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What's a reasonable budget for GT body work

Posted by Lacrosse33 
100DashSix Avatar
Dan K
Alexandria, Virginia, USA   usa
My question is, where SHOULD you put Bondo? I thought it had no place on an MG.

In reply to # 2063035 by pinkyponk Don't put bondo on your castle rails.


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pinkyponk Avatar
Adrian Page
Nova Scotia Canada, Canada   can
Many MGs are held together with bondo. You can put bondo anywhere you don't want a magnet to stick.
superdave Avatar
david morris
north carolina, USA   usa
In reply to # 2063071 by 100DashSix My question is, where SHOULD you put Bondo? I thought it had no place on an MG.

Go to any custom shop and see how they will skim Bondo on an entire panel and then sand 99.9% of it off. That .1% is where the "slick" comes in.

I'm a big proponent of finding a shop owner willing to follow behind your work, but that person isn't always easy to find. You can save thousands of dollars and the painter can do what he enjoys most, just spraying the car. As for the metal replacement, you are going to have to learn to do it yourself or exercise your wallet a bit. The choice is yours. I say buy a welder and start burning metal.

Your original question is open ended and a bit hard to answer. 8K for a budget is reasonable. I echo the thoughts about dropping your car off at a shop and saying "No hurry". I've been there, done that, have the t-shirt.

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favedave Avatar
David Church
Saint Joseph, MO, USA   usa
1967 MG MGB GT "Marilyn"
1995 Ford Probe
1995 Ford Probe "The Probe"
Back in the late 60s I went with a bud to Moss Motors just to visit the place. North Hollywood I think, I wasn't driving. At the time they actually did restoration and maintenance work in the back. There were Lotus Elites, and Morgans, MGs, Healeys, and a Ferrari 250 GT the body man was prepping for a repaint(Red of course). He was bitching about how much body filler the factory used to get the aluminum body straight.

Bondo, or other brand of body-filler, or old school lead is a must unless you have an absolutely dent free, and here's the had part, perfectly assembled body. No B which has had much use in the last 50 years is dent free. Certainly the factory did a fair job of assembling the cars, but the varients in fitting replacement parts, even from an identical model are legendary. If you do anything special, a Sebring Kit for instance, you are going to get to know body filler very well. The factory used it when they built the cars, to correct damage inadvertantly caused during construction. The cars were shipped around the world and given the finest handling steveadores at busy POEs offer. A little fender binder in the port, or a cargo that shifted in heavy seas..more body filler on the car before it got to the showroom.

If you want your body panels to be smooth and flowing one to the next, you're going to have to use it.
Somebody said a gallon, even if it takes two don't worry, you are going to sand 90%+ of that off and in most places have what amounts to a thickness more akin to a layer of paint.

It is not structural material

It just makes structural material smooth and beautiful.
pinkyponk Avatar
Adrian Page
Nova Scotia Canada, Canada   can
I used at least a gallon but I grated and sanded most of it off. Anyone who can fit a front or rear fender to an MGB without filler is a better man than me. I tried using lead once but that is a skill I didn't master.

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100DashSix Avatar
Dan K
Alexandria, Virginia, USA   usa
Interesting! Good tips. I didn't know about using Bondo to smooth down the final look.
pinkyponk Avatar
Adrian Page
Nova Scotia Canada, Canada   can
In reply to # 2063337 by 100DashSix Interesting! Good tips. I didn't know about using Bondo to smooth down the final look.

Watch an episode of that Chip Foose show Overhaulin if you want to see some of the best in the industry use tons of bondo.

deo-pa Avatar
Dennis Owen
Hummelstown, PA, USA   usa
1969 MG MGB
What you are proposing is a major investment in time, money, and headaches. I know you are the original owner and probably envision returning your baby to its former glory. Nonetheless, I'd sell it for say $1,500 and buy one the other guy did all the work on for say $6,000 and spend the next year driving your car instead of working on it. You'll have more fun and be money ahead. The pleasure of driving will soon cause you to forget that it's not your original car.



Dennis Owen (Hummelstown, PA)
1969 MGB
Essentially stock but de-smogged.
Turned into a wonderful driver by our own Jack Austin.
NOHOME Avatar
Peter Plouf
London, Canada   can
1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye "Lil"
1967 MG MGB GT "Maggie (GT From Hell)"
In reply to # 2063460 by deo-pa What you are proposing is a major investment in time, money, and headaches. I know you are the original owner and probably envision returning your baby to its former glory. Nonetheless, I'd sell it for say $1,500 and buy one the other guy did all the work on for say $6,000 and spend the next year driving your car instead of working on it. You'll have more fun and be money ahead. The pleasure of driving will soon cause you to forget that it's not your original car.

Careful there, the "Headache" bit is not always applicable and should be replaced with the word "Challenge".

In reply to # 2063460 by deo-pa
You'll have more fun and be money ahead. The pleasure of driving will soon cause you to forget that it's not your original car.

Believe it of not, there is a contingent who consider the finished project to be more of a "headache". All you get to do with a finished car is wash, wax,tune, pay insurance and routine boring maintenance...nothing to "look forward to" with a finished project if you know what I mean.

This hobby is as much about money as it is about transportation...not so much in either case.winking smiley

pinkyponk Avatar
Adrian Page
Nova Scotia Canada, Canada   can
I'm with Peter. Driving a car isn't much of a hobby for me. Restoring one... now that's a different story!
Royal Lichter
Chicago, USA   usa
I guess it's a minority opinion to just go out and buy a nice car.

For me, cars are for driving---not averse to a project like a trans rebuild or adding an OD, but I'd blow my brains out if I was sitting in a garage doing body work.

I think these cars turn us all on in different ways. Some of us want to build V8 conversions, some of us want to do bolt for bolt restorations, some of us want to buy a rusty car and revive it, some of us just want to go out and buy a nice car and drive it!

wicklowwanderer Avatar
David Steverson
Marietta, Georgia, USA   usa
1969 MG MGB GT "Miriam"
David,
I did some work on a local MGB not long ago. Here's the details:

* Car was largely stripped of trim pieces, I removed windshield/frame, some lights, vent windows, some misc. trim.
* Welded in patch panels on one dog leg, both fender bottoms (panels provided by owner).
* Repaired some other body damage.
* Sanded, primed, sealed and painted car (including trunk, floors, and a bit in engine compartment).

I provided the paint (PPG base/clear) and charged $1175. I do this more as a hobby and to help MG's back on the road.

Maybe you can find a local person as well.
David
David Jefferson
Birmingham, USA   usa
Where are you?!!!

gooser Avatar
Drake Myers
Danville Va, USA   usa
well put royal.
pinkyponk Avatar
Adrian Page
Nova Scotia Canada, Canada   can
In reply to # 2063792 by rlich8 I guess it's a minority opinion to just go out and buy a nice car.

For me, cars are for driving---not averse to a project like a trans rebuild or adding an OD, but I'd blow my brains out if I was sitting in a garage doing body work.

I think these cars turn us all on in different ways. Some of us want to build V8 conversions, some of us want to do bolt for bolt restorations, some of us want to buy a rusty car and revive it, some of us just want to go out and buy a nice car and drive it!

I think the car has some sentimental value to the OP. He bought it new. I know I have a bit of an attachment to mine and I've only owned it for 30 years.

Royal Lichter
Chicago, USA   usa
In reply to # 2063873 by pinkyponk

I think the car has some sentimental value to the OP. He bought it new. I know I have a bit of an attachment to mine and I've only owned it for 30 years.

Emotions'll make ya do things sometimes! To that extent, I understand! smiling smiley
Starbuck Avatar
Monte johnjulio
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA   usa
1967 MG MGB GT "Toaster"
1974 MG MGB "The B"
1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500 "Shitfire"
In reply to # 2062722 by ClayJ
EDIT
...I would not use rattle-can paint, it won't hold up the the heat and oils for very long. You need a paint with hardener in it. Its fairly easy to paint the engine bay with minimal equipment....

I rattle can painted my 74 roadster engine bay, interior and trunk and it held up fine for 0ver 10 years and 100k+ miles.
if you prep it right it will hold up fine.
I just redid my GT engine bay, wheel wells and undercarriage and will be doing the interior areas as well...looks good and was prepped correctly.

Pro paint with hardener is always preferable but good spray can paint with proper prep is a perfectly viable alternative.



"...They say that a man with two restoration projects is a poor man...I now have three...WTF was I thinking!?!?!?!?!?!?!" UPDATE---I now have four projects!

1967 MGB-GT, 1974 MGB Roadster, 1995 Chevrolet Corvette LT-1, 1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500, 2010 Mini Cooper Convertible (Wifey's)

My 1974 MGB restoration at: http://mgbproject.blogspot.com/
My 1979 Spitfire restoration at: http://spitfire1500project.blogspot.com/
My 1967 MGB-GT restoration at: http://mgbgtproject.blogspot.com/

dtownsend Avatar
David Townsend
Rutland, Vermont USA, USA   usa
[/quote]Pro paint with hardener is always preferable but good spray can paint with proper prep is a perfectly viable alternative.
[/quote]

Agreed. I've had great success with the specialty coatings from Eastwood and recently started using the epoxy based chassis paints from VHT. Incredible stuff. Goes on great and is tough as nails. Colors are limited but the stuff sticks to darn near anything and finishes well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2012 07:06PM by dtownsend.
miatadon Avatar
Don Scott
Calistoga CA, USA   usa
Please excuse my sacrilege, but an alternative to spending a fortune on your B GT might be a car like this one. The first series of Miatas, especially an SE like this, are not very common now, especially that are still in good condition. The hardtop gives you the same closed-car experience as a B GT, and the AC gives you about 30 degrees cooler driving in the summer. I had one just like this, and the friend that bought it from me told me it is still going strong with 140k miles on the odometer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991-MAZDA-MIATA-SPECIAL-EDITION-2-054-ORIGINAL-MILES-MINT-CONDITION-/150813422775?pt=US_Cars_Trucks

ohlord Avatar
Rob C
North of Seattle, N.W., USA   usa
1971 MG MGB "Bedouin 2"
Miata? An MG without a soul. Surely you are jesting.winking smiley
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Sitting in co-pilot seat B-25 Mitchell Bomber.JPG (40.1 KB) –
Sitting in co-pilot seat B-25 Mitchell Bomber.JPG

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