new berger idea

[kylerobison]

so i picked up a berger panel today from the junk yard. heres is my idea for it. i wanna sand down all the paint and fill in the letters and key hole and paint it all black but my question is what do i use to fill it in and what kind of sand paper should i buy for this whole process as well as paint?

[TheGr8Schlotzky]

Re: new berger idea

You going to do flat black?

First off your going to have to get all the paint off the area you are filling. You can use a number of things to fill it in, the easiest being bondo or equivalent. Easy to fill in and quick to sand smooth. Another option is fiberglass, which would work, and won't crack as easy, plus it's the same material as the berger itself. But it would take much longer to sand and imo overall much more of a pita than bondo.

You'll need 60 grit to sand it smooth, then some 220, then 800 wet, then primer, then 1000 wet, then base, and if you're adding clear, 1000 or 1500, then clear. Flat will be much more easily achieved with cans but gloss is plenty doable.

[kylerobison]

Re: new berger idea

i was thinking a gloss black beacause i think itll match better because i wanna later paint the top section by the t-tops gloss black too. but i was thinking bondo because i dont have any body work experience but im sure i can handle it. how exactly shound i sand it.........?

like what should i dry sand and what wet sand and exatly what grit. iv never painted body before.

[TheGr8Schlotzky]

Re: new berger idea

Bondo is easy to work with, but make sure you are down to fiberglass within 2 inches around the letters and lock hole. Then your going to want to mix up the bondo and apply it liberally. Wait 15-20 minutes and put on another coat if needed. Sand it with 60 grit dry until it's smooth. There will be a ton of dust, but it will go pretty fast. If there are any pock marks or holes, put another layer of bondo down and resand.

Once it's smooth, step it up to 220 dry and make sure to feather the edges very well and get all the rough scratches from the 60 grit out. Then step up to 800 wet, keeping hte sand paper always wet, and dipping it in water often. Then clean it off with dawn and water and dry it off really good. lay down your *sandable* primer and give it a good 30 minutes to dry before wetsanding with 800. Then lay your base coat, in this case gloss black, dont' go too thick to prevent running but make sure you have good coverage. Do as many coats as you would like. Give it a good 3 hours to dry before taking some 1000 grit wet to it and using a light source to make sure you get rid of all the low spots (shiny spots). Again clean it with dawn and water, then get your clear gloss and apply in medium coats. Depending on the clear you use, it can take away from the deepness of the color, so generally don't do too many coats of clear with rattle cans unless it's nice paint.


Give it a good 3 days to cure, and if you want more shine, go for color sanding. This is all wetsanding, making sure the area is ALWAYS VERY wet. start with 1500 grit, sanding lightly using a light source like the sun to make sure you've got everything dull. Any shiny spots are low spots known as orange peel, which is very present from rattle cans. Once it's completely dull, step up to 2000 grit, followed by 2500 grit. Then your going to want to wash it off with dawn and water and dry again. Then go at it with rubbing compound, polishing compound, scratch remover, swirl remover, polish, and then wax.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[kristen]

Re: new berger idea

i've seen it done. i'l check for pics

[stevethepirate]

Re: new berger idea

i've seen it done. i'l check for pics

x2. Its been done a lot over on tech. I'll look and see if i can find a writeup or something.

[zpwn06]

Re: new berger idea

I think I understand what your doing I just wonder why. For smoothness?
I think it'll look good, but I would be worried about not being able to open the hatch. My opener button fails all the time.

[huggercamaro99]

Re: new berger idea

I've seen pictures of what your talking about. IMO it looks better WITH the letters.

[kylerobison]

Re: new berger idea

im mainly just doing this as a test and practice on body work. if anyone can get pics thatd be nice

heres my progress. sry for pics they were taken with my phone.







as i started sanding there was like bubbles in the letters.(see pic below) is this normal and shoul di just add a lil more bondo?

[TheGr8Schlotzky]

Re: new berger idea

If there are any pock marks or holes, put another layer of bondo down and resand.

Yes, just put another light layer down and resand.

[kylerobison]

Re: new berger idea

current progress.



i couldnt get the bondo in the keyhole to stay so i said FUK IT. layed a few coats of primer






whatcha think so far?

[Slave One]

Re: new berger idea

Sweet!! Looking really good so far to me...

Me think I am going to do the berger on my glossy black car flat black... maybe glossy black inserts??

[kylerobison]

Re: new berger idea

i noticed there are a few spots under the primer where u can see sand marks from the 60grit(i think). what should i do sand the primer back down and wet sand with 400grit to smooth the marks the 60grit made?

[TheGr8Schlotzky]

Re: new berger idea

Yeah your going to want to sand that primer off and go over it with 220 like i said before. Then step up to 600-800 wet to really get it smooth, then prime. I gave you a step by step in post 4, that should get you through just fine.

[kylerobison]

Re: new berger idea

i tried my best to follow with what i got here. i cant get ahole of 800 cause walmart was sold out and i had nowhere else to go. i did about 4 layers of bondo(to get all the holes filled), and dry sanded with 60 grit inbetween layers. after i was happy with the bondo i sand it with 220, then i wet sanded with 220. i guess ill have to look around to fine higher grit. im learning alot about body work and sanding from doing this and i recomend every try something like this cause ull learn alot.