So I have a buddy going to college for automotive and collision repair,and was talking to him the other day on the phone about having shaved the tail lights on my wifes ghia.I was given some advice that was rather interesting......He said that at school they were teaching them to use JB weld as a filler in the metal ? Now I could see how it could work but I just tend to be the type to use as little of any filler as possible and where I have to use it I want the best I can get and he claims JB weld is it.
I've considered using it as a filler on metal brackets and such that I want to powder coat. I'm not sure, however, if it would take the 400 plus degrees in the oven (anybody know for sure?). But I think it would work for a purpose like that in terms of vibration and body flex where it might not be advisable on a large thin panel.
I would think that JB has a less expansion property than old polyester fillers that we are forced to use and considering its superior bonding to metal property, I have no quibbles with using JB as a filler. my experience with bondo is it is less forgiving in the sun and absorbs moisture more which leads to separation more.As far as being professional goes, Whats your point? Its all about what works best.I use JB weld for small spot putty smoothing over rusted pitting spots.It will not swell in sun and is solid as a rock. much better than bondo! I guess some people are set in thier old stubborn ways but my personal advice to beginners looking for advice here would be go ahead and use JB for small imperfections under 1/16 thick for just leveling surface. Iused JB weld to rebuild lip groove on dryer drum that turns on wheels and gets warm. the dryer drum lasted for years.
After removing the back glass from my Camaro I saw how much rust pitting that was under the sealant. I didn't want to cut it out because I know how hard it it to weld on thin rusted metal, so I wire brushed & sanded until my fingers were sore then filled in with JBWeld. The right way to repair would of been to get a new rear quarter panel an replace. I think JB weld has its place in body work.
There are many other products for that rusted area and they aren't JB weld. One of the first things to think about when cleaning up a window channel is how smooth does it need to be? NOT very smooth that for sure. If the entire window channel is pitted rust but still structurally solid why smooth it out? The window sets on a bed of urethane, the metal under that urethane can be pretty darn rough, it isn't going to matter one bit if it is pitted metal cleaned properly and epoxy primed. AS LONG as it's cleaned properly and epoxy primed it doesn't need to be smooth.
As long as you KILL the rust first after sanding and wire wheeling to clean out pitted area's ,your fine. After I clean out pitted area's I then proceed to KILL rust using a red scotch brite pad and VINEGAR WATER MIX 3 parts water to 1 part WHITE VINEGAR scuffing hard into the pitted area for a minute. Let sit for 10 minutes come back and wipe residue off with clean fresh water and paper towel's. the rust will turn BLACK.You KILLED it and it will not grow back. Then use what ever you want to fill over with. This will protect and PRESERVE the car and paint job for another 20 years.
I agree,replacing panels is no fun and In my OPINION, takes away the car's original production BUILD. Alot of people replace all quarter's and door's and fender's then they say its an original survivor but we know it has been destroyed. I prefeer to PRESERVE the whole car if possible!
That mean's treating rusted area's (KILL IT) The car feels right you know.
As long as you KILL the rust first after sanding and wire wheeling to clean out pitted area's ,your fine. After I clean out pitted area's I then proceed to KILL rust using a red scotch brite pad and VINEGAR WATER MIX 3 parts water to 1 part WHITE VINEGAR scuffing hard into the pitted area for a minute. Let sit for 10 minutes come back and wipe residue off with clean fresh water and paper towel's. the rust will turn BLACK.You KILLED it and it will not grow back. Then use what ever you want to fill over with. This will protect and PRESERVE the car and paint job for another 20 years.
I agree,replacing panels is no fun and In my OPINION, takes away the car's original production BUILD. Alot of people replace all quarter's and door's and fender's then they say its an original survivor but we know it has been destroyed. I prefeer to PRESERVE the whole car if possible!
That mean's treating rusted area's (KILL IT) The car feels right you know.
Mid 70's we used JB Weld to stuff crankcases on 2 stroke engines to increase the primary compression ratio
Never was aware of any failures with the procedure.
Thats interesting too.I like JB weld it has many practical uses and bonds tightly to bare steel. I agree with old timer, I would like to bondo do that!
Not to long ago I had a life long bodyman explain to me that me "self etching" finishing putty means you dont have to sand the paint before filling a ding....
There was no telling him otherwise....:spank:
After using J B weld on the back glass channel I painted all the way around the channel with epoxy primer with a small paint brush. I did that because it looks like water can seep between the glass an the trim an stand in the channel, being J B weld is non-hygroscopic it seem to be the best protection from more damage. I did the same thing on the t-top channels as they were pitted also. Just wanted to be sure of having a good seal.
We all have ideas that can be of value, but you have realize that there are many people on this forum who have done this stuff as a living for decades and every one of them would say do not do what you are doing. You may think it's the cats meow but JB weld is NOT the product to use there. It may "work" with the way you have described if the metal was cleaned properly before it's applied but it is MUCH harder to work with and MUCH more expensive than products made for such a purpose.
In your description it sounds like you left the glass in there, please tell me you pulled the glass out to do those repairs. And what is the make model and year of the car you are working on. Many cars for years thru the sixties, seventies and eighties had a urethane bedded glass with a chrome moulding over the top. That chrome moulding did more than allow some water to "seep" in. The moulding does NOTHING to keep water out and it is in fact designed for the water to go right in there with no fight at all.
Yes,glass is out. 78 Camaro Z28 w/t-tops. When I bought this car it had been sitting under a larger oak tree for about 4 years. When it would rain all that water would continue to fall on the car from the tree. I did have to patch in some steel in the channel about 10 in. long. Had pitting on both sides of where water worked it way between the channel an sealant.
One thing you shouldn't do is put ANY filler down on the pinch weld where the urethane bed is applied to bond the glass in. That metal should be sand blasted, epoxy primed and NOT painted. You want the window to be held in by the urethane and epoxy primer not bc/cc or bondo or jb weld.
And believe me, EVERY one of those sixties and seventies GM cars has had rust in the window channels front and rear. Heck, back 20 years ago I did a LOT of them and they were a lot newer than they are now, they were STILL rusted in those channels every time. It was a horrible design with the channels getting filled up with water and no where to go. On a 64 Riv once I made drains out of brake tubing in the corners and ran a rubber hose out the bottom of the quarter panel, worked pretty neat.
Nothing to do with paint and repairs but there is a place for that "type" of filler.
I used a two part product called Epo Strong for filler on my frame and transmission housing before powder coating. Regular filler isn't conductive so it can't be used. I have thought about using it for filler in places like the firewall.
Nothing to do with paint and repairs but there is a place for that "type" of filler.
I used a two part product called Epo Strong for filler on my frame and transmission housing before powder coating. Regular filler isn't conductive so it can't be used. I have thought about using it for filler in places like the firewall.
i was considering using it as a small area (less than 1 inch) instead of leading because it is near a window in an older mercedes.....I used to fly helicopters for a living and I can tell you for a fact JB Weld held all our gearboxes together....and every other place they needed it...so as far as heat and vibrations....it doesn't get anymore demanding than in flight....what say you?
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Hot Rod Forum
2.2M posts
175.6K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to hot rod owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about restoration, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!