Bonding adhesive for body panels...Anybody use this stuff before?
 

I have some custom work I want to do and welding is not an options (actually grinding would be the problem). I'm concerned about rust under a sheetmetal over sheetmetal application (about 12" x 24") . Also, on adhesion, how well does this stuff hold? Is it user friendly?

BTW, I posted on paint and body and got no information so I posted here. Thanks

I had new floor pans and rockers installed at a body shop. Some of it was welded-in and some was installed with their adhesive system. I have had no problems with it at all. The way they use it seals the joint from air infiltration. Welding creates oxidation, so I am feeling pretty good about what I have. Hope this helps.

i believe snowman uses it you could ask him.

A good friend of mine owns a bodyshop in Michigan and he swears by this stuff. (No, not at it) Says it makes some repairs better than could be done with welding. He also brought up the sealing out of air.

I think we've discussed this one on here before too so it might be worth a look.

www.autobodystoreonline.com has people who know plenty about this stuff.

There's an Eastwood kit for this that sounds like it would do a pretty good job. Classic Trucks replaced a cab-corner in their Feb issue using the Eastwood kit. I'm interested in trying this method too. I've also talked to a guy in a body shop and most of their work is with adhesives now and he believes it's better than welding for non-structural things. He seems to me to be a non-bs kind of guy with lots of experience with repair.

Greg

i used it on my sidecar. the stuff holds well, i dare say just as strong as weld. easy to put on too.

the down sides... cost a lot.. it well come loose when exspoed to lots of heat! this made a big mess for me. after i put on my sheet metal, i needed to weld a piece on the botton. the area of sheet metal around the weld started to come part from the frame... not good. i couldnt refuse it, had to reweld.. more heat,, more reweld. ended up welding the whole thing.

i promiced myself id never use it again (fuzeor it think its called)
however for some applications it would be just the stuff.

Cool. Here's what I'm hearing:

Easy
Works well for non-structural
Do all my welding on the panel first!
Be prepared to pay (any idea how much?)
Better than welding as far as oxidation is concerned.

Thanks!:gmc:

I used it for the patches on the holes from my Auxiliary fuel tanks. I am not sure if it was from the vibration from my bed jumping, or what, but it is now cracked through the paint, causing me much grief!!!

I am going to tach weld them this time, and grind!!!:mad:

Ok, does this stuff need to be used with the repair panel overlapped, or can it be used where a butt weld would be used? If so, how is it applied for a butt weld? Thanks

I just used it today as a matter of fact, put a roof skin on a Tundra with it. Its made by 3M and is called Panelbond. I don't trust it but it does make for a nice finished result. You can't use it for a butt seam. For this type both metal surfaces have to be ground clean then you apply a fine bead to both bare surfaces and spread it over the bare metal with a spreader if you will. Then you apply another bead on top of the skim layer to actually bond the panels together. Then it must be clamped tightly until dry or about 24 hours to be safe. We have had a couple bed sides come back with cracking of seams though. I will have to let time show me that its as good as they say it is. It has miniscule glass beads in it to keep from squeezing it all out when it is clamped. It does work well as a plastic repair and on fiberglass.

Have you looked into using something like POR-15 over it when finished?

I've heard a couple of different ways of clamping;

Use regular body clamps,
Use sheetmetal screw and grind them off when you're done,
Use rivets instead of screws. Not like I'm a salesman for Eastwood or anything but from that writeup in Classic Trucks, they have a dimpling tool (which I'm sure could be home-made) that you use once you've drilled the holes for the rivets or the screws. That way there's a metal spike going through the panels every few inches.

As for the butt vs lap method; usually the write ups say just pick a spot that it's going to be less conspicuous to overlap the pieces and use kitty-hair as a filler but I've been thinking that if a person were to take a strip of metal a couple of inches wide to span the gap between the panels, you could usse that as a backing and it would make for a more invisible patch. (Holy run-on sentence, batman!) Again, referring to that article...that apparently works.

Greg

ive talked to a body guy in town here , and hes actually said hes seen the panels fall off before. so he doenst use it

I screwed the panels in, and ground down the heads and it held up for ahile. But I think that because of the jolting my bed got that it just
cracked loose around the edges.

The stuff is great to work with though, and I think I would still use it for patching my fuel hole when I relocate my tank!!!

What is the process for finishing the panel after it cures? Does it sand easily?

We ground mine down, and body puddied til nice and smooth. It really came out nice except for the stress cracking.

I'll post a few pictures tomorrow of the cracking I am experiencing..