klx650sm2002 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:


I've had good luck with them too.  My rear wheel is off and they'll be changed today.

We'll be watching for an "after" photo

Greg;
I know this is after the fact, but from what I gather from your photos, you decided to leave the bondo on overnight before touching it. It'll be hard as rock to shape and form. The best time to get at the bondo for  shaping and forming is right after it starts to kick-over(much easier and much less dust!). Final sanding can be done anytime after it is cured.
Just a thought for next time.

As someone who has been using body filler most of my life...
1. You can knockoff the majority of the excess filler as soon as at tacks up enough for a surform file to cut without clogging or skipping.
2. Let the remaining putty sit AT LEAST 3 days before final sanding. Scuff the top off with 60 grit twice a day. You want the shrinkage and outgassing done before you final sand and start the primer/glaze coat process.
3. Make sure you coat the putty with an etching primer for maximum adhesion.
4. Rustoleum auto primer over the etching prime. Fills the micro pits better than lacquer based primers. Is lacquer safe, gives a smooth base for the topcoat to adhere to.
5. Wet sand the primer to 600 grit before you add color coat. 2 dust coats of color. Wet sand with 400 or 600, add a "wet coat" of color. Make sure you use a clear over the color.

Have fun. Take your time. When you finish the fender top, but preferably, before you finish the fender top, buy a can of under coating or bed liner spray (Wal-mart stuff is fine). Will protect the topcoats from junk hitting the underside of the fender. Lessens the impact and lowers the chance of the force cracking the paint.
-WD

I normaly use 80 grit on a sanding block to knock off the heavy parts.

Then step down to 200 0r so when it gets close then quickly over to 600 grit finaly to feather in the edges and blend it all in. Final sand with 1200 or so. Primer will fill 600 grit or less scratches. Don't be afraid to refill if you got a low spot. Spend lots of time blending in where the bondo leaves and metal starts. Nice smooth transition or it will pop out and show like a sore thumb when the final paint gets on.

If you want I can shoot that thing for you Greg. What paint you got? If you really want to I will shoot the base/clear you need if you go match the base. I got clear coat here enough to do it for you.

Not sure what you mean by regular paint.... The regular paint on Savages is base coat clear coat if that helps. But normaly its risky trying to paint over enamel or something without sealing it out. You can scuff it up if its in good shape and blend out any chips in the paint, then paint it with epoxy primer and then base coat and clear coat it.

Well as we learned here... Helmet manufacturers use Base Coat Clear Coat a lot.

Some paints will react or deter bonding with other paints surfaces. So scuffing them and then Epoxy priming makes certain the base coat will not react with whatever is down there first. Mainly its done "just in case" as you don't want to find out later it's going to let lose. Its an insurance step is all. Normaly you just do not put base coat onto just anything. You put it onto a known compatable primer. Several of them are. If not most of them. Sandable automotives as well as Epoxy primers are. I perfer Epoxy primer. Although it does not fill quite as well it bonds very hard and gives a tougher surface to apply the base coat too. Its a bit more of a paint to work with but it does a real good job so I opt for it.

Just as if you were stripping it to bare metal you would want to prime it. Same thing if your not stripping to bare metal. You prep the old surface for flaws, scuff it up so it will bond with the primer and then prime it. And then proceed as normal from there.

That Helmet you should not have to prime it. It should work with just scuffing and base clear.

The bike it depends on whats on there. If its the normal factory base clear you can probably get away with not priming. Just scuff pad it and color it and clear it.

Get a 3m "red' scuff pad. It will leave enough scratches that the Primer, color will fill. Too much and too deep scratching and it shows through. Most things will not show if they are finer than 600 grit sand paper will leave. So normaly you sand to finer than 600 grit. Like finish sand it just a bit with 1200 or something. The scuff pad does this all very well on old paint surface or on old clear coat. And the pad last for a long time.

cphilip wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:


Thanks for the helpful hints....as it turns out and because I have less experience than patience...I have applied the Bondo, then removed too much, applied the Bondo, then removed too much, repeat....

That was another reason that I put the fender away last Sunday.  I kept removing too much.  I think that I also learned how not to leave "pores" or pockets in the Bondo so that as you sand it down, you don't find a hole that has to be refilled.  That happened a few times.  

The biggest thing is covering the flat spots for the rectifier and the pillon mount (I cut off the front pillon mount) while keeping a smooth radius on the fender.  Also, without the side rails, it appears that the rear fender is slightly concave on the sides, so in filling those front 6 holes there needs to be a smooth layer along most of the sides.

Thanks for the offer to shoot the fender.  I'll keep hammering away it myself unless I get hopelessly lost.  Like most things that I've done, I may not know it all, but I'll work at it until I get it right.  I was very pleased with the match for the paint (which I got from Susan's site).  You can see the color above.

My biggest concern is whether I'll be able to blend the new paint with a small portion of the old paint on the fender tip where my name is painted.  That is the part protected under the cardboard and duct tape.  If there is a small difference, I'm hoping that it'll be disguised by a visual "break" along where the taillight and turnsignals mount.  

Once again thanks for any thoughts and hints...they are all noted.