Metal to Metal Filler question

[spyderman1977]

I was wondering what if any advantage there is to using metal to metal filler over the light weight filler. I know using Bondo is not the best way to go and some people say its the worse way to go.

Thanks,
Paul

[cjbiagi]

There is nothing wrong with plastic filler (Bondo) IF used correctly. That means that the dent should be pulled out and leveled as much as possible and the filler is applied over clean, bare metal. It shouldn't be more than a 1/4" thick, preferably less. If applied in this manner it will work great. That holds true for other fillers too, don't try to flll a real deep dent, they are designed for skim coats after the metal has been straightened.

[AusRs]

what Clyde says is correct
the other thing with plastic filler is it absorbs moisture so cannot fill holes with it unless you seal the back surface of the filler

[spyderman1977]

Right I know about Bondo and the other Light weight fillers but I was curious about the Metal to Metal filler. I have just seen in a few places that Bondo is not the preferred material to use in some of the higher end body shops. I also know a little about the old lead solder which is an old school way of doing body work. The M.T.M. filler is a 2 part material like Bondo, but I wonder if there are any real benefits of using that over Bondo or any of the other plastic fillers.

Paul

[cjbiagi]

Maybe there is a strength benefit, although not sure why that would be that important if you are just skimming a low spot. Possibly it is not porous like plastic filler so it could be used for a small hole fill like a emblem hole. I have used another filler for plastic pieces like the front nose on my car. That is designed to be a bit more flexible for plastic body parts but I never used the metal filler. Filler is not a replacement for good body work but I don't know about any other advantages of the metal filler. I have seen it, but never had the need to use it.

[AusRs]

i have never used it either
for my rust repairs on visible body areas i have always put a thin skim of fibrefill ( resin with fibre in it ,need a hardener to set it off) sets bloody hard and is a pita to work with BUT it is waterproof and covers up what may have been a porous weld ,sand that back (usually with a buff sander LOL ) then skim with filler ,
Most of my car has been file finished but there are areas that are not practical in my situation to do (at home in the garage ) so a little plastic filler has been applied ,i think even in the high end workshops now days they still hi fill the car ..that is a form of filler !
remember the finish most people expect now IS a better finish than GM ever put on one of their cars throughout the 70,s .........paint only covered around 80% of the body at best

[spyder_xlch]

What M.T.M are you talking about and how big of an area? I've used JB Weld before to fill in minor surface pitting and it worked very well. Just let it set up alitlle before you apply it. Otherwise it'll run on a vertical surface.

[rtm]

I am using a body filler called ALL METAL. it is silver in color when applied, and dries harder than talc based body fillers.
but it has no metallic properties (magnet will not stick to it)
a body man friend of mine used to use it. (he has since passed away)
he swore by this stuff, and definetly knew his trade
he would "feather" over it with regular body filler.
http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q= ... 1&ct=title
best i could do to add product listing from google

[spyderman1977]

Here is a link to what I am talking about from Eastwood.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?item ... pe=PRODUCT

I agree Clyde that proper body work should take care of most problems. I was thumbing through the Eastwood catalog and saw this stuff. I had never seen it before and wondered if it was better than the plastic body fillers.

Paul

[spyder_xlch]

Here is a link to what I am talking about from Eastwood.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?item ... pe=PRODUCT

I agree Clyde that proper body work should take care of most problems. I was thumbing through the Eastwood catalog and saw this stuff. I had never seen it before and wondered if it was better than the plastic body fillers.

Paul

I haven't seen it before either. I don't know why the aluminum in it would make it stronger though. It is water proof so that's a plus. But you can also get waterproof filler with fiberglass strands in it. The interlocking fiber strands make it stronger.

[spyderman1977]

Ah ha...I was watching Musclecar this morning on Spike and they used Metal to Metal filler on one of their project cars. They used it to fill in factory seams. The aluminum in the filler allows the seam to flex but not crack. Then they said that once they get the shape close then they will go back with a plastic filler to finish off the body work.

So its not meant to be used as a replacement for the plastic fillers by any means.

Paul

[spyder_xlch]

I saw it today too. Funny how things like that happen.

[kgroombr]

I am preparing to restore a 72 Vega Wagon. I was going to use this product:

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/prod ... ctID=14770

as the filler after I weld in replacement front pillars, and some other areas on the body, but from what I read, it isn't meant for all metals as it heat applied to the metal may cause it to crack, etc. Would something like this work fine on this car?

Thanks,
Ken

[cjbiagi]

Metal filler is also designed to go over, umm......metal. It is not designed to go over plastic filler. Filler should also be no more than about a 1/8" thick. If you need more than that you should hone your metal working skills.

[kgroombr]

I understand that metal filler only works on metal, but there are some vehicles where the metal composition of the body is not meant for metal filler, as the heat applied to the body to apply the metal filler can cause it to crack, warp, etc. I know the Vega body is pretty fragile compared to other vehicles, so I am hesitant to purchase $100+ of equipment and filler only to find out that it will not work on the Vega body. The only places I was planning on using it is on the lower A pillars and some areas on the wheel wells.