Restoring Crumpled wings on my 8HP

[PaulB]

I have a crumpled near side front wing which I wanted to restore, and I would be grateful for some advice before I begin work.

I'd like to know which is the best "Body Filler" to use to rebuild the damaged part of the wing, and should I use body filler?

And what about paint. Should I use spray paint, or should I use coach paint.

I remember talking to a member at our Bingley rally who had on display his lovely Javelin, which he brush painted himself using coach paint.
Trouble is I can't remember the brand he used. Can anybody help please.

What grade sand paper would you recommend.

Thanks.

[Keith Andrews]

Put up some pics to give us an idea of the damage.

the best "Body Filler" to use to rebuild the damaged part of the wing

Body filler is not used to "rebuild" It is used to skim after rebuilding.
Usually no more than 1mm thick, then hi build sprayed and blocked down

[george garside]

[quote="Keith Andrews"]Put up some pics to give us an idea of the damage.

[quote]the best "Body Filler" to use to rebuild the damaged part of the wing[/quote]

Body filler is not used to "rebuild" It is used to skim after rebuilding.
Usually no more than 1mm thick, then hi build sprayed and blocked down[/quote]

filler & paint only come after the wing has been either beeaten back into near enough shape or if damage is really bad after a piece has been cut out & replaced with a 'repair panel' ( a piece of tin beaten to shape & welded in) look on it as an opportunity to aquire some panel beating skills!

Originally any imperfections would have been lead loaded & then smoothed bit modern filler will do the job quite well. As Kieth has said, put up some pics & no dubt you will get an abundance of assorted opinions on the best way forward

george

[Keith Andrews]

Leading is a skill now long dead.....leading is not something for the faint hearted....too much heat causes panels to warp, if fliux is not floated out, causes corrosion and damage to paint from underneath

There is nothing wrong with modern body fillers of quailty and If done correct..they are far superior to lead.....Modern fillers are NOT put directly onto steel,
Any steel that is exposed, should be covered from the air ASAP...within 20 minutes of exposure steel starts to get microscopic surface rust...
When a patch is finished it is immediatley cleaned and sealed with epoxy sealer, then the fillers are used to finish any imperfections that a hi build would not do.

Also note with dents...these can not just be beaten out.....
the surface distance acroos a dent is greater than the orginal shape, so as the dent is beaten out this access surface area has no where to go, and merges into the surrounding area distorting the shape of the whole panel.

The dent needs to be shrunk as it is beaten out,,,,generally by heating with a torch a spot in the center that 'takes up the stretched excess.
On can also use a battery to shrink mild dents by dragging the jumpper leads across the surface...Both of these require some practice and experiance, and an understanding of what the metal does as it is heated and beaten