Old school Bondo vs. the new lightweight stuff...

I've been doing body work since the late 90s, back when we used to mix Bondo by smell alone. A few years ago I had to decide between sticking with the regular filler I knew or switching to that new lightweight stuff everybody was talking about. I went with the lightweight for a 2004 Ford F-150 side panel job in my shop in Tucson. Big mistake for that particular repair... it was way too porous and sucked up the primer like a sponge. I ended up having to block it down twice to get it smooth, which ate up an extra two hours of my Saturday. The lightweight stuff works fine on small dents and plastic bumpers, but for heavy metal work I still reach for the old school filler. Has anyone else run into that problem with lightweight filler on big panels?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylan_green5829d ago

The lightweight stuff has its place but people oversell it. I tried it on a 1999 Chevy truck bedside a few years back and had the exact same problem you described. That porous nature is a killer on larger metal panels because it doesn't sand as cleanly and it soaks up materials. For small repairs like door dings or plastic bumper work it saves time since it feathers out easier. But for any repair that needs serious build or structural fill the old school stuff still behaves better. I keep both on my shelf now and just pick based on what the job actually needs.

amy85829d ago

Nah, lightweight filler sands way cleaner and saves way more time even on big panels.