quick way to take off bondo?

derek · 8-11-2013

how are you guys getting bondo off of your cars? the roof of my celica is skimmed and it has cracked everywhere. i want it gone and the metal repaired right. hoping for miracle cure before i pull out a hammer and chisel/da or other tedious and time consuming means.

Camshaft · **Posted:** Fri Jun 17, 2011 10:17 am

derek wrote:

how are you guys getting bondo off of your cars? the roof of my celica is skimmed and it has cracked everywhere. i want it gone and the metal repaired right. hoping for miracle cure before i pull out a hammer and chisel/da or other tedious and time consuming means.

Acetone? Just a shot in the dark from my model building days...

c72c · **Posted:** Fri Jun 17, 2011 11:42 am

I can't say acetone won't work, as I've never tried it. However, aside from moisture getting beneath it and causing it to lift, there's not much else that can make it 'easily' come off.
If it's already lifting, your best bet is to pop it off. Get a sharp metal putty/drywall scraper and get under it, like you would a decal on a window. It may be difficult in certain spots and end up needing to be ground off, but in all honesty, there's really no easy way to get it off. Grinding or sand blasting is the 'easiest' way (and least damaging to the metal) I know if.
Also, a skim coat isn't necessarily 'wrong'. A lot of vehicles with large flat-ish surfaces (like roofs, doors and old cadillacs) will have a skim coat if there was any body work done. Without it, there's a good chance you'll be seeing waves all down those panels. However, there is a difference between a skim coat and a layer, I don't know what you have, but if it just covering some poorly done work, by all means, get it done right.

derek · 8-11-2013

there are large chunks(6-12" pieces) cracking and flaking off leaving bare metal underneath to rust. the thickness of the chunks is about 1/16" thick. i havent seen any problems or dents with the sheetmetal on the roof yet but i know i cant just replace the bondo that has cracked and fallen off. i want it done right but am not opposed to skimming and blocking out correctly once i get this shit off. near the cracks, its easy to lift and pop them off but where it has bonded to the metal is a bit more challenging. was just looking for an easy way out.

Derrick719 · **Posted:** Fri Jun 17, 2011 10:05 pm

wire wheel on a grinder cup style. it took up to a quarter inch of mine bondo off the datsun roaster like nothing.

Eric · **Posted:** Sat Jun 18, 2011 12:58 pm

no easy way of getting that off, wire wheel is the easiest way, make sure to do it outside..

derek · 8-11-2013

cup style wire wheel?

like this?

eduardo i. · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 5:11 pm

There is an easy way; THE HEATGUN :mrgreen:

, just heat the paint until you kind of see it changing slightly in color and rasp; Ive done it alot of times( sorry heavent taken pics :td:

) (You can also try paint remover but the wire wheel would be an easier method than paint remover)

Derrick719 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 6:07 pm

derek wrote:

cup style wire wheel?

like this?

Yep they work great wear a mask lots of dust

SOdrifter · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2011 12:38 pm

if you have a sandblasting place local you can see if they blast with walnut shells. it will blow the bondo right off and save you a ton of time. best part is blasting with walnut shells creates zero heat so no risk of warpage:)

w810sc · **Posted:** Sat Jul 02, 2011 3:11 am

Just stripped back my celica with one of these: http://toolmonger.com/2007/06/12/from-t ... cup-brush/
Got the job done but very dusty. Just wear the normal ppe gear and you should be ok.

njccmd2002 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:13 pm

heat gun works, need to get it hot and then it flakes off with a spatula, may require couple of passses..

some builders use propane torch, but use at own risk, have a fire extinguisher.

the heat gun worked for me...

Norcal510 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:37 am

If you want a QUICK way to strip body filler (aka bondo) use a vertical sander & 36/40 grit disc. All professional body shops will use this tool as it will strip the body filler quicker than any other tool.

Word of advice once the filler starts to get thin switch to 80 grit so you dont eat/heat up the panel your working on.

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/ ... -4495.html

good luck :tu:

derek · 8-11-2013

i just grabbed a wire cup like posted. cuts through the stuff pretty quick.

thanks for all the tips

Tally · **Posted:** Thu Jul 14, 2011 4:13 am

is there any sort of chemical that would you could use? sort of like when u apply paint stripper?

banzaitoyota · **Posted:** Sun Nov 18, 2012 8:25 pm

3M purple bristle pad

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... D0K8BC31gv)&rt=d&MDR=true

quick way to take off bondo?

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