Community Forums

YC1 · 01-01-2018, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountryB

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the detailed responses.
I guess I will leave this up to the professionals. Anything with more than four steps is too complicated for me

Dav showed a very detailed explanation but he probably is not able to explain the the Artist touch needed to blend the paint colors.

Any jackass can kick down a barn, it takes carpenter to build one.

That said, it is very possible to do the repair part expertly if you follow davs' advice.

Get some youtube help.

There is body filler by bondo that is full of fiberglass already. You can do the filling with that after cleaning the dug out area carefully.

This really won't save a lot of body work time but might give you some experience and confidence.

That looks like a $2k repair to me.

As mentioned, the paint alone is incredibly expensive. If you have never bought any you will faint when they tell you the cost.

Clear coat and hardener is cheap.

Quincy · 01-01-2018, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dav L

Absolutely not....that will crack before the primer dried.
Spot putty is for sand scratch filling - no more.
It shrinks as it dries. It would look like a crater. And since it is Air dry (not chemically activated), it would only surface dry...it would be soft as mud underneath.
There is near zero structual strength with spot putty. Much less than even body plastic (which also is NOT strong enough for the OP's RV problem)

I would accept someone suggesting using Duraglass as a fast fix, followed up with body plastic but that's about it.

And no one can apply any of these products perfectly enough so it doesn't require sanding. Look at his rig...do you think anything less than near perfect would be acceptable?

WOW!!!

This is not the Titanic. It is a small gouge that does not appear to go all the way through. What structural integrity? Spot putty only stays soft if it applied too thick, something that appears to be impossible given the picture. As far as shrinking is concerned, then apply another coat. If a decal of some kind is going to be used, or a louvre as was suggested then sanding might not be required. Spot putty, I would think, would adhere nicely to the rough surface of the gouge and will not fall out, and if the gouge is bigger than it looks or if the OP does not want to use spot putty then bondo will definitely do the job with all the above still appling. Bondo will not shrink at all but it is more labor intensive and expensive and probably would require sanding which is fine also. JMHO

Dav L · 01-01-2018, 10:20 AM

YC1, yes, that "bondo" with the fiberglass is what we have been calling "Duraglass"... I think that was the brand name that first came out with that blend back in the 70's (from my memory). There are many brands of body plastic, "Bondo" being on of the more commonly known, and each of those now has a "Duraglass" competition...thinking about this for the first time...maybe Duraglass patent expired?

And yes, it's hard to describe the paint technique. The "would fill two pages" is what I implied but even after reading and viewing YouTubes it's still something that takes 20 jobs to get a feel for. But, if one doesn't start with job 1, they never acquire those skills and knowledge.

One of the things I love the most about going to the SEMA show is to marvel at the paint technique those gurus have. And the attention to detail. And the thousands of hours it takes to do some of those jobs. Total passionate nut cases

Also, while on the subject of paint...especially for newbees...stick to one chemistry set of primer, activator, paint, activator, clear coat, activator. They all work together and using cheap clear coat on expensive paint can lift the paint that took so much love to get right. And you get to do it all one more time (Job 2).

Dav L · 01-01-2018, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quincy

WOW!!!

This is not the Titanic. It is a small gouge that does not appear to go all the way through. What structural integrity? Spot putty only stays soft if it applied too thick, something that appears to be impossible given the picture. As far as shrinking is concerned, then apply another coat. If a decal of some kind is going to be used, or a louvre as was suggested then sanding might not be required. Spot putty, I would think, would adhere nicely to the rough surface of the gouge and will not fall out, and if the gouge is bigger than it looks or if the OP does not want to use spot putty then bondo will definitely do the job with all the above still appling. Bondo will not shrink at all but it is more labor intensive and expensive and probably would require sanding which is fine also. JMHO

The "bondo" or the "duraglass" would probably be $10 total. Fiberglass quart plus mat about $20. All available at Walmart and every auto parts store.

Okee dokkeee...not going to debate the point anymore.

A Decal? which one "I am spending my kids inheritance but skimped out on the body work cost so they can eat today"?

Adding a grill to no where? Folks...this guy (like most all of us) spent a lot of money on that toy.

Quincy · 01-02-2018, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dav L

The "bondo" or the "duraglass" would probably be $10 total. Fiberglass quart plus mat about $20. All available at Walmart and every auto parts store.

Okee dokkeee...not going to debate the point anymore.

A Decal? which one "I am spending my kids inheritance but skimped out on the body work cost so they can eat today"?

Adding a grill to no where? Folks...this guy (like most all of us) spent a lot of money on that toy.

Ouch Dav, BTW Did you notice how many people on this forum have thin skin? Oh well.

As far as the decal is concerned...I thought a nice American Flag would be perfect. Or maybe a bullseye. Thought it not a bad idea since OP said he was going to do a full repaint in the future. That is a few hundred bucks closer to that repaint and the trade off is a decal of our Beautiful American Flag. The grill was not my idea but I did think it was a clever one.

CountryB · 01-02-2018, 07:53 AM

So it sounds like I should fill the gouge with Duraglass, then it would be okay to just wait a year until I can have the whole coach repainted.

This stuff https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0082LF7B6..._t2_B002I0MOY0

Old Scout · 01-02-2018, 08:15 AM

...as simple as it sounds, "bondo" and automotive paint is not for the faint of heart....takes skill and patience--I don't have either. As for doing a $15-20k paint job on an 2005 rig "someday"----that probably aint going to happen....so find a local paint/body guy who has some experience with both bondo and paint.....color probably wont look quite right but close enough....
PS.... recently had two basement doors on my 2003 DP repaired/repainted--cost $2k but covering up my booboo that I was seeing every day---priceless!!!!!

Plasticman · 01-02-2018, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruzbill

I called around and found a guy in Sacramento who does paint chip repair for auto dealers. He gave me a quote ($300) and we drove the MH down and met him in a big box store parking lot.

That's a great idea. I need to do that. Lot's of rock chips on the front of my RV.

Rob

Dav L · 01-02-2018, 11:06 AM

Right down your street:
Here is the "duraglass" equivelent:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bondo-Bon...Quart/17056865

But I will still recommend this instead:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bondo-Fib...Quart/17056866

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bondo-201...glass/37571293

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bondo-Spreaders-3pk/16927982

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bondo-Bod...fl-oz/17130346

TripleEEE · 01-02-2018, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountryB

So it sounds like I should fill the gouge with Duraglass, then it would be okay to just wait a year until I can have the whole coach repainted.

There's always the Eternabond route if you don't care what it looks like for a year.........

https://www.eternabond.com/

CountryB · 01-02-2018, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TripleEEE

There's always the Eternabond route if you don't care what it looks like for a year.........

https://www.eternabond.com/

I was thinking the Durabond would restore any structural strength than might have been lost - and in a year or two when I can better afford to get the coach painted, the body shop won't need to peel off the tape/glue, they would just finish sand, prime and paint.

But mostly I'm concerned about any "loss of strength" in the fiberglass that might allow that gouge to crack and spread more.

However, I'm going to a body shop to see how much it will cost to do this correctly.

Thanks.

tizzyfit · 01-02-2018, 02:47 PM

If you've never done this type of fiberglass repair, do yourself a favor, contact your insurance company and file a claim, that's why you have insurance. Pay your deductible and allow a PROFESSIONAL to do the necessary repair work. If you're not happy with their work, make them do it again, but under no circumstances should you "PRACTICE" repairing your motorhome with no prior experience, it will look like dung, you'll know it, as will everyone else who happens to view the side of your motorhome.

TripleEEE · 01-02-2018, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountryB

I was thinking the Durabond would restore any structural strength than might have been lost - and in a year or two when I can better afford to get the coach painted, the body shop won't need to peel off the tape/glue, they would just finish sand, prime and paint.

But mostly I'm concerned about any "loss of strength" in the fiberglass that might allow that gouge to crack and spread more.

However, I'm going to a body shop to see how much it will cost to do this correctly.

Thanks.

That is the route to take IMHO, if you don't have the expertise to do it yourself.

Most quality bodyshops don't like it when a customer starts a project and they have to finish it.

My buddy has owned a shop for 50 yrs. When a fellow shows up and say's he has just done all the bodywork and just want's it painted, he is told that this is not the shop for him. Some might do it, but the quality shops want to do it start to finish.

Good luck.

Dav L · 01-02-2018, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountryB

I was thinking the Durabond would restore any structural strength than might have been lost - and in a year or two when I can better afford to get the coach painted, the body shop won't need to peel off the tape/glue, they would just finish sand, prime and paint.

But mostly I'm concerned about any "loss of strength" in the fiberglass that might allow that gouge to crack and spread more.

However, I'm going to a body shop to see how much it will cost to do this correctly.

Thanks.

The right way is fiberglass mat. Duraglass is not nearly as strong. No body shop would do this with Duraglass.

it really sounds like you should have a shop do this.
If you have insurance and want to use it, great.

if you do any of the repair, take the pics as TripleEEE isn't off base with how many body shops would approach it. If it's fiberglassed and not painted, then they will see what kind of job was done. With Duraglass...they probably would just do it all over again.

It sounded like you were adventurous to DIY which is great. The repair work would have been a nice project. The paint might be pushing it.