How To Repair Crumbling Exterior With Bondo

A common issue for whatever owner of mid-90s and newer cars is dealing with cleaved interior plastic. No motorcar is more than fraught with busted plastic than the four th generation GM F-body, which is the 1993 to 2002 Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. Due to the poor design of the mill door panel, there is considerable stress in the upper rear section of the door panel. Within twenty,000 miles, only about every Camaro and Firebird owner experiences this problem. Since GM stopped producing this panel several years ago, finding a replacement is non like shooting fish in a barrel, so a door panel repair is in order.

Busted plastic door panels are not just an eyesore. Get your skin snagged in the crack, and you will know what pain is. This repair takes a little patience, but the results are worth it. — Busted plastic door panels are not just an eyesore. Go your skin snagged in the crack, and yous will know what pain is. This repair takes a little patience, but the results are worth it.

Finding The Correct Door Panel Repair Technique

At that place are many tales of how to repair the panels floating around, some work, some don't. The problem with these repairs is that they practice not address the real problem, which is the need to flex. Fifty-fifty a little flex volition assistance convalesce the stress that causes the panel to fissure. Most repairs are done using fiberglass resin and cloth, which does not flex well at all. Eventually, it but breaks off. To solve this trouble, we had to find a different solution.

The previous repair of fiberglass didn't take because it just doesn't stick very well and has very little flexibility. — The previous repair of fiberglass didn't have because it just doesn't stick very well and has very little flexibility.

The OEMs take been using structural body adhesives for some time at present, even the 2000 Pontiac Trans Am we are working on uses this to secure the doors to the body. This special agglutinative is designed to bond to just almost anything – metallic, wood, fiberglass, plastic, it does information technology all. One time cured, the adhesive is very potent yet is has a slight yield, it will give only enough to relieve the pressure while holding fast to the plastic. The i problem with it is the method of delivery.

Structural torso adhesive must be mixed in a certain ratio, which requires an expensive mixing gun that utilizes metering tubes and mixing tubes. This is great for using the adhesive in large amounts, simply all we need is a small batch. We discovered the same type of product in an piece of cake-mix packet from Bondo. Information technology has virtually of what you lot need for the basic repair. Nosotros also needed some CA gum (Cyanoacrylate, or super glue), some sand paper, light body filler, and texture pigment.

Preparing The Door Console

Every bit with any repair like this, the surface must clean and well prepped. We cleaned the panel and then sanded it with some lxxx-grit sandpaper on both sides to requite the epoxy some grip.

We sanded the crack to prep it for the repair. You need to perform this step so that the epoxy has something to grab onto. — Nosotros sanded the crack to prep it for the repair. You demand to perform this step and then that the epoxy has something to grab onto.

If you desire the repair to last, yous have to end the crack. This is done by drilling the ends of the crack with a small drill bit. A fissure will continue to tear the plastic unless you remove the stress bespeak, drilling does just that.

To keep the crack from continuing, we drilled the end. We probably could have used a smaller bit. — To keep the crevice from continuing, nosotros drilled the terminate. We probably could accept used a smaller bit.

Nosotros also sanded the inside edges of the fissure, adding a bevel. This provides more surface expanse for the epoxy to hold.

We sanded the backside of the crack as well. Make sure you sand a wide area so that the repair has as much surface to hold as possible. — We sanded the behind of the cleft likewise. Make sure you sand a wide area so that the repair has as much surface to hold equally possible.

Starting The Door Panel Repair

The epoxy is mixed up in a 1:1 ratio, and then lightly applied to the panel.

The epoxy mixes 1:1, so just dispense however much you need and mix thoroughly. — The epoxy mixes ane:1, and then just dispense however much you need and mix thoroughly.

There must be a bankroll for the repair as well; simply spreading the adhesive across the break won't terminal unless there is solid structure underneath. This tin can be steel, plastic or wire mesh. We used a small piece of wire mesh. The front side of the panel was treated with some more epoxy, just a petty.

We spread the epoxy onto the panel and then placed the wire mesh on top, and used the spreader to work the mesh into it. You can apply more epoxy on top if necessary. — We spread the epoxy onto the panel and and so placed the wire mesh on top, and used the spreader to work the mesh into it. Y'all can employ more epoxy on top if necessary.

Once cured, the refinishing was completed. We lightly sanded the outer surface with 200-grit sandpaper, and then used some 3M glazing filler to smoothen out the repair. You don't want big scratches on the outside, those are hard to encompass. One time the filler was cured, we terminate sanded it with 200 dust, then 320 grit. The glaze sands very hands and works really well for this type of work.

After the epoxy cured, we used a small block to sand the outside repair. Sand lightly to ensure minimal scratches on the surrounding areas. — Afterward the epoxy cured, we used a small block to sand the outside repair. Sand lightly to ensure minimal scratches on the surrounding areas.

Then we wiped the area with some glazing filler and sanded it down. — Then we wiped the area with some glazing filler and sanded information technology downwardly.

Painting The Door Panel Repair

At present that the repair is done, nosotros have to paint information technology. This is catchy and you lot may want to practice on some chip cardboard or metal. We used 2 types of paint – a bumper trim paint for texture and and then a color lucifer paint for the colour. This car has a black interior, and so it is easy. We laid down five coats of bumper trim paint, property the can about 12-16 inches from the console (this is important for the texture), and so dusted it with the blackness interior paint until the sheen matched. Each coat takes x minutes or so to dry, you want to check the sheen afterwards each coat. You can fifty-fifty get back and forth with the two products, provided the colors match.

A little texture paint, sprayed about 16 inches from the panel bring the texture back to the panel. Then we sprayed it with a color match black interior paint. — A niggling texture paint, sprayed about 16 inches from the panel bring the texture back to the panel. Then we sprayed information technology with a color match black interior paint.

Nosotros spent several hours repairing one door console on the Trans Am. The finished production looked so much better than the original end, nosotros will likely exist refinishing the entire interior. We collection the auto around for several months before writing this story to guess the longevity. With previous repairs, the cracks showed support within a few weeks, only later on several months, this repair has shown no signs of returning.

Once the panel is back on the car, the repairs are nearly invisible. — Once the panel is back on the car, the repairs are near invisible.

Cheque out all the paint & trunk products available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on door panel repair with Bondo, chat with a knowledgeable good at your local NAPA Car PARTS store .

Jefferson Bryant View All

A life-long gearhead, Jefferson Bryant spends more time in the shop than anywhere else. His career began in the automobile sound manufacture every bit a shop manager, eventually working his way into a position at Rockford Fosgate as a product designer. In 2003, he began writing tech manufactures for magazines, and has been working every bit an automotive journalist ever since. His work has been featured in Car Craft, Hot Rod, Rod & Custom, Truckin', Mopar Muscle, and many more. Jefferson has also written four books and produced endless videos. Jefferson operates Red Clay Rodz, his personal garage studio, where all of his magazine articles and tech videos are produced.