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JB weld as body filler ?

92K views 48 replies 24 participants last post by  TucsonJay 
#1 ·
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. :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
#5 ·
I'm with the others. Been in this business for over 30 years, done all kinds of stuff and NEVER would I have ever used JB as a "Body filler". There are MANY different products on the market and have been for years that are DESIGNED to be used as a body filler.

There are "reinforced" fillers like Evercoats "Everglass" and "All Metal" and many, MANY others that will do the job with a LOT less money and work.

Brian
 
#34 ·
I'm with the others. Been in this business for over 30 years, done all kinds of stuff and NEVER would I have ever used JB as a "Body filler". There are MANY different products on the market and have been for years that are DESIGNED to be used as a body filler.

There are "reinforced" fillers like Evercoats "Everglass" and "All Metal" and many, MANY others that will do the job with a LOT less money and work.

Brian
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.
 
#7 ·
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.
 
#10 ·
I haven't used jb weld, but have used epoxy based adhesives before for filling small holes where didn't want to weld, and used bodyfiller over that. You have to watch though, many recommend epoxy priming first before using any bodyfiller over adhesive, but believe that is mostly urethane based stuff.
I would not consider using jb weld as a body filler, although something very similar is often done on urethane bumper repairs, using a adhesive that has some flexability for the majority of the repair, and regular filler for final finishing work.

If I was stuck on using epoxy as a filler, well then I'd probably use an epoxy fairing compound, like I've used in the when working for some boat builders (basically bodyfiller in marine terms). Its a 2 part filler as a base and convertor must be mixed together.
Haven't really seen any bodyshops using it at all. although I am sure somewhere some place might, but fairly commonly used in the marine industry.http://shop.sailnet.com/product_info.php/products_id/38 I like fiberglass filler when a bit more fill or a bit more water tight filler is wanted then comfortable using plastic filler, but would actually prefer using the epoxy filler over all metal junk that I was forced to use a whole lot of at a past job.
 
#49 ·
I did exactly this. Had a few tiny pinholes... tapped them in... metal prepped... sanded... filled with JB weld for the strength and water-tight seal.... then sanded and covered with filler.

I only did it because of the holes, and don't expect to again.

So far no problems.
 
#11 ·
All the above were my thoughts...I argued the point with him,and finally gave up because I did not no FOR SURE.As some have mentioned,and as I told him why use such a thing when there is products made for it.Now that I have this thread I will e-mail it to him and let him simmer on that for a while ! :boxing:
 
#12 ·
I used it on a bike frame probably 6 years ago,dent on the top tube, It has held up fine.You can't tell that it was ever repaired,granted it was a small area 3/4" wide 1 1/2" long and around 1/4" deep. It is a major pain to work with though,I ended up using files to shape it and then sand it smooth.
Shane
 
#13 ·
Man, I wonder if that school is teaching him to repair body damage like an old Popular Mechanics article I saw years ago. It showed a Karman-Ghia with a rusted out rocker panel. They said to grind out the badly rusted area, bend in the sharp edges, then stuff the rocker panel with newspaper and bondo over it. Simple, huh?

Wouldn't you loved to have seen that after about a year or so....when that newspaper got all soaked up with water?
 
#14 ·
Well,this is what he told me to do with my ghia after his schooling;50 grit the body to bare metal,jb weld all large holes over 1/2" bondo anything under 1/2",180 the entire car,Next hit it with the laquire sp ? black primer I have,or get an etching primer using a 2.0 tip in my gun 180 it again he also mention throwing some 400 grit in there somewhere to but i dont remmeber where....then using a 1.4 spray my paint "any paint will do,it's not the paint that matters only the clear."He also said if I would like him to do it he could spray B/C,C/C on the car so smooth that it will not require ANY cutting buffing to be show quility.
 
#15 · (Edited)
That is some really bad advice, filler should never be used to fill a hole without a solid backing (welding it closed) and you should never use lacquer primer....unless you are after a failed 60ish paint job. What is this bozo getting paid to teach this nonsense?

Vince
 
#17 ·
I would stop listening to your buddy, so many wrongs there it isn't funny. Probably be a good fit employee for many of the maacos out there though, heck don't even bother sanding it and just stuff holes with filler.

I sure hope a school isn't really teaching that sort of thing, and either he is full of bs and trying to sound like he knows more then he really does (like I seem to remember a few kids back in school being like and a young tech or two fresh in the body trade). The statement that he can spray it so smooth and not require any buffing and it will be show quality makes me think this is the case.

Those of us that have been around long enough have been humbled enough times in the past and know how easy imperfections are to get or how catastophic things can go at times, no matter how long you have been painting and taking all the steps to do everything right. Your bound to get at least a few imperfections and dirt nibs, even with the best of booths, equiptment and lighting, and buffing is needed pretty much everytime if the goal is to get it is flawless as possible. Urethane also has some inherent peel no matter how perfectly applied, which is why many guys here spend the added time flow coating and cutting and buffing to get show quality work.

But then I guess everyones defignition of show quality is different (seen enough in shows shaking my head why it was entered), and someone who has spent a lot of time working in paint and body can pick out flaws in pretty much any paint job if they look close and hard enough, and believe me that what most paint and body guys are looking for when at a show, we can't help it.

Out of what I could decipher out of that long runon sentance, the only thing I can maybe agree with is taking it to metal (but not needed in all situations if modern materials in sound condition and its a relatively new car), and maybe a 1.4 tip for shooting most urethanes.

Hardly anyone will use lacquer anymore, and any self respecting bodyman would either replace the part or replace holes with new metal, and wouldn't stuff holes with filler for a customer,(although surprising how often this is found once you dig into a vehicle for repair), and would send a car away if the customer didn't have the money to do it correctly or they didn't want to do the job.

Only thing that matters is the clear, bullpucky. Don't think there isn't a difference in the quality of the base and primers, and that they have an effect on outcome or longevity.
Do a search on here about self etch, and what most professionals opinions are of them.

If students are actually being taught that sort of nonsense in school, then thats a shame, being is school is costly and you go there to learn the correct procedures and materials to give a long lasting repair. If anything in my experience schooling teaches you correctly, and bad habits are most often picked up in a shop where often speed is priority and it has to look good (at least as good as from the factory) as it goes out the door and usually is meant to last as long as the car is either totaled or sold.
 
#18 ·
cboy said:
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.
Cboy check out Clifford Engineering they use JB Weld to lump port Chevy Six's on the intake side for high performance. I have used it on 5 Hp Briggs kart engines on the intake side to reduce the size of the port . Never had a problem with it. It is supposed to be good for 500 degrees.
Kenny
 
#19 ·
dalesy said:
Man, I wonder if that school is teaching him to repair body damage like an old Popular Mechanics article I saw years ago. It showed a Karman-Ghia with a rusted out rocker panel. They said to grind out the badly rusted area, bend in the sharp edges, then stuff the rocker panel with newspaper and bondo over it. Simple, huh?
that's in the back of many Chilton manuals. I have a few from cars my parents had long ago.... my brother followed the directions on the Ranger he had, except he neatly cut out a peice of blue insulation foam for each hole.. popped out in a few months :rolleyes:
 
#20 ·
kenseth17,and others "Out of what I could decipher out of that long runon sentance" I am sorry for my lack of grammar,spelling,and writing abilities.
I do understand that it is quite necessary to do the above listed things proper but that was never to important it seems to my school . For the record I am NOT using that as an excuse but more as an explanation. :embarrass
 
#21 ·
Based on the information, It sounded like, or I was under the impression, it was a friend of yours that went to a bodywork class that was relaying the information, guess I was wrong.

Spelling doesn't seem all that bad to me, but there is spell check next to where you submit your reply.
You are not the first here with grammer or spelling issues. I am not the greatest speller myself and did write a lot of long replys full of run on sentances and no paragraphs when I first started posting. Language class wasn't one of my favorites back in school. Most won't give too hard of a time about it, but some can be brutal.

But if you take your time, and work on making your posts more easily readable using sentances and paragraphs, your likely to get your point across better and more people will take the time to read your post.

So is this "school" your talking about a high school shop class or a community college. I can maybe see it in certain high school shop class. I think my HS shop teacher kept a bottle in his desk, and many of the kids skipped out of class on shop day. And think many high school teachers are under payed. My shop teacher had a little mg, and one of his students painted it with a turbine sprayer the school had. I didn't look the greatest. The teacher could be an old timer stuck in his old ways and hasn't kept up with the times.

If its a tech school or college, then really no escuse. Most jobs I've seen advertised for tech school teacher has payed pretty well with good benefits, and often require both a college degree and years of experience in the field they are teaching.
 
#22 ·
kenseth17 said:
Based on the information, It sounded like, or I was under the impression, it was a friend of yours that went to a bodywork class that was relaying the information, guess I was wrong.

Spelling doesn't seem all that bad to me, but there is spell check next to where you submit your reply.
You are not the first here with grammer or spelling issues. I am not the greatest speller myself and did write a lot of long replys full of run on sentances and no paragraphs when I first started posting. Language class wasn't one of my favorites back in school. Most won't give too hard of a time about it, but some can be brutal.

But if you take your time, and work on making your posts more easily readable using sentances and paragraphs, your likely to get your point across better and more people will take the time to read your post.
What it takes is simply trying to improve, if one puts in a little effort it is amazing how much one can improve. When I started messing around on the net, typing and English were as far out of my world as you could get. It just wasn't what I had been interested in, it just wasn't me. I spent my time perfecting my autobody and paint skills on the job and my spare time went to perfecting my guitar and singing. :)

I got on the net and just fumbled. What I did to work on it was to write my posts in an email first and check spelling and punctuation and ask my wife (who is a English master) and make sure I did it right as to not look like I was as dumb as I am. :D So I worked and worked on it forcing myself to type correctly with all my fingers and forcing myself to spell correctly (well most of the time) and in a short time I had you guys all fooled into thinking I wasn't a hack. :)

Brian
 
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#23 · (Edited)
MARTINSR said:
What it takes is simply trying to improve, if one puts in a little effort it is amazing how much one can improve.
I was given a good piece of advice one time, by a man I respect.

He said, "Take the things that you dislike and are the worst at, and practice until you are good at them. You will see that you no longer dislike them, they won't be a chore- they will be enjoyable."

There are STILL things I'm no good at and things I don't enjoy. But at least SOME of the things I used to despise, I don't anymore. Like getting the primary needles into the jets on a Q-jet/Dual-jet. lol :evil: :pain:

But back to the JB Weld. Does it set up any harder than Bondo? I would have thought it would be harder to sand.

I've used it cured in an oven at 325 F, I don't recall what temp it will withstand, but if what's cited above is correct (and I have no reason to doubt it) it's pretty durable, at least when it comes to heat.
 
#24 ·
cobalt327 said:
There are STILL things I'm no good at and things I don't enjoy. But at least SOME of the things I used to despise, I don't anymore. Like getting the primary needles into the jets on a Q-jet/Dual-jet. lol :evil: :pain:
That is a huge aggravation to overcome :D

Vince
 
#25 ·
302 Z28 said:
That is a huge aggravation to overcome :D

Vince
Did it again! :smash:

Should be-
There are STILL things I'm no good at and things I don't enjoy. Like getting the primary needles into the jets on a Q-jet/Dual-jet. lol :evil: :pain: But at least SOME of the things I used to despise, I don't anymore.

I don't think I'll EVER like doing those needles!
 
#26 ·
The school I am referring to is a Community college.For the most part the above was a direct quote to what he was telling me,BUT I feel like even then I should have been a little more clear about the actual details of what he said.At first I felt like the teacher in question was just behind the times and not up to date. The more I thought about it the more it occurred to me that it couldn't be he was that behind because he said to use "this" new world product with "this" old school technique.
 
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