The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Filler for deep gouges in paint

I don't want to strip this rear fender I want to put on my '54. Bondo seems to heavy and the 3M filler I have not heavy enough. I want to fill and lightly sand to level and then paint. Any ideas?? Don

There is a filler bondo that comes in a tube. I've seen it in green and in red. I can't find it with a "bondo" search so it is probably some other brand name. Tubes I've seen are about the size of a toothpaste tube.

The single component 3M spot putty (or glazing putty) in the tubes are a lacquer based product that is prone to absorbtion of paint solvents and then shrinkage over time. Depending on the size/depth of the scratch, it may shrink enough under the topcoats that a depression is noticeable in the paint, showing exactly where the scratch is. You would be better served with a catalyzed product (2 component) that is not prone to those shrinking issues, such as Evercoat 416.

Excellent input. Glazing putty is famous for shrinking and is made for tiny imperfections (pinholes, etc.) only. To do it right remove the body plastic, work the metal so there isn't more than 1/4" of plastic (bondo) then prime and paint. A much less desirable alternative would be to patch the gouges with body plastic then sand an paint.

When I got this fender (a long time ago), I was not an experience truck man. I thought it looked pretty solid, when I pulled it down from the rafters to use it, I see that someone slapped a lot of filler on it and sprayed it. . It amazes me how uninformed I was before starting in this old truck hobby.

Underneath all that stuff, this fender is probably not good enough to bump and repair. I think I will use it without putting a lot of effort into it. When I find a better one I’ll replace it (this is a low budget project).

I don’t remember why I started into this hobby, it just came to me one day that I wanted an old truck. I tried to get rid of it once but when I rolled it out of storage, I was in love again. Its in my blood now and I don't think there’s a cure.

Thanks for all the great suggestions.

Don