Fordnatics List Archive

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Mail From: Lev Lvovsky <(email redacted)>

Hi,

I have a body work question that first requires an explanation. I
have a '66 coupe, in which I've taken out the vinyl dash. Now, I know
what you're all thinking, but let me finish. Under the vinyldash is a
piece of stamped sheet metal, that is crappily(at least in my case)
spot-welded to a metal base. That metal base is around five inches wide, and
is curved towards the driving side. It very much resembles the rancheros
dash (if I'm not mistaken), except that it does not come up as much--it's
more horizontal. If the pictures still kinda fuzzy, let me just tell you
that it looks a hundred times better than the two-domed mass of vinyl
that origianlly came with the car. And if you STILL can't picture it,
imagine this letter J , if you were to rotate the top of it to the left
90 degrees, that is the side view. A friend and I took off the stamped
steel sheet metal by prying and using a dremel tool...In the places where
we pryed, the base metal now has little holes from the welds, and slight
indentations...The question that I have is this: I want to fill the holes
and dents on the dash, so I can paint it...I was told that I shouldn't
use Bondo, because it will eventually crack. Is there any other
inexpensive filler that doesn't crack, and is not outrageouslt expensive????

Thanks in advance!!!

From: Lev Lvovsky
(email redacted)

Religion is simply the set of questions that science
has not yet answered....It's just procrastinating!!!

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Mail From: "Vic Cook" <(email redacted)>

<description deleted>

> The question that I have is this: I want to fill the holes
> and dents on the dash, so I can paint it...I was told that I shouldn't
> use Bondo, because it will eventually crack. Is there any other
> inexpensive filler that doesn't crack, and is not outrageouslt expensive????


If you have it all the way down to clean metal, fiberglass resin
mixed with a little bit of chopped fiberglass mat has a better
chance of not cracking. The best way to repair the holes is to mig
or tig weld them, grind the area smooth and use a spot filler like
PPG's Techniglaze. However, I'm assuming you don't have the dash
all the way out or that the car is not drivable so that you can get
it to a welder.

Vic Cook

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Mail From: jrainw

My 66 had it's dash carved up to install an aftermarket radio,
about a half inch was cut out on one side and 2 half inch holes were
drilled for the shafts. I used fiberglass (with the fiberglass mat) to
repair it, and after about a year and a half of HARD driving on very
rough (more potholes then pavement) it has yet to show any sign of
cracking. The stuff is so hard it's hell to sand when it's completely
set up, I used a chain saw file to sculpt mine and is imossible to tell
it's not metal by just looking.

joseph

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Mail From: (email redacted) (Michael Myjak)


Lev Lvovsky <(email redacted)> writes:

> [...] The question that I have is this: I want to fill the holes and
> dents on the dash, so I can paint it...I was told that I shouldn't
> use Bondo, because it will eventually crack. Is there any other
> inexpensive filler that doesn't crack, and is not outrageouslt
> expensive????

yes, bondo will crack out of such a hole. You can use it to fill in
some of the other wrinkled dammage, however.

I would go to the local rent-all place and rent either a MIG welder or
an Oxy-Acetylene torch and weld in the holes first. Then grind off
any excess using <mumble>. I would suggest you take a hammer and body
dolly to it next and straighten out the steel as much as possible.
Rough up the surface with a grinder and THEN apply your bondo. Then
sand, prime and paint as you see fit. The bondo will work well as
long as its thin (less then 1/8" and has something to bite into.

- --
Net@You.Later,

- Michael D. Myjak
Research Scientist; DIS Team member; Eagle-SAR P.I. _________
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