TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu May 20, 2004 6:08 pm

I swear, at least 3/4 of this car has some about of filler on it. :(

Thu May 20, 2004 6:43 pm

Welcome to the world of the Karmann Ghia, where you'll learn forensics of creative bodywork and half-ass artists :D

Thu May 20, 2004 6:50 pm

LOL. A bunch of this I think is original German. I scrape off the current paint/primer/original paint/original primer layer and find.....FILLER! Ranges from very thin coats to 1/8" deep. So far, the only things I haven't found filler on is the front and rear hoods. I know the "sculpted" these cars to some degree but sheesh! My doors and fenders are swimming in the stuff. Going to ahve to learn how to use it or my body repair bill will cost me my whole budget. LOL

Thu May 20, 2004 6:58 pm

I thought 'zee Germans' only used lead solder to fill the grinded weld joints???

I know what you're saying though. I've had to apply liberal amounts of filler myself (most of it sanded back off)

Good luck!

Thu May 20, 2004 7:09 pm

The German's used solder on joints that formed the roof and to tend to low spots on the body. That is different than bondo, which didn't come around until the 1970's.

Fri May 21, 2004 3:21 pm

Cobey wrote: I swear, at least 3/4 of this car has some about of filler on it. :(

I hear ya! My 70 coupe had filler everywhere but the glass! Sounds like you've found what I encountered: Second & third generation repairs.
When the first foot of filler was removed, I found sheetmetal pop-rivited over filler, over rust. I decided that if I removed ALL filler, there wouldn't be any car left.

Fri May 21, 2004 3:25 pm

LOL. It haven't beenthat bad for me yet. Looks more like they were covering dents, forgot where to stop feathering it out, and kept going on down the body.

Fri May 21, 2004 4:46 pm

mine had a whole lot too. It was the cheap stuff and it was put on over the stock coat of paint. I took the car down to the metal and used a little filler to equal out some spots.

Sat May 22, 2004 9:45 am

a few months ago i cut off a quarter panel off of a coupe, it looked pretty good but when i got home i found a piece of sheet metal that was layered over the lower rocker to hide rust and crust. the funny part was they used real lead filler on the welded seam. i've decided not to use the quarter and a bunch of lower patch panels- i've found another salvage car that i'm gonna pick up in two weeks. right now my car has some spray foam insulation in the lower rear fender-below the battery!