Fiberglass vs Bondo

[FratWagon86]

I ordered a bunch of tan bedliner from durabak and I am going to do the inside and then exterior below the woodgrain. I hacked out my wheel wells and now have a a gap in the rear fenders that I filled with great stuff. But since I am going to do the wheel wells also I need to cover the gap. What would the best material be to use?

[RWalker]

Is there any way to rivet or weld in some panels? That would be the best long term solution.

[FratWagon86]

I would weld something but I cannot weld and to have someone do it will be to expensive.

[4x4n In A Cherokee In Colorado]

Bondo has no strength, its just a mixture of hardining resins, it cant bridge a gap....Only good for small imperfections.

Fiberglass could work...

Some guys have used expandable foam. 3M makes some rubberized foam in a bag that is very tough and water resistant. It comes in a two part bag, and when mixed/activated becomes a pressured bag of foam. Or some, use the stuff you can but at the hardware store.

Welded Steel would be the best.

But do what fits you!! Some will last longer than others.

[FratWagon86]

It has foam in gap right now but I need something that is strong enough to hold the bedliner. The gap is not very wide I dont think it goes over 1.5 inches.

[Chevelleguy]

Since you can't weld, go with the fiberglass.

[AMX factor]

Fiberglass would be easiest to do. Just mix up some add a ton of shredded fiber or cloth and just glass the edges. After it cures for a few good days, cures faster when warmer, run a sanding block over it to take off the rough edges and then paint the Durabak over it. Should hold just fine as long as you mix the fiberglass correctly. I am using fiberglass to fill the holes in my front and rear fenders where the lights were. I am installing smaller brighter LED marker lights. What I have done already is holding nice and strong.

[Ole' Mud & Guts]

I used the tan Durabak on my interior and made some welded steel patches and some fiberglass patches in the floor boards. Both are holding up just fine and the durabak sticks to everything.

The tan Durabak actually turns out to be a color somewhere around mustard, so, I painted over it with some urethane auto paint (recomended by durabak) and it is awesome. really tough stuff.

Good luck to you.

[Chrome]

Here's a good redneck version of body repair: Take close knit wire, like chicken coop wire, and cut it so if fits the area in question. Then mold or bend the wire to fit the contour of the area. You can put a few small screws thru the wire to help hold it in place. Now take fiberglass cloth with a mixture of resin and apply it over the wire until entire area is covered. The cloth will be easier to sand while the wire underneath will give more support.

[FratWagon86]

I will go with the fiberglass and then durabak it. I will post pics when I am done. I am also getting my seats done in a carhat like material with the littl epatches on each seat so it should look pretty good. Thanks for the advice.

[scott f]

If you use the foam and put Durabak over the foam it will work just fine. Be careful of the Durabak color you select because it is different than what they advertise.. By the way I have Durabak on the outside of my Wag and I am taking it off. It fades quickly and hard to wash and dry. It is tough stuff though.

[FratWagon86]

The problem with foam is not a level surface so I am trying to get a good level surface and if i fiberglass it is dhould come out nice and clean. I am going to use the tan color I hope it turns out all right

[brielly]

Instead of using polyester resin try epoxy. Its more expensive but is much stronger and will last longer.