here are a few pics of my first time using bondo, covering the holes left behind from the stock wing. im sure many people would disagree with removing it, however if you want to the option is quite affordable and pain free. youtube has several good tutorials on using bondo, and the materials including primer, sandpaper, paint, clear coat and the bondo itself only costed me $50. the whole process as a first timer took me 4 hours and i was very surprise and pleased with how it came out.

first sanding down to the metal, i started with a coarse grit and then ended it with a finer one to keep things smooth





after backing the holes with bondo's adhesive mesh cover i applied a pretty healthy amount over each hole, probably too much but it did the job. i put in an extra ammount of curing paste into the mix, so it hardened fast, 20 minutes or so.


i don't have any pictures of the sanding but this was the toughest and most time consuming part. but with enough time and energy you can smooth it out to oem standards.




oxford white, dupli clear coat, then turtles polishing compound and it shines like new.

 

Good job. I actually dont mind the fc without a spoiler.

 

sweet job man, now sell me your stock wing, I want one and my car is white too! I wonder how well the bondo adhesive tape will hold up.

 

thanks guys, yeah i would definitely sell it however its a bit roughed up :/ as far as that tape, im sure i could probably take it off now

 

bondo shrinks eventually you will be able to see where the holes are you should of welded them.

 

i don't have access to any welding stuff or i would have but i did this about 2 months ago and everything looks just as smooth and filled in as the first day, so im calling it good

 

I agree! weld the holes and dont use so much bondo! lol Use spot puddy to fill those sanding scratches, wont take as much sanding to look like glass.

 

Could have just refinished the spoiler with those materials rather than half *** the holes.

 

Well it looks like you did a decent job with what you had at hand. FC's can look good with either a wing or no wing IMO. To weld the holes would have been great, not having the abilty to do so, you did fine.

 

thanks, yeah i didn't want the spoiler, is why i removed it.

 

it's true that probably one day the bondo will shrink to that the point that the repair reappears but that day will probably be around the same day that your spray can clear coat peels off so it'll work out good! haha, but yea, looks good...for now.

 

lol in the event this day comes to early... he could just bolt a wing back on LOL and it would cover all the holes agian haha....

 

in the body shop i worked at we used scrap hoods, and a epoxy glue called fusor to glue pieces of metal to the back sides of the holes and then fill. seemed to work alright. worked for whole body panels to. good ****

 

I did this job two years ago with no ill effects using bondo only.

For the nay sayers: welding in this location is tough. The sheet metal is too thin to fill the holes by itself and access is a real problem if you try to fit a tiny patch up on the backside. Fiberglass and/or glue are possible but I decided it didn't matter enough for what I was doing.

One thing I did do differently was to dent in the metal around the holes slightly so the bondo has a greater surface area to grab on so it's far less likely to pop out.

 

If you weld on a low of enough amperage setting and use a wet rag or spray bottle youl get no warpage. Dont forget you can also use brazing rod with a torch. The less and thinest amount of Bondo the better!

 

Back it with a copper or aluminum, and TIG them closed, then grind flush and use a skim coat of filler. Its actually one of the easiest body locations to weld.

 

ya, mine came like that too, i hate it when people use bondo to fill **** in. youll regret ever doing that, promise.
should have had them welded

Lloyd

 

ghetto work at its finest, congrats......

 

I just don't like spending a ton of time on a shell that can be had esssentially for free. You guys are clearly professional bodymen and can never be another solution than what you propose. Oh wait, professional bodymen cut way more corners than I'd ever dare too...

PS My ghetto rigged FC won best Classic / RX7 at Mazfest 09. Like I said, it's been more than 2 years and absolutely no sign of issues. If it ever does have a problem I'll be the first to eat crow and do like the majority suggest. In the meantime, if you don't have access to a welder the dent and bondo method works fine.

 

i did this like 8 years ago with bondo and it cracked. 8 years later though!

 

Not when they're working on their own car.

I guess I'm just more of a do it once, do it right kinda guy.

 

u dnt have to have a piece of metal on the back side just spot weld around the hole and cool with water and a rag untill its filled in then grind flat. Add a little bondo on top and your done! i just did this like 3 weeks ago i shave the emblem holes and the third brake light and key hole also but that was a little more complicated

 

You guys shouldn't give him such a hard time. He should have welded it but its not like what he did is permanent... when it eventually warps or cracks then he can just sand it down and do it right. Plus now if he decides to put the wing back on the holes are already there

 

Im not a pro. finger painter. Lol Im a diesel mechanic. I beleive if your going to do something do it right the first time,if you do it on your own with out knowing then good for you for trying and doing your best. Just giving helpfull hints for the next time youl be doing it.

 

when i did the shaving of my rx7 emblem,i fiberglassed the inside after sanding etc for adhesion,and used body filler also,have never had a problem. but yet i backed it with glass/resin.