Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Okay, So I just took ownership of my brothers 67.5 Roadster and he had put more body filler than I would have liked in a lot of areas of the rear fenders and tail light areas. I would like to slap, hammer, and dolly as much of the fender into OE shape as possible, but to get to the back side of the fender where the wheel tubs is hard. What have you guys done to get these areas back to OE shape with minimal body filler?

There is also a lot of body filler I found in the intersection point of the rear fenders, trunk lid closing surface, and the rear apron and tail lights. I would like to find the OE lines as best as possible before I strip all of the filler out of this area, and if filler is needed...is there something better than bondo? I have seen way too many bondo horror stories.

Dent pullers with a weld on stud can work wonders.
Being cheap at heart, I shaped a nail to fit my slide hammer and welded it in place.
You can also drill a small hole and use a sheet metal screw to pull out the dent, then weld up the hole.
Ok, this assumes possession of a slide hammer and a welder, or you could just get one of these:
http://www.tooltopia.com/search.aspx?find=magna+spot

I do have a spot welder dent pulling get kithe, but the surface it leaves is bleh and still requires body filler. I am wanting to be able to get by with only using the thinnest layer of glazing compound.

No need to be overly worried about body fillers these days. Work the metal as best you can to minimize the need for filler, but note that on those car shows where they restore cars etc they typically put a thin skin over the entire body (of course they get the car done in 30 seconds). My favorite plastic is Evercoat... truly wonderful stuff, spreads smooth, sands and feather edges perfectly, and doesn't clog your sandpaper.
If you want a nice result, be more concerned about treating rust and taking your time to get the dents filled... body work is key to a nice paint job, especially on dark colored cars.

Yeah, I plan on doing a darker color with pearl or metalics so that is why I am so concerned with body fillers and I have also seen my fair share of body filler chunk off. Rust abatement is my number 1 goal right now...so I am well on my way on that avenue.

Thanks!

No filler is a noble ambition, but as you work the metal with hammer and dolly you will slowly thin the metal. When thinned, it also stretches and suddenly the panel is oil canning.

I used a gallon of filler on this Falcon back in 1980.
Prep the surface properly and you shouldn't have any issues.

Another option might be to spray a semi gloss primer on the prepared bare metal, then call the paintless dent repair folks to come out and massage the rough spots. They have a huge assortment of wedge tools.

IIRC a gallon and 1 quart was used on this Z, including the engine bay.

AltxF4 wrote:I do have a spot welder dent pulling get kithe, but the surface it leaves is bleh and still requires body filler. I am wanting to be able to get by with only using the thinnest layer of glazing compound.

Wood wedges, blocks, shaped prybars, etc etc, and patience. I may work something for a few hours, stop, and come back to it days later.
Not a big fan of glaze, or polyesters, due to their inherent weakness, and shrinkage. Bondo is way stronger. Most bondo today can be easily sanded with 180 grit.
This car had a gallon smeared on it.

pebbles wrote:

AltxF4 wrote:I do have a spot welder dent pulling get kithe, but the surface it leaves is bleh and still requires body filler. I am wanting to be able to get by with only using the thinnest layer of glazing compound.

Wood wedges, blocks, shaped prybars, etc etc, and patience. I may work something for a few hours, stop, and come back to it days later.
Not a big fan of glaze, or polyesters, due to their inherent weakness, and shrinkage. Bondo is way stronger. Most bondo today can be easily sanded with 180 grit.
This car had a gallon smeared on it.

I have nearly finished the body work on mine and have been through a gallon and a half. A little of it is actually still on the car, LOL.

While I am no expert and am mostly self taught, I have done several black cars, including Damn it Bill's '70, his wife's car, mine (which was a real basket case), one that got sold off and never seen by the Roadster community (except Pebbles), etc. Evercoat is by far the best plastic I have used... you use less, it sands wonderfully, you use 1/4 of the sand paper, no pin holes etc... truly great stuff, you'll love it. And as noted above, most if it ends up sanded off!

I also like Sems Rust Seal for rust killing... used it uncovered in places all over the car and the rust has never come back in 30 yrs. Rust Seal can be left unpainted.

Since you're going dark with lots of reflecting in the paint, spend plenty of time trying to get your panels to line up so that the reflection from the paint is uniform from panel to panel as you walk past the car (easier said than done on our cars!). While you are doing your body work and panel matching, you can lay a long stick like a broom handle down next to the car, wipe the car with prepsol or similar so it is shiny, and then observe the reflection from several heights panel to panel to see where it doesn't remain uniform or wobbles, and then try to adjust the panel or bodywork to get it better. The more time you spend trying to get this right, the happier you will be in the future when you walk up on the car from a distance. I did not spend enough time on the below the door rockers and regret that (when I care... most of the time I'm just ready to get in and blast some more, paint and rock chips be damned!). Also remember, you WILL get rock chips and damage if you drive the car like they should be, so just be prepared for that. The body work is the hard part, the paint the easier (given that I have someone else shoot it cause I suck)... runs can be sanded out, but bad body work is there and it is too late to change it once the paint is on! Good luck and enjoy the process!

Thanks guys! In the past I have only used bondo brand filler, and was not impressed...this was in the late 90's early 2000's. I like pebbles Idea of spraying some clear coat to do some painless dent pulling. There are a few that this might work on.
This is going to be a long project, and on the cheap at first. I figure I can do a lot of body prep without spending too much money initially. Fun when you tend to be anal about things, and want it all done right!

just marking for my reference in future..

AltxF4 wrote:Thanks guys! In the past I have only used bondo brand filler, and was not impressed...this was in the late 90's early 2000's. I like pebbles Idea of spraying some clear coat to do some painless dent pulling. There are a few that this might work on.
This is going to be a long project, and on the cheap at first. I figure I can do a lot of body prep without spending too much money initially. Fun when you tend to be anal about things, and want it all done right!

And you absolutely can save a lot of dough doing the body work and prep yourself. I've ended up with a $400 Earl Scheib (I know, but don't laugh!) paint job on the car that looked like I'd spent 10 times that. I suggest 1) taking the necessary time to get the car as straight as you can, 2) making friends or developing rapport with whomever is going to paint your car if you're not doing it yourself so that they take a bit of care, and 3) having them (or you) put plenty of clear on it so you can wet sand and buff her out (it makes all the difference in the world. I've turned a orange peeled mess into a mirror if there is enough paint to safety wet sand and buff).

This is dirty, labor intensive work that takes longer than you think, but the rewards are well worth it. We are here to help and encourage any way we can!

Evercoat Rage Gold is by far and way the best I've ever used. About a gallon used on my car, with 90% on the ground after sanding. Everglass fiberglass reinforced works great on areas that were leaded at the factory. Body by the front trunk corners and body near the headlight surround area near hood. Skim coat the Everglass with Rage after rough shaping to blend. Some pros prefer to spray entire body with an epoxy sealer, then apply the body filler. Claim a better bond than on bare metal. FWIW Pat Mahoney