bondo? body lines?

[1slowS13]

i actually just finished using bondo on my dented quarter panel, looks decent, but has anyone dealt with recreating the indented line, the one that runs around the whole car. i need some ideas, i was thinking exacto knife and a day off work.

[slidewaysmn]

you could...i just got overfenders, in order to avoid it. s14 or s13?

[s13drob]

i would just say fill in the whole line itself around the whole car. u kno for a fact itll come out clean.

but if i was goin your route, i would just tape off the line and adjust it 2 make it as perfectly straight as possible and use a dremel and a foam sanding block (the small ones) 2 dig it down and shape

[drift Kid]

i used a ruler with sand paper wrap around it.. make sure u draw the line so u can keep a straight line.. worked good for me.. i end up shaving my body line tho.. god luck

[1slowS13]

well, my original plan was to go with overfenders, but $45 for bondo and sandpaper, it was worth a try. ive only worked on it twice, and it already looks a shit load better. i will put more time into it. its for an s13, btw.

hmm the dremel idea might work, as well as the ruler, thanks for the tip!

drift kid: do you have pictures of it shaved? i want to see how it looks.

[driven_]

pictures bro.

i might do my s14 too. :/

[drift Kid]

here a few pics.. my buddy with a white coupe shave his body lines too..looks good imo.. makes the car look fatter..





buddies coupe..

[VROOOM]

the body shop kept the line in my old 240 after i got the door handles shaved. but im not sure how they did it.

[silpena]

Originally Posted by VROOOM

the body shop kept the line in my old 240 after i got the door handles shaved. but im not sure how they did it.

they removed ur handle and door lock and taped it off from the inside to keep the body filler from seeping into the inner door panel. Its hard to get stuff like seeped in body filler behind to handles. U need little tricky hands. I would keep the body line. I dont think its worth teh time and money doing it. Thats alot of filler to use just for that. Doubt it will have long term structure unless u fork out 30$ for a quart of metal to metal. Ohh and for recreating the line. I would just sand it all down and next time either mask it off or when the body filler hasnt cured just take ur finger and take it out. Makes life alot easier. Theres nothing more anoying than trying to sand down little body lines like that without creating hard edges and feathering tough.

[drift freaq]

I am personally not a fan of eliminating a indented body line. If you want to remove the tape on the lower line and paint it all the same color that makes sense. Though actually eliminating body lines turns the car into some bondo overed looking creation thats not original or factory. If your going to do that you might as well run overfenders. shaving the third brake light? Sure. Shaving the antenna? Sure.
I am also not a fan of shaved door handles because there again it takes away from the original design rather than adding to it. Thats me though. I would find a way to keep the line its part of the original design of the car.

[Pank]

he should have fixed the fender rolling dent too

[red240]

Sand paper and metal straight edge, I'm filling the lower line on mine but keeping the belt line it looks clean that way,Good luck

[idahotuner]

we shaved that body line on my car and the 3rd brake light and the antanea hole and the rear wiper. i think it will look sexy ones it is painted. i left that lower body line though. but as for the shaved door handles i wouldnt ever do that lol.

[VROOOM]

yeah i wouldnt do shaved door handles again either.

[Matej]

Just draw a line with marker to fool everyone from far away.

[LongGrain]

i dont like shaved body lines. makes the car look naked.

[drift Kid]

i shaved everything on my car but the door handle and the 3rd light.. not sure if i was going to get pulled over for taking that light out.. but i shaved the spoiler on the hatch wiper hole, antenna, washer noozle holes on the hood, washer noozle hold on the roof.. also the lines for the rain on the roof.. that didnt come out too good lol here is a pic of the quarter panel i redrew the body line with a ruler and sand paper after i fix the quarter panel..

before and after pic..

[Silverstreek]

Originally Posted by drift Kid

i shaved everything on my car but the door handle and the 3rd light.. not sure if i was going to get pulled over for taking that light out.. but i shaved the spoiler on the hatch wiper hole, antenna, washer noozle holes on the hood, washer noozle hold on the roof.. also the lines for the rain on the roof.. that didnt come out too good lol here is a pic of the quarter panel i redrew the body line with a ruler and sand paper after i fix the quarter panel..

before and after pic..

damn, my rr 1/4 panel isn't that fubar'd, but i wish i knew how to do body work. my car just looks ok til i see that huge crinkled dent, then it makes me almost embaressed to even drive it. though, having ugly ass beige/tan primer with a black hood doesn't help either.

[Mangudai]

Is using bondo bad or the "cheap way out"? I use to hear this when I was younger but I don't know anything about body work.

[1slowS13]

bondo can be a good or bad thing, it depends how much, and who applies it.

its better than a fucked up 1/4 panel

yea, i think it looks a tad bit odd with the body lines shaved like that. ill just end up recreating it since i don't want to it around the whole car.

[silpena]

yeah bondo is a bad product because it shrinks/poor adheasion and so on but if u are looking the easy way out and u dont have any long term plans with it(5yr or more) then go and buy it, but i will tell u its crappy. clogs paper up and everything u can think of. I personnaly use evercoat products all the time. I bought some other stuff to try called dymtraze(new company and apprently equal to evercoat) or or some shit and it sucks. It cures odd, mixing is wierd, sand like polyester glazes but more thick. IDk i say spend an extra 10 bucks on a better body filler. It will stay on better and save you money in the end in materials and workability. Did u fill in over ur body line by acident? or was ur panel so pushed in u didnt bother to bump it out and now u have chunk of filler over it, covering the line?

[xdumbxguyx]

I have shaved off my body line before, it was too much work to get everything even and eventually the line will show with the heat and cold. And with the body filler the evercoat product is alot better, bondo seems to feel like caulk and kills the paper fast. i say spend the extra time and fix the line slowly as they said with a ruler and wrap the sand paper around it.

[pr0tus]

Shaving the body line isn't that hard, easier than fixing dents because you wont have any high spots. If you go that route listen to the guys who recommend evercoat products, I like their Rage Gold body filler. It costs a good bit more but its worth it for sure. If you want a perfect body line its going to take some skill to recreate.

[Addicted2Kouki]

Use a long sanding block.
Sand and Follow the existing body lines until they are flush and continue the body line.

I've done it before.
The more time you spend on it, usually the better it looks.

...unless you suck at bondo.

[silpena]

using a block or pencil can work but it creates a hard edge or uneven ridges. Look at a pencil, its not even a even surace. It indents and stuff. Those show up in the line. Just do it right and tape it off or dont put body filler over it. Just be more carefull. If u take some time like 20 sec to do that u will shave ur self alot of time/money/ work.

[pr0tus]

Originally Posted by silpena

using a block or pencil can work but it creates a hard edge or uneven ridges. Look at a pencil, its not even a even surace. It indents and stuff. Those show up in the line. Just do it right and tape it off or dont put body filler over it. Just be more carefull. If u take some time like 20 sec to do that u will shave ur self alot of time/money/ work.

I'm pretty sure we are talking about a dent ON the body line, not around it.

[silpena]

ik now its on the body line. I've have plenty on it too but i fixed them without having to put filler all over it. U can even get a dolly or something and hit the dent out from the inside. As long as its curved and shaped to the contours on the qp it'll work. After that its all piece of cake. That way u wont have to worry as much about creating the body line.

[honeybadger]

Wow that black S13 came out pretty welll... should look just like new after paint.

[s13drob]

^^^ thats wut im sayin. clean. great job. very pro.

bondo is a good thing. it has 2 be used lightly. bondo gets bad rep because its usually asociated with damage and repair other than cosmetic. thats why u dont want a bondo'd car. lol if any of this makes sense