to find on a site, such as this one, where someone can write in, and post a detailed and long winded post on how to be a hack, by using bondo. I thought sites like this are suppose to serve as place where someone can come to when they are looking for an answer to any numerous problems they are having either by working on their F-bodies, or any number of things pertaining to an F-body, but to come and find a post written about 'bondo"?

And then, to have someone, as an administrator to endorse and nominate this post as a "Post of the week", and encourage someone to actually pass on this post as a legitimate and intellectual approach when either repairing or making adjustments in a building of a vehicle has got to be the most laughable thing I have ever read.

First of all, there should be no substitution for any metal part on a vehicle when the repair involves maintaing the structural soundness of a vehicle. The floor pans of a vehicle, whether it is an F-body, or any other vehicle "are" a structural part of a vehicle, and to write a post that promotes the use of bondo to repair them when they rust out, is beyond words as an option to seriously consider.

There are some of us who have gone out and looked at a car that we wanted to buy, and found that the owner has gone and gobbed on some bondo to seemingly hide what they were to ignorant to fix the right way, either because they didn't want to do it the right way, or because they are just mentally incapable of making the right decision where the repair was concerned. And the first thoughts were, that the owner was an idiot.

Now whether I say that the one who posted the topic of using bondo is like the owner of the car above, well, you come to that conclusion without my help, but would anybody seriously consider really using bondo to compromise a serious and integral part of an F-body, such as the floors, which already flex way too much under the stress of mere acceleration, would you really seriously opt to use bondo to repair them? Seriously?

If you would, then I'm sure you would merely solder a tie rod when it breaks, or duct tape the inside of a tire when it blows out .... a hack is a hack, and if you use bondo to repair the floors of your F-body with bondo, you're a hack.
There are numerous places everywhere that do not charge an arm or a leg to repair the floors with metal. So, if you can spend 2 or 3 thousand dollars on a good sound system, five hundred dollars on a wing that really does nothing but serve as a visual object, or two hundred dollars on numerous lights to put on under or around your car, why in the hell would you spend forty dollars for a can of bondo and sandpaper to use on a part of the car that basically and literally keeps your butt inside the car?

And please, don't even do a counterpoint response about how some bondos are as strong as steel......LOL......if you can actually quote this as being sound and as a scientific and without a doubt to be a fact, without just writting down what you have read off the side of the can of bondo, then I ask you, why do they sell replacement floor panels, why do they sell welders?

And another thing, the post I am referring to is the post that refers to using "Polyester bondo" as a ligitmate substitute for doing it the right way.

There are only two ways to do things, the right way, and the wrong way. Hacks use bondo to do structural repairs because they are limited to only doing things where they have to count their pennies, as opposed to those who take pride in what they do. To those of us who have the mental capibility to make the right decisions without compromising, we are the ones who truly are the ones who don't compromise when it comes to our cars.....

 

The writeup was for general information and we wanted to recognize the work that was put into it. Very few of us are experts or can restore cars professionally since lots of guys here are on a budget. No one is saying it is okay to use PVC pipe for a roll cage. There were lots of warnings that were clearly outlined which addresses the faults you have mentioned.

We would rather that people share their information and knowledge than only criticize others. I don't know too much about body work myself, so if you are saying that the guide that was posted was a "cheap and dirty" method of body work and if you are an expert on the subject (which you are from the sounds of it) I strongly encourage you to make a "professional" version of the guide for all to benefit from. I think everyone would like to read about it and I would be thrilled to make it the "Thread of the Week" in our weekly Podcast.

Thanks for the suggestion...or at least I think there is one in there somewhere.

Admin Edit:
(The following post was merged into this thread after it was closed. This forum is for dialog between the members and the staff, so if further discussion needs to take place, please do so privately)

 

I had to have the chance to defend myself. Jason please dont close this one just yet.

I am by no means a professional but do know a good bit. I grew up with a bunch of oldschool hotrodders and alot of the methods I listed have been used for years on cars. Bondo is a method used in every bodyshop in america. Even if you weld in filler pannels or use a stud gun to pull dents you have to use body filler to smothe everything out. I sir am not new to this stuff. If you feel the need to bash my work please pm me. Jason doesnt need to deal with what you feel is the right way to do things. And by all emans if you think you can do a better job please do. But untill the day that you produce work like mine keep your mouth shut. It seems like you joined this site to just post about my write up. If that is the case we do not need people like you here. But if you would like to add to the community or need the communitys help with a problem your having then please feel free to add to the discussions that take place here.