I've got an Amen Savior frame, and the thing seems to be made out of bondo. So much that it's cracking and chipping. The reason for the Bondo, I guess,
was to "smooth" the frame and "round" ALL the corners and welds. I dont mean just a little to clean up a weld, I mean 1 inch thich trying
to round all the corners! Here is a picture. I wouldnt mind a little to smooth out a
few welds but I think this is overboard. What I'm really looking for is what would have been done in the 70's. Is it worth it to rebondo the frame?
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Bondo or not?
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 shthfkup |
Bondo or not? |
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Posts: 4 (11/03/08 1:42 AM) |
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ratfink56 |
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Posts: 115 (11/03/08 4:30 AM) |
what you have was the 70s. I remember spending hours and hours doing the same thing to an old ironhead chopper. how bad do you want it?
if it was mine I'd blast some rattle can flat black on it and run it! I ain't much on pretty.
apehangers and chrome don't make it a chopper
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rakeNtrail |
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Posts: 1806 (11/03/08 5:06 AM) G.O.T.F. Member |
Safety should always come first. Personally, the paint looks like shit and
needs to be re-done anyway so why not remove the bondo, inspect the welds for cracks and then give her the needed facelift. If the bondo is just cracked due to poor prep then moisture is in the cracks and rusting your frame. It the weld/s is/are cracked then you're possibly saving a life. Yours!
Why is it that an oil painting of boobies is art and a photograph of boobies is porn?
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Amen Ken |
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Posts: 110 (11/03/08 5:15 AM) |
The only way to know what ya got is to take it all down to bare bones and build up from there.
Just my .02 for what its worth nowdays. Later, Kenny |
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 Roadkill Savior |
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Posts: 4771 (11/03/08 5:32 AM) Senior Member |
strip it down and, inspect welds and re-mold to your liking, like you said...just enough to smooth out the welds.
"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks."
Daniel Boone H.C.C.M.F. Local 6978 Roadkill |
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snuffymanson |
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Posts: 5247 (11/03/08 9:25 AM) |
I don't know diddly about bodywork , but I've heard many times that bondo shouldn't be layed on more than about 1/8 " deep . A lot of that
stuff was done in the 70's , real heavy molding , then it starts cracking and sometimes chunks fall off . Your best bet is to do like what's allready
been said , strip it all off , check the frame and welds for cracks , go from there .
Kenny |
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crazycats3 |
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Posts: 515 (11/03/08 11:58 AM) |
I'd strip it all out just to look at the welds. I'd be worried about it cracking under my fat ass at 65 mph. I've hit the pavement hard, more than
once and am in no hurry to do it again. As far as redoing the bondo, I would personally use as little as possible. It's a motorcycle and it's supposed
to have welds. Why try to hide what everyone knows is there?
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snuffymanson |
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Posts: 5249 (11/03/08 1:14 PM) |
I've never understood that part , specially if you have nice welds . Like one of Red & Kate's .
Kenny |
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shthfkup |
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Posts: 5 (11/03/08 2:47 PM) |
Thanks all, but I'm still confused. Everyone is focusing on stripping and checking the frame. I do plan on stripping it ALL, and checking for cracks and so
on. I just didnt know how much bondo (if any) I should put back on. Right now just trying to plan ahead. The whole plan is the flat black, rat look from the
70's. I have built a few bikes, but I want that real 70's look. I was barely there, so I do have lots of questions about how things were then. So, back
to the point...Hours and hours of body work rounding the edges, or not.
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rakeNtrail |
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Posts: 1809 (11/03/08 3:08 PM) G.O.T.F. Member |
The amount of moulding depends on what you want it to look like.
If there's going to be any thickness to it you may want to do the initial fills with the fiber reinforced stuff first and a thin coat of the regular bondo on top. It's yours so do it "your way"! Don't want any? Just paint it and go. No right or wrong here.
Why is it that an oil painting of boobies is art and a photograph of boobies is porn?
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BigDickJim |
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Posts: 53 (11/03/08 6:04 PM) |
If you are looking how it was done in the 70s you need to buy some old 70s honda chopper magazines. you can find them in ebay or at yard sales (look for old
people. thats were the book are at.) and instead of boldo use fiberglass it won't draw in mosture .
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TexasRon |
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Posts: 2730 (11/03/08 6:08 PM) Senior Member |
Yes hours and hours of Work will turn out a flawless piece of work that you will be proud of for years....so start the process and get to the bidness of
choppin
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Lady Dr |
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Posts: 1343 (11/03/08 8:45 PM) Hcmf |
rakeNtrail hit it right on the head! If you do exactly as he says then your bondo will last for a long time! If you have your doubts then check this out. I put this bondo on in 1977 exactly the way that rakeNtrail
said. And believe me that there are places where the bondo is 1" thick and no cracks yet!
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Roadkill Savior |
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Posts: 4773 (11/03/08 9:02 PM) Senior Member |
Use Duraglass it's heavy and harder to work with but it is waterproof and will last a long time.
"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks."
Daniel Boone H.C.C.M.F. Local 6978 Roadkill |
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junk yard jon |
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Posts: 979 (11/04/08 5:30 PM) |
i hate bondo! :LOL
I was born with nothing and still have most of it.
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rakeNtrail |
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Posts: 1824 (11/04/08 6:00 PM) G.O.T.F. Member |
junk yard jon wrote: Bondo doesn't think much of you either!  
Why is it that an oil painting of boobies is art and a photograph of boobies is porn?
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junk yard jon |
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Posts: 982 (11/04/08 6:16 PM) |
good cause that asshole can go fuck his self
I was born with nothing and still have most of it.
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rakeNtrail |
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Posts: 1825 (11/04/08 7:11 PM) G.O.T.F. Member |
junk yard jon wrote: Wasn't he married to Cher back in the day?
Why is it that an oil painting of boobies is art and a photograph of boobies is porn?
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