'74 Nova - Body Work

[tac]

More things learned from the '74 Nova - body work

The telephone pole jumped out at me - honest. I was making a right turn, and suddenly there it was, sprouting out from the curb (who puts a telephone pole in a curb at a corner?) Regardless of whether it was my fault or a dopey town planner, there was now a huge dent in the fender, door, and rear panel of my Nova.

I head read about slide hammers and pulling dents. I didn't have money for one. So I drilled some small holes like I had seen in the Haynes manual, screwed in a wood screw, grabbed it with vice-grips and pulled. And pulled. No luck. I attached a dog chain and pulled (with gloves). That worked! I eventually pulled out the dent, then lightly pounded the screw holes where I pulled back down.

Lots and lots of Bondo. Cans of spray paint. It looked awful. When waxed it looked like one of those funny mirrors at the carnivals - all wavy.

Lessons: Replace anything you can. Doors and front fenders are MUCH easier to find at a junk yard and install than using Bondo - and not much more expensive.
Thick bondo cracks. Apply in thin coats. Besides, thick bondo is harder to sand down than you think.
Don't use bondo on doors. When they close hard, it can pop off. If you must bondo a door, drill some holes and force some of the first coat into it to create a good hold.

I eventually replaced the front fender and repainted it with a spray can - it looked almost like new. The door was too expensive to do the same, and the rear panel could be replaced without welding. So they stayed bondo'd until I sold it.

TAC

[Guest]

Filler aint hard to sand. Next time try a cheese grader but you got to pick the perfect time to use it.(Just before it gets hard) PS how much are those jumping poles these days?

[tac]

CaptFerd Wrote:Filler aint hard to sand. Next time try a cheese grader but you got to pick the perfect time to use it.(Just before it gets hard) PS how much are those jumping poles these days?

This was all 20 years ago - but as I recall, I ended up with filler pretty much the whole length of the door (those LOOOOOONG two-door doors).

The key would have been to use a long board for sanding / grating, not a little 6 or 8 inch one. I think I did a pretty good job with the grater, but the distance was just so long that it was near impossible to get a really smooth level surface without the proper tools. Would have been much better off just replacing the door. Of course, I had more time than cash back then...

TAC

[joesmokabo]

The proper tools make a world of difference.