|
I have had pieces of time here and there to make gradual process. I have managed to do bondo, sanding, bondo, sanding, primer, and paint the underside and edges black. I still need to do spot putty on the topside in places over the primer, sand, reprime, and paint. I would say the bodywork on top is going to end up 8.5/10 or so. I just painted the bottom black with no effort to make it smooth or nice, since it won't be seen.
I certianly lack some skills when it comes to bondo (mainly patience), and the quick set up time is not my friend. Also when doing it piecemeal, I don't have time to sand the bondo right after I lay it, so it is hard by the time I get to sanding it. It is not as easy as it is made to look, especially when covering a large surface area. The worst part is doing tons of small batches, which seem to end up slightly harder or softer which makes sanding a pain and the results wavy. Ratioing the bondo to the hardener is the most frustrating part, ended up back using my digital kitchen scale, but even that isn't very accurate as the mix is like 50:1 or something that they only tell you cryptically on the package. How should I know if this glob is the size of a golfball? As with most things, I am sure most of the issues are with the user and not the product. [/Rant]
The good thing about the bondo is that it has formed a rather hard shell and has effectively filled in the "checkerboard" of raised areas where the pieces lap over each other a half inch or so. That is why I had to use so much bondo. If I had to do this again I would do all the pieces as a full half lap to prevent this. Live and learn.
If my present progress keeps up I should have something bolted to my truck in another week or so. I am surprised how much I have actually gotten done on this recently. Anyway, the pictures for those who haven't already skipped over the rambling text to see. Ignore the black overspray on the surface, the top of the shell will end up silver.
|