Bondo, will it hold up.
#2313429
05/30/17 10:00 AM
05/30/17 10:00 AM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 435 Austin, TX
lunacy
OP
mopar
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OP
mopar
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 435
Austin, TX
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I just picked up a 72 Dart. It has a pretty new paint job and looks like a great car. On close inspection both rear lower rear quarters, behind the back tires are pretty thick in bondo and there is evidence of some interesting body repair (sheet metal screws) looking from the backside of the quarter. Both corners by the rear window/trunk are heavily molded with filler as well. But, everything feels solid.
The car looks good, the paint is solid, no visible rust, and I'm in central Texas so that helps. I plan to use this car as a daily driver, 50 miles of highway driving a day, parking outside.
Will the body work hold up? Can I expect the car to stay looking decent for quite a few years or will these body repairs come back to haunt me pretty soon? I have no experience with heavily rust repaired vehicles.
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Re: Bondo, will it hold up.
[Re: lunacy]
#2313433
05/30/17 10:13 AM
05/30/17 10:13 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,752 North Dakota
6PakBee
I Live Here
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I Live Here
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North Dakota
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It's hard to make sweeping generalities about filler longevity vs. thickness. There are just too many variables. However, it has been my experience that if the panel flexes at all, thick filler will eventually fail. A prime example are the 'C' pillars. Eventually the filler will crack and fail. The body just flexes too much at this point. As to the quarters, what is pretty thick? I've seen 1/2" of filler on quarters that survived. You'll just have to see.
"We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".
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Re: Bondo, will it hold up.
[Re: lunacy]
#2313481
05/30/17 11:58 AM
05/30/17 11:58 AM
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 348 Texas Hill Country
Centerline
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 348
Texas Hill Country
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Anytime filler is more than 3/8" thick you're asking for trouble. Based on your description I suspect the previous owner took the easy way out and just slapped on filler instead of replacing the metal, which would have been the correct way to repair those panels.
As others have said, flip a coin. However if it's really thick... it will fail sooner rather than later.
Centerline 64 Dodge Polara 426 Street Wedge - For when I want to go fast 99 Corvette Z-06 - For when I want to turn corners
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Re: Bondo, will it hold up.
[Re: lunacy]
#2313492
05/30/17 12:15 PM
05/30/17 12:15 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,923 Richmond, Indiana
19swinger70
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,923
Richmond, Indiana
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Just drive it and don't worry about it. If it starts looking bad, take a couple of weekends and fix it the right way.
1970 340 swinger. sublime 1967 barracuda fastback BB 55 Plymouth Project
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Re: Bondo, will it hold up.
[Re: lunacy]
#2313496
05/30/17 12:24 PM
05/30/17 12:24 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 21,318 Manitoba, Canada
DaytonaTurbo
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
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Posts: 21,318
Manitoba, Canada
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Depends a lot on how the repair area was prepped and sealed. Done right with the right products, filler can last forever. Done poorly, as in cheap bondo slapped directly over rust or unsealed metal joints and you will see rust bubbling and rust juices pushing through in a year or two.
I've used sheet metal screws to hold my sheet metal in place while I do tack welds, but I always remove them and fill in the holes. If he left the sheet metal screws in place that tells me he didn't weld anything and piled the filler on heavy enough to hide the screw heads. These old cars flex a lot in that rear window/trunk area. I see a lot of mopars with cracking filler where guys tried to blend over the seam between the panel that goes in front of the trunk where it meets the quarter panel.
I think you should sell the car now while it still looks good. If you keep it, it'll look good for a year or two, then you'll start seeing some cracking around your trunk/quarter window area and some bubbling in your quarter panels behind and around the rear tires. 5 years from now you will be seriously unhappy with it.
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Re: Bondo, will it hold up.
[Re: lunacy]
#2313524
05/30/17 01:02 PM
05/30/17 01:02 PM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,763 Myrtle Beach, SC formerly the ...
340wedge
master
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master
Joined: Sep 2003
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Myrtle Beach, SC formerly the ...
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Being from NY and seeing and owning my share of bondo buckets my experience is, if you garage keep it and fair weather drive it you may be okay. If you keep the car in rain, it will bubble, crack and then start to fall out.
1971 Sassy Grass Green Duster 340 2006 Charger Daytona GoMango
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Re: Bondo, will it hold up.
[Re: 65pacecar]
#2313541
05/30/17 01:45 PM
05/30/17 01:45 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,976 Chilliwack B.C. Canada
RUNCHARGER
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I Live Here
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Chilliwack B.C. Canada
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Keep the solid car, sell the sheetmetal screwed one now while it still looks okay. If it doesn't get wet it may last awhile but those screws are not a good thing. They are bound to start moving a bit with vibration and driving over bumps etc. over time. Plus you will always feel like you are driving a bondoed up junker.
Sheldon
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Re: Bondo, will it hold up.
[Re: lunacy]
#2313599
05/30/17 03:20 PM
05/30/17 03:20 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,752 North Dakota
6PakBee
I Live Here
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I Live Here
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North Dakota
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...Now lets see how good you are, which one is which... I'd say the black one is the Bondo queen.
"We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".
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Re: Bondo, will it hold up.
[Re: lunacy]
#2313606
05/30/17 03:32 PM
05/30/17 03:32 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,069 Irving, TX
feets
Senior Management
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Senior Management
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,069
Irving, TX
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If they didn't kill the rust behind the bondo the cancer will continue to grow and push that stuff off the car.
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind. - Stu Harmon
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Re: Bondo, will it hold up.
[Re: 6PakBee]
#2313613
05/30/17 03:41 PM
05/30/17 03:41 PM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889 up yours
Supercuda
About to go away
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About to go away
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889
up yours
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...Now lets see how good you are, which one is which... I'd say the black one is the Bondo queen. I see a green and a blue one
They say there are no such thing as a stupid question. They say there is always the exception that proves the rule. Don't be the exception.
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Re: Bondo, will it hold up.
[Re: bonefish]
#2313676
05/30/17 05:32 PM
05/30/17 05:32 PM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 435 Austin, TX
lunacy
OP
mopar
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OP
mopar
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 435
Austin, TX
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winner winner. blue one is a lesson in bondo molding. Green one really isn't bad, its just too dark of a green and it wasn't body worked so lots of waves down the sides and it wasn't jammed so the original medium green is inside everything and whoever painted it didn't get the underside of the body so if you lay under the car its primer with a bit of surface rust around the edges, but you can also see its all original metal too. I know I'll just sell them both and see if i can find a new 2016 sitting on a lot still.
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