patching up a edge? bondo?

[Beretta]

ok i got a problem the base on one side of my cab is CHEWED UP..

it has water stains so it's seen water, but on top of that it had no legs so it was sitting on it's side panels which lead to them being pretty chewed up.

the layers of plywood has started to seperate.. im confident i can fix thi with lots of wood glue and some well placed slivers of wood.

However, the bottom front right panel has a healthy piece of wood missing..

i would like to recreate it's edge.. i know i one option would be to cut the piece off and patch it with a new one.. but i'd rather not do that.

i've heard of people using bondo on their cabs, i've never used it.. although i know it's used for auto body work in filling in depressions..

is it strong enough to recreate an edge with? where there is no wood just bondo?

[theegg]

Bondo will work just use layers to build it up use more then need and sand.
It will take a bit of time.

[Beretta]

ok then questions.

1. where is a good place to get it?
2. how can i shape it? i mean is it thick enough to stay put by it self?

my first thought is to take a couple pieces of wood to create straight edges.. but then when it dries would'nt it be stuck to that wood as well..

advice please?

[Red 5]

Use wood and cover it with wax paper. Bondo will not stick to the wax paper.

[Beretta]

ah thanks for the tip.

i just realized something today... i thought it was just this one edge.. but it seems the entire botto of the right side panel is missing aprox 1/2 inch of wood..

now im wondering if it might not be better to just chop it off even and add a 1/2 inch strip at the bottom.

[Ond]

ah thanks for the tip.

i just realized something today... i thought it was just this one edge.. but it seems the entire botto of the right side panel is missing aprox 1/2 inch of wood..

now im wondering if it might not be better to just chop it off even and add a 1/2 inch strip at the bottom.

I wouldn't use 'Bondo' to repair that damaged edge (you probably know I use Bondo alot  )  The timber there is in poor shape by the looks of it.  I'd cut it back to where the timber is solid and create a new edge with similar material. either with a timber baton on the rear side to reinforce it or a thin steel plate/flat bracket if space is tight.  You could then bolt through the joined panels, through the plate and counter sink the bolt heads into the timber, then use Bondo to fill over the holes and any gaps.  You'd get a nice strong and smooth edge that way.  Bondo is good to cover surfaces gaps or cracks with but difficult to make a shape out of without some underlying structure.  Hope that helps.

[TeamTEOR]

If it is possible I would really replace the whole piece. That is a little too much to think about working with bondo for this one. You have wood glue which will make it easy to attach a new bottom, but I would follow it up with a nail gun or use brads.  You can always just attach a new square the full size of the bottom, and then use bondo to fill it in, then you would at least have something solid for it to attach to, as well as a solid bottom for legs or casters.

[Beretta]

Bondo is good to cover surfaces gaps or cracks with but difficult to make a shape out of without some underlying structure.  Hope that helps.

ya i've never used bondo so i was'nt sure if it could be molded into shapes.. thats what i as worried about.

it's really not as bad as it looks.. the layers of ply wood are coming apart on the edges because it was missing legs and they just moved it around on it's side panels.

the wood glue has actually worked great at fixing this problem.

im still left with the jagged edges you see because wood is missing.. but it is sold now.



to be clear the actual base of the cab is about 1 1/2 inches higher then the side panels..

that is to say the side panels are actually 1 1/2 inchs longer then the base.. to hide the factory leg levelers.

so the base is actually fine, no signs of any water damage or anything it's like 1inch ply wood so it's pretty solid.

it's the side panel that is the problem here which is a cosmetic problem rather then a structural one.. the missing half inch of wood was just there to hide the legs does'nt actually provide any real support because the base is attached further up the side panel inside.

[TeamTEOR]

Oh Ok, if it is not structural, then by all means use Bondo. I had to sand and chip away a good part of my outer panels due to water damage. That has held up very well and I was even able to use my router to put the groove for the T-molding. I did it in layers, to get it as close to making a right angle, and then used an orbital sander to finish it off right before routing.

Bondo is pretty easy to work with.... If you have ever used plaster to fix a wall you can work with Bondo easy. The whole trick is make sure you have the enough hardener and mix it well.

[BamBam]

If it is possible I would really replace the whole piece. That is a little too much to think about working with bondo for this one. You have wood glue which will make it easy to attach a new bottom, but I would follow it up with a nail gun or use brads.  You can always just attach a new square the full size of the bottom, and then use bondo to fill it in, then you would at least have something solid for it to attach to, as well as a solid bottom for legs or casters.

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