Bondo removal

[cruiser_guy]

I'm starting the body work on my '67 FJ45LV and, being a Central American truck, it has a nice 1/8" to 1/4" skim coat of bondo over the whole truck.

Sanding works but it's messy and slow. The grinder works but then it does slight damage to the underlying metal requiring bondo to fix later (exactly what I'd like to avoid). I'm told that a wire wheel has similar drawbacks to sandblasting in that it warps panels.

Ideas?

 

[Mr. Toad]

Heat gun.

 

[Kief]

I think aircraft stripper softens it up but a wire brush (the kind with the hard twisted bristles) eats it up pretty quick and leaves the metal. WEAR A RESPIRATOR!- Thick old metal like that won't warp significantly if you don't stay in one spot and I have sandblasted with the small pressure pot and experienced no warpage.. A commercial blaster might be a different issue.

 

[Kief]

Wire brush on a angle grinder BTW.

 

[Trevor]

Does anyone have experience with the Scotch Brite pads? I gotta strip some Bondo from the Celica and was planning to use on of these:

 

[JohnnyC]

Wire brush on a angle grinder BTW.

x2

 

[Tools R Us]

Heat gun.

X2. If you have access to the backside of the panels it's way easy. Only takes about 300-350F for it to come loose, comes off in slabs, much easer to cleanup. Heat gun, torch, etc pick your poison.

 

[brownbear]

I'm told that a wire wheel has similar drawbacks to sandblasting in that it warps panels.

Ideas?

I don't think a fine wire wheel will warp the panels. Just move quickly and don't let heat build up in one spot.

I used glass bead(recycled glass) in a commercial pressure pot sandblaster to strip my doors down. I had no warpage.

The skin on a cruiser, especially older ones if pretty thick. So warping is not the same a newer vehicle.

Personally I like the recycled glass mix. Very light but makes the surface the perfect roughness for POR-15 paint to stick like glue. Then top coat with your choice and have a panel last for years with out a chance of rust.

 

[Sporttrucker]

I started off with the sanding in some of my projects but anymore I just take it over and have the metal completely blasted for a couple $$$ and then do all the primer/paint sanding at home. I think it is extremly worth the money since you avoid the hassle/aches of sanding and cleaning up all the dust. Load it on the trailer and bring in back to the garage for the body preping and primer. Faster results if your taking it completly down to the metal too. Plus, you can see whatever rust spots might be. Just my .02 worth.

 

[alex e]

Man I heated up my tub today, and that crap was coming off in sheets. Sandblasting is next. I'm just afraid of what's underneath. Possibly a 40.......

 

[cruiser_guy]

Yep, from the recommendations above the heat gun seems to be the best bet. It's not fast and it's not total but it's sufficient that the remainder can be cleaned up with the sander or wire wheel. It's slower when the bondo is really thick and you can't get to the backside which is what I'm facing on the ribbed sides of the LV.

 

[nuclearlemon]

it burns nicely found that out when treeroot was cutting chunks out of a tub