Bit of help with bodywork....

[el_stig]

Hi all, been a long time lurker and used the information on here to kit out my garage! So thanks for that!

Now to my problem in hand, I have an infill panel on the back of my van I would like to fit, the part itself is in GRP (moulded plastic or whatever you want to call it) and it will need bonding / blending into the existing metal panel.

Is it as simple as just sanding the paint with 240grit, bonding it in with sika or tigerseal then applying a layer of filler to blend? (then paint) Or will that crack?

Here are a couple of pics to help explain!

This is the part in place

This is just the infill on its own

Any help would be much appreciated! Stu

 

[norsa]

Yes tiger will hold it nicely. Key 80g. You could smooth the edge and paint or loose the excess tiger and fill but you won't want to put filler on top of tiger.
Nick

 

[el_stig]

Thanks for the speedy reply Nick, you've stopped some of my worries!

Would there be a risk of the filler cracking? How could I reduce the chances of that happening? This will be the largest part I have blended in, hence my worries!

Stu

 

[steveo3002]

would a neat bead of sealer around the edge be accpetable?

would look neat and no chance of cracking

 

[langy]

Never filler over any PU sealant, it don't harden but remains flexible, any filler over it will crack

 

[norsa]

Well there you go Stu, sound advice from 3 guys who know what they are talking about. Steveo. Nice bead of sealer? Ambitious mate? I must have skinned 100 doors and still never mastered the clean bead.

 

[langy]

Well there you go Stu, sound advice from 3 guys who know what they are talking about. Steveo. Nice bead of sealer? Ambitious mate? I must have skinned 100 doors and still never mastered the clean bead.

Getting a nice finish on a bead of sealer is easy if you use a cotton rag with panel wipe on it Nick

 

[steveo3002]

well , id go with a bead of sealer forced into the gap then wipe off the excess , same as how the side panels are sealed on that van , i think that neatest and longest lasting option

or maybe consider sealing off any gaps /holes under the trim and just stick it on with no sealer around the edge?

 

[pedrobedro]

You can buy white Tiger Seal, a few blobs on the back and run it round the joint. It doesn't look like a panel that is supposed to be filled over, more like a sliding door track cover for the one that isn't there.

 

[el_stig]

^^^ that's exactly what it is, it's a slider blank on the side I don't have one! Bit cosmetic but hey I'm doing a respray I may as well give it a shot!

Thanks for all the replies guys, amazing help, so from this I'll bond it with tiger then run tiger round the outside and smooth with a rag with panel wipe on it!

No filler for me!

Hope I've got that all right?!?! Thanks again everyone!

Stu

 

[octo0072000]

well it's not right but iv's seen then just filled no infill panel just filled not ideal but it's been done before

other way is to weld a flat piece in then fill it

 

[langy]

^^^ that's exactly what it is, it's a slider blank on the side I don't have one! Bit cosmetic but hey I'm doing a respray I may as well give it a shot!

Thanks for all the replies guys, amazing help, so from this I'll bond it with tiger then run tiger round the outside and smooth with a rag with panel wipe on it!

No filler for me!

Hope I've got that all right?!?! Thanks again everyone!

Stu

You will have to paint the white tiger seal as it will discolour.

 

[el_stig]

The whole thing will be getting a respray Langy! That is a stock picture from the company sending me the blank, my van is yellow!

Will the tigerseal create a smooth finish? Akin with smoothing? As previously mentioned, I've never fitted a panel like this before. And I'll then smooth and paint as per the rest of my van!

 

[steveo3002]

the sealer can leave a smooth finish , it takes some practice to get nice at it , you can only wipe and mess it around so much

i would mask up a line close to where you want the edge of the sealer to be , caulk it in the gap the use a wet finger to smooth it , whip the tape off and then more smoothing with wet finger /thinners rag ..hopefully that way most of the excess will pull away with the tape instead of smearing it around

 

[pedrobedro]

You can rub Tiger seal down with fine wet and dry to get a good finish on it when it's set.

 

[outofthefire]

Dont forget to wipe the strip and the door with panel wipe before bonding it.