Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Aesthetics Mirko fixing help!

Originally posted by Swazo:

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I got my mirko used from a fellow CEG'er, and it was chewed to sh!t! There was 3 big chunks out of the lip, so I got it for a good deal.

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same exact sutuation here, the dura-glas is worth every penny, especially if your doing a large area(i have to re-build the left portion of the lip entirely ). the stuff bonds to the surface like crazy and is hard as hell but not to a point that it's a beotch to work with.

also i checked my recipt. MSRP on the dura-glas is $19, sells for about $16.

my suggestion is to go duraglas all the way.

pole

Originally posted by pole120:

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also i checked my recipt. MSRP on the dura-glas is $19, sells for about $16.

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oh thats not that bad. i was thinking more, like over 20. mine is only missing a small chunk.

the best pic i could find without taking one:


you can see it in the bottom left. its about a 1/4" deep, maybe a tad over an inch long. shouldnt be too hard to fill.

i know bondo is probably not the best way, but this also isnt a huge ding. its hard to buy a huge tub of it for something that small.

also, you guys rattle can yours or get it professionally done? i know a few that DIY, cause you have to get it redone over and over again anyway (at a 100 or so a pop). i figure if i have to keep painting this thing, i might rattle can it. we'll see.

Originally posted by Swazo:

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Bondo brand as a whole is laughed at in the automotive refinishing industry. There are much better product out there!

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I'll remember that the next time the automotive refinishing industry laughs at my car
Anywho, I'm sure duraglass might be the best product to use, but I'm not going to take my Mirko off everytime I get a small ding in it. I also live in a state where there is an occassional pot hole or weird dip in the road that can take a quarter-sized chunk out of the Mirko. So Bondo does a great job for these small fixes. I'm also not going to pay to have it professionally repainted everytime either.

Mark

Originally posted by Swazo:

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Bondo brand as a whole is laughed at in the automotive refinishing industry. There are much better product out there! I also used dura-glas on my mirko and am pretty sure it was the best product for the job.

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Originally posted by KingpinSVT:

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also, you guys rattle can yours or get it professionally done? i know a few that DIY, cause you have to get it redone over and over again anyway (at a 100 or so a pop). i figure if i have to keep painting this thing, i might rattle can it. we'll see.

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Originally posted by Swazo:

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Bondo is a brand name and that is what I am speaking of. Take a step outside of what you all see on TV, and look at what the pro's really use. When used on metal, the less you know how to use a hammer and dolly..... the more mud you will need. Refering to body filler as bondo, is like calling nitrous NOS Bondo brand body filler is really crappy since it shrinks after a while and it's prone to have tons of air bubbles in it. To make it work as well as the actual good brands, it will double the time you spend, but it will still end up shrinking under your primer. If you want something that the pro's really use, then go to an auto body supply shop since that's where they go. If you want Bondo brand of anything by all means, swing by your local Pepboy's or Autozone.

I'm certified by House Of Kolors and Sherwin Williams and have been trained to the industry standards of automotive refinishing. I got into it for hobby purposes only (college elective classes), while everyone else doing it was for a career. So it's not like I'm just talking out my a$$

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I'm well aware of all of this and nor am I challenging your knowledge on body work either All I'm saying is BOND filler is used quite a bit for skim coats in the professional industry as well as many other brand products. And yes I know that everyone that just does body work just uses the name generically as "bondo" for whatever brand they use. Now when the DIY guys use is as "MUDD" to just pack in big dents and holes yup! it will shrink and crack and eventually break out for sure. But if properly prepared with new metal, hammer/dollied into shape and used as a VERY fine skim coat and then sealed and primed it will be just fine. But as you stated get any kind of thickness to it and yeah it sure will fail eventually and look like cr@p. As you probably know always take a magnet when you look at a restored car

As for the Fiberglass Reinforced Bondo it's not a bad product while not quite as good as the Dura-Glass (originally developed for water proof Marine applications) it will more then likely work just fine in most small fiberglass repairs and is easily found. Always better if you can lay real fiberglass, rosin and gel-coat in this case. As I mentioned before "Gorilla Hair" works real good and I have never seen it breakout, even on some pretty big holes. It is just very messy and not real fun to work with.

I have been working on cars (muscle cars, customs, street rods, etc.) and doing some bodywork as well for about 29 years now while not a certified mechanic or body fender guy I'm not some kid talking out my a$$ as well

On a different subject...
Noticed in your sig and your pic's of your '64 Impala SS...very nice . When I was a kid (early teens) my dad had a '62 Impala SS (candy apple red, black interior w/bucket seats, 327 w/power glide) it would break the tires loose around 50 mph between low and drive Then he purchased a '64 Impala SS (Midnight blue, silver blue interior w/bucket seats, rear skirts, 327 4-spd in console, loaded). My favorite of the two...duals w/glass pack's the car was fast and looked and sounded so cool. I wanted him to keep it since I would be driving in a few years but he sold it and picked up a '70 Impala around 1974...nothing special. He had also purchased '68 Firebird in 1969 that I ended up with in 1977 The Firebird was cool but still would have rather had the '64 SS.

Originally posted by Swazo:

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I didn't mean to come off so harsh I was just shocked to see people talking up something like Bondo brand of anything. It's kind of like pizza when I think about it..... you really might think that Domino's is great pizza, until you get ahold of some really good stuff

I would agree that their fiberglas stran type filler would work to be honest. I am still waiting to see how well my mirko is going to hold up to actual street use.

Though higher quality of materials used will hold up better to any type of wear and tear. So if these get beat to crap like just about everyone says they do, they might just hold out longer w/o having to repair and might keep it to just repainting for the most part. That's all I'm really saying, because I KNOW that bondo filler is not that good and is not that durable compared to what else is on the market. Just trying to look out for y'all, not trying to step/stomp on toes

BTW....
I love Impala's and had always wanted a '64 SS. But the grass is always greener type of deal is going on, because now I want a '58 Impala

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Its all good...I have a new Mirko sitting in my garage that I want to put on in the next month or so (have had it for over a year ). I want it molded in...just don't care for the bolt on look. My main concern is what would be the best adheasive to to get it started and I wonder if riveting it as well would help before I glass it in. Roads around hear aren't too bad so I'm not real worried about it getting damaged. I do plan to do a skid plate on the bottom with a thin sheet (0.063") of aluminum like somebody else did on here a while back. I think that will stop the majority of the damage from small scrapes.