The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Body filler for '54 running boards

I need a quick course in body work ...

I pulled the running boards off of my '54 3100 to paint. When I stripped them, I found that the outside edges were slightly dented (long shallow creases) and had been filled with body filler. I ground the white filler out pretty easily with a wire wheel on a 3/8" drill. A couple of spots were about 1/8" deep. Most less than 1/16". No rust. I've had the truck for 13 years. The previous owner probably did the work 15-20 years ago. They looked good. I didn't know they had filler. They did not have cracks or ghosts showing through. If I had known, I would have scuff sanded and painted.

Now I gotta re-fill the creases and prep for paint. The boards were painted flat black. I want to paint them semi-gloss black enamel or urathane, so I'll have to do a good job on the prep.

++>> What filler should I use? Any tips? Never done this before, but not afraid to try. Current plan to shoot with epoxy primer before filling. Is there a how-to website for "dummies?"

++>> Or should I let a body shop do the job and move on to tasks that I know that I can do? Need to complete and mount them before a show in mid-October.

Thanks for your help and advice,