding area after sanding it a little and verified the metal was not cracked... looked slightly rusted. Also checked from the inside of the trunk and it looks solid, but hard to tell with the coating it has.

 

[chromedog]

in that case, the metal wasnt properly preped for filler.you should grind the area with a 24, or 36 grit disc, just enough to remove the rust, and to give the filler a "tooth" to adhere to. a skim coat of duraglass will keep moisture away from the problem area, followed by the filler of choice. btw, most air bubbles are caused by not properly mixing the filler, it should be gently folded(scoop it up with the spreader, and fold it on top if the heap you are mixing, this works best for me)