Car Bodywork Repair Manual: Haynes Complete Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide - 3rd Edition

• Plastic Trim and Bumpers
• Welding and Cutting
• Painting: Stripping, Preparing, Masking, Spraying
• Windshields
• Fixing Side Window Mechanisms and Door Locks
• Rust Treatment and Proofing
• Installing Accessories: Mirrors, Antennas, etc.
• Mixing and Applying Body Fillers
• Applying Decals and Pinstriping
• Repairing Fiberglass
• Polishing and Cleaning
• ...and much more!

USING BODY FILLER

Plastic body filler is one of the most useful materials around when it comes to repairing car body work. Unfortunately, it’s gained itself a lousy reputation, mostly because the stuff is so good, so effective and so easy to use that a number of folk have been known to misuse it.

Filler can be applied over any surface that will support it until it goes hard – and that includes rusty metal, or even a hole shored up with newspaper! Used properly, though, it’s an absolute godsend.

First of all, it’s worth mentioning that there are one or two places where it is not best to use plastic filler, because of the relatively brittle nature of the stuff.

It is best kept away from the edges of door and door pillars, and any other part of the car with an exposed edge that might get chipped.

Also it’s no use expecting it to bridge a hole structurally unsupported. Finally, it won’t hold back rust for more than a few winter weeks because it is porous.

On the other hand, it is stronger than most people realize and it clings very tenaciously to the surface, right up to the point where the surface may receive collision damage.

There is no reason to believe that filler will ever lift or flake from a well-prepared surface, provided that the following rules are followed.

There are basically two kinds of filler in common use. One is a simple, smooth paste; the other contains chopped strands of fiberglass which gives it a great deal of strength.

You should always wear an efficient particle mask when sanding filler, especially when machine sanding, but a mask is ESSENTIAL when sanding filler with chopped glass strands in it.


PREPARATION

The first job is to wipe the damaged area with a tack cloth, or a rag dampened with paint thinners. This removes all traces of contamination which is not completely removed by sanding, but which is often just stirred around by it, so that it pops up later and ruins the paint finish.

Then, using a sanding disc, in a drill or mini-grinder, the paint should be sanded from the area being filled. (If you intend filling a rusted-out area, be aware of the fact that the repair will only be temporary, and take a look at “Repairs on a Shoestring”, Chapter 6, for project ideas).

• Tools and Equipment
• Safety
• Welding and Cutting
• Panel Beating
• Getting Rid of Rust
• Painting
• Color Section
• Bodywork Repairs
• Repairing Plastics
• Repairs on a Budget
• Fiberglass Bodywork
• Doors, Interiors, Soft-Tops
• Accessories and Improvements
• Specialists and Suppliers