91 Toyota Supra Fabrication

**pcmofo** · 05-11-2006, 02:20 PM

ok when I did my dash I did not run into this problem for a few reasons.

First I sanded the entire dash with rough sand paper to prep it for the bondo

second I only applied a light coat of primer in light layers so that the primer would show the defects in my work. From there I repeted bondo sanding and priming several times untill it was perfect

Also you should bondo well past the area you want to blend so that the blending is much more gradual and less noticable.

The key to making this look good is sanding sanding and more sanding.

**dsballer2000** · 05-11-2006, 02:31 PM

Ya, I definitely know what I should have done now. I blame this on not rough sanding enough as Turbo and Mofo said. The bezel is so big that I thought i could get by just using 100grit on the rest of the bezel that i wasn't working with. This is my first time doing anything like this so I guess this is a learning experience on my part. I have to decide what I want to do now to correct this....might spend the next couple days getting the primer off and resand the bezel rough and work my way up again. If not I might try this again with the 3m repair kit that's $70CAN. Or i'll just buy the stuff Turbo used and order it online. Sucks cuz i felt like i was so close but now feel so far away!

**pcmofo** · 05-11-2006, 02:48 PM

I would just sand the crap out of it then add more bondo, sand, light primer to show gaps, sand, bondo repeat. the best part about this kinda fabrication is you can mess up and its not over. you can always dand and add more bondo till you get something you are happy with.

**Borte** · 05-11-2006, 03:27 PM

This looks good dsballer2000!

To get a better surface on the edges keep sanding but use a higher grit, go at least up to 400 grit. This would give you a better and smoother surface.

I just painted my own bezel but I used a special carpaint with structure in the paint. The reason for this is that the plastic used in car interiors usually have some kind of structure to it. I think its to keep the reflections of the surface to a minimum.
This type of paint will hide inperfections in the surface better so its usually a bit more "forgiving" when it comes to finish.

Also a good way of making the bond between the bezel and the original part is to "weld" the plastics together and then use epxoy glue over the plastic "seam" (gives a bit of flexibility and bonds at the same time (could not find any link)) to further maximise the bonding. On top of all that I used flexible bondo ( plastic padding) and then sanded it down to get a good surface.

To "weld" the plastics just heat up a the tip of a small screwdriver and melt the plastics together.

Keep it going!

Cheers
Borte

**Ces///M3** · 05-11-2006, 09:59 PM

for others that are having trouble in this area, sanding the entire piece before fabrication helps not only with ahdesion but also with rough spots where the pieces were to meet. I also recommend a high build plastic primer specifically for auto body work and a glaze coat to really give it that factory finish.

**turbocad6** · 05-11-2006, 11:40 PM

looking at the pictures again, it's not all that bad really, you did sand well past the patch area, just don't be afraid to go to the edge next time with the filler... the edges are a great transition point... all that needs at most is a light skim cote on the face, it's not that bad .... the question is with what...

if the panel is ridgid & not flexi then you could get away with a glazing putty, but that'll crack if it's flexed. I'm not even gonna tell you again what I think you should use, especially if that panels real rubbery, if you sand it before it fully cures it'll sand similar, which is another reason why your having trouble feathering that edge.... when one material is much harder to sand than the other,theres more tendancy for the softer material to cut more, causing a ridge....

you don't need to sand the untouched areas with 100 or less... 180-220 should be fine before the first coat of primer all around & the untouched areas shouldn't get sanded with anything courser... don't buid up too much primer.... it'll dry relativley soft & if you build up a few mil's thickness the panel will chip pretty easily...

really it doesn't look too bad, how does it feel? does it still feel like you could peel it apart? if it feels pretty solid, then your really not that far off....

**dsballer2000** · 05-20-2006, 03:28 PM

I decided not to sand all the primer off but to just sand it down enough to get things pretty much as smooth as I could. I painted with texture paint and then i put a coat of clear gloss paint. It actually turned out very nice. I've put it in the car and I'm very happy with the results. I know i could have spent a little more time getting it perfect but summer is coming and I want this done by the first day of summer. I can really hardly see any imperfections because of the texture paint. If I decide later that I want to do another one but with what I know now I'll buy the 3m plastic repair and the SEM paints. Anyway, keep posted for more pics.
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**dsballer2000** · 05-20-2006, 03:45 PM

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**MatrixPC** · 05-21-2006, 03:20 AM

****, I wanna redo mine.
Look freaking nice.

**dsballer2000** · 05-21-2006, 06:57 PM

Thanks, I'm happy with it. I'm ordering my 700tsv this week so I gotta start working on wiring. I'm a bit nervous because I've never done any car wiring before. I've been learning everything from these forums so I have confidence that everything will work out fine.