my 92 gsr has shaved side moldings, ( i bought it like this) i dont want them shaved i want the moldings back on. so whats the easiest way to strip bondo off down to the metal so i can prep it and install side moldings, any help is greatly appriciated, the bonda is crackign in some places, so its not a good bondo so hope that maked things easier
use a screw driver and a hammer and try to get as much as you can off…then use a sander or grinder…be careful though…if there’s bare metal, make sure to spray it with epoxy or high build primer before paint and etc.
They Shaved your side mouldings by filling them with bondo?? Jesus. If I were you the first thing I would do is remove my door panel and look at the inside of the door skin to be sure that that is how it was done. If you see burn marks or other signs of heat and bodywork you could be in for a whole heap of trouble. There is no way of telling what is under that bondo. If the job was done correctly you should see burn marks or preferably a painted section along where the mouldings used to be on the inside of the skin. If you see that then you can’t reverse that easily. Don’t use a hammer and a screwdriver unless you are just chipping off the loose stuff. Even then its not that great of an idea. You should be able to find a stripping wheel that will attach to a die grinder that will take it off without taking metal. If you must use a sander then don’t use a lower grit than 80. The bondo in your doors is cracking because it was either incorrectly used or it is to thick. Bondo should be used up to 1/4 of an inch absolute maximum 1/8 is the max I go. It’s purpose is to level small impertections after you are finished your bodywork not to fill mass voids.
well the way the previose owner did things, im 100% sure it wasnt correctly done. and the door on the passanger side is bubbled out a bit. im pretty sure they slapped it full of bondo but ill check
i keep reading that you can remove it with a torch and melt it off, but wont this warp the aluminum if it gets to hot?
grinder, or bondo buster.
like Bodyguy said, look in the inside of the door and see how they filled it in.
There is no aluminum in your door and yes it will warp and distort your steel door. If it were aluminum then it would reach a certain temp and just blow away like dry leaves. (FYI) Aluminum shows no signs of what temp it is at(like how steel goes red) so you never heat it with a torch unless you know exactly what you are doing.