Do It Yourself Body Repair - Basic Body Repairs

There are two holes in need of repair. They are not in bad shape, but we will need a couple of pieces of spare aluminum to make a backing for the Bondo to be applied.

After a little "encouragement" from a hammer, one of the holes ended up looking better than expected. A hole this small won't need the aluminum backing, as the Bondo will seat it up.

This tear, however, isn't pretty. I have already used a hammer to it to make it as thin as possible, and it'll get a piece of aluminum to strengthens the are.

For backing, I used an old crush panel that had been involved in a wreck. Now we can fill the holes.

This hole was a lot easier. I simply made sure that the aluminum was big enough to cover the hole and allow the placement of rivets.

You might have to repeat this step to get the Bondo as smooth as possible.

Fitting the aluminum was a little more complex. I had to cut it in a way to make the straight edge for the bottom of the body. Becuase of the brittle nature of this spot, I put a couple of extra rivets in this are.

Bondo is a great way to keep your body in decent shape from week to week. You will have to mix it with a hardener and then spread the mix over the holes.

After you let the Bondo dry, use sandpaper or an air sander to smooth the surface. It should be smooth enough to eliminate any edges where the Bondo contacts the sheet metal. The body is then ready to be painted.