Body work PLEASE HELP!

[4thgen91hatch]

How much bondo would be needed for fixing hail damage in the top of my hatch and a few small dings on the passenger side? The hail in the top is pretty bad/ How many gallons would i need and how much would it cost for materials, and what would i need?

[1PhatCX]

Originally posted by 4thgen91hatch
How much bondo would be needed for fixing hail damage in the top of my hatch and a few small dings on the passenger side? The hail in the top is pretty bad/ How many gallons would i need and how much would it cost for materials, and what would i need?

whoa, DONT bondo ur roof. take ur headliner out and pop the dents out

[4thgen91hatch]

im not gonna be able to pop them all out

[1PhatCX]

well pop em out as good as possible then put the bondo on but not too much!

[4thgen91hatch]

ok thanks and that will work? also how much will i need?

[1PhatCX]

not too much, only a small can prolly

[el_loco_civic]

do u mean, u want to just fill in each ding with bondo ?? if this is the case, i think you wouldnt want to do that. You should try and pop out each one, if you cant, pop em' out, drill it or punch a whole in it w/ hammer and punch. There is a hammer.. "slide-hammer-type" dent puller, so, where the dent is deepest, use that to pull up dent as much to perfect as u can. Then with some coarse grit sand paper, remove paint to bare metal where dent is and bout inch or so outside the dent. ( about 320-350 grit ) feel for imperfections, hammer in high spots, pull out low spots, etc. then clean with some wax/silicone remover. then with the bondo, follow instructions to mix the bondo with hardener, (*IMPORTANT* follow the instructions on how much harderner per/bondo usage to use*) then get a spreader to spread bondo over the dent, work with it til' the dent is flush with the rest of the contour of car. Let harden, not too hard, but so where u can just barely still make scratches and dents imprints in it.. and sand it with a body file, or just fine file. after that, some more 320 grit sand paper to smooth and even it more. . and then 360-400 grit to finish sanding. After that clean off all dust and anything where u worked, apply several layers of primer, dont let it drip or run tho. Primer will fill in any un noticable small @$$ dings, then with some wet sand paper ( 400grit preferably ) sand it perfect. Repeat if u need to. When u think its good, get some 600grit to finish it off so its like new. then just wash off primer dust, and paint it when ever u can. hope this helps !
oh .. and about a coffee mug sized can of bondo should do it. 2 cans max if its just for small dings.

[4thgen91hatch]

both of u guys thanks alottttt. One more thing, El Loco, how long will this take(hours wise) with me and another person?

[el_loco_civic]

Originally posted by 4thgen91hatch
both of u guys thanks alottttt. One more thing, El Loco, how long will this take(hours wise) with me and another person?

well, depending on how many dings there are, and how hot it is for it to dry, and if its really just the passenger side and top, i'd say about a good 5 hours if theres as many dings as im thinking hail damage would do. and theres 2 people. Thats non-stop, letting dry, maybe 2 bathroom breaks and drink breaks too ! 5 hours, and u should be done and ready to paint. even have paint done maybe ~

[EF You]

make sure you get a cheese grater for the bondo. it makes things a lot easier. for small dings, just roughen up every one of them, put a skim coat over each ding, allow to semi-harden, then cheese grate the excess off. once youve taken down most of the excess bondo, just let it harden for a few hours. then come back and criss cross sand the bondo spot. this allows for a good feathered edge. and dont be fooled by your eyes. dont worry so much about how it looks, worry about how it feels to your fingertips. although it might look smooth, the finger can pick up smaller imperfections that might not be noticable in certain lights. once you criss cross with a good heavy grain sandpaper, and its feathered on the edge where you can sorta see through the bondo, then go back with lighter grain paper until you are ready to prime and paint

[4thgen91hatch]

When i get this done and painted, are the dents gonna pop right back through?

[el_loco_civic]

Originally posted by 4thgen91hatch
When i get this done and painted, are the dents gonna pop right back through?

nope - if you follow the directions and do a careful job at this, everything should go fine

[stealthZCcivic]

you should be fine with just using body filler "bondo". i dont believe the dents you have are deep enough to be a problem. workin dents out with a hammer takes a skill and if you dont know what you are doin you can cause more damage than you started with.

[4thgen91hatch]

Ok thanks alot. So i should be fine.. Ok i am about to go pick up the bondo if they have it in stock. What type of bondo and what will i need. List everything needed please and possibly prices?

[stealthZCcivic]

a gallon of filler is more than enough, they are pretty cheap runnin from 15-25 bucks. clean the area, sand it down with 40 grit, apply the filler, wait for it to dry and sand it with a sanding block in cross cut motion like an X, get some polyester putty to apply over that which fills scratches and pin holes, it should cost like 15 bucks, sand that down with 80 grit then finish with 180 grit, prime it, sand the primer down with 400 grit wet, add more coats of primer if needed to get rid of scratches