Why?

[mr48chev]

A lot of stuff did disappear when scrap prices were really high. Even more parts donors got crushed than AD and TF trucks around here.

Maybe it is a western US thing but PO hacked trucks are almost the norm around here. I bought one 30 something years ago where they had taken a saw to an otherwise perfect grill to cut a hole big enough to get the cam through when they had to do a cam change rather than remove the grill. One of my student had (and probably still has) a 53 Chevy pickup that one of his uncles had put a 390 Ford in and torched a big notch out of the frame rail to clear the oil filter rather than buy a remote filter kit. I went out to look at a pair of fenders in the late 80's that a customer said he wanted to sell when he saw my 48 at in front of the parts house I was working part time at. Someone had taken a hammer and chisel and cut the grill out rather than jack the truck up to unbolt it from the bottom. Fenders had been perfect before they were hacked too.

[SavannahDog]

I remember at 13 years old. My parents decided that letting me buy a Model A and restore it would be best. Now I was a city boy and didn't know... My Parents had a huge Oak tree in the front yard. It held the engine and later the body. Now this was mid town Savannah. We had a welding shop weld in a new sill plate and replaced the panels in the lower 6" all the way around. Problem was they never ground off the welds. So I proceeded to lay "Bondo" on thick in order to smooth out the panels. I'd never seen nor heard about a grinder before

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by SavannahDog

I remember at 13 years old. My parents decided that letting me buy a Model A and restore it would be best. Now I was a city boy and didn't know... My Parents had a huge Oak tree in the front yard. It held the engine and later the body. Now this was mid town Savannah. We had a welding shop weld in a new sill plate and replaced the panels in the lower 6" all the way around. Problem was they never ground off the welds. So I proceeded to lay "Bondo" on thick in order to smooth out the panels. I'd never seen nor heard about a grinder before

LOL, I love those stories. I got my 48 Chevy pickup when I was 15, didn't even have a drivers license. I started to chop the top a few months later. I did a lot of bondo work on it before I found you you are suppose to dry sand bondo. I wet sanded it with pretty fine paper too. LOL

Brian

[1project2many]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

I did a lot of bondo work on it before I found you you are suppose to dry sand bondo. I wet sanded it with pretty fine paper too. LOL

Brian

I cannot imagine how many sheets of paper you used during that time.

FWIW many of my early days with cars also involved people with the unrealistic opinion that Bondo ruined a car, that Bondo was indication of poor quality work, that no good panel repair needed Bondo, and that Bondo was Evil in a can. The first time I tried my hand at body repairs I told the guy at the parts store what I was doing and that I was going to do it without Bondo. The man graciously went to the back, returned with a can of polyester filler of another brand, told me how to use it, and likely fell off his stool laughing as I walked away thinking I had found the way around using Bondo on my car.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by 1project2many

I cannot imagine how many sheets of paper you used during that time.

FWIW many of my early days with cars also involved people with the unrealistic opinion that Bondo ruined a car, that Bondo was indication of poor quality work, that no good panel repair needed Bondo, and that Bondo was Evil in a can. The first time I tried my hand at body repairs I told the guy at the parts store what I was doing and that I was going to do it without Bondo. The man graciously went to the back, returned with a can of polyester filler of another brand, told me how to use it, and likely fell off his stool laughing as I walked away thinking I had found the way around using Bondo on my car.

LOLOL, I actually only use the term "Bondo" on forums being it's so widely called that, I will generally call it on the job "polyester filler" if talking to a customer or something. I have seen such HORRIBLY done "bondo" work that LASTED I am convinced that if done even remotely correct that car will be in rusting away in a wrecking yard in 50 years and that bondo will still be there and no one will know the better. It's a tool like any other, it can be used properly or it can be used wrong. And today, we have some pretty amazing polyester filler that makes that old stuff look stupid and it like I said will be on that car rusted in the wrecking yard when we are dead and gone.

Brian