XS500 Tank Work - Stock to Finish (primed)

[SrgtBear]

Here is a little preview of what a plastic mallet, bondo, and lots of sandpaper can do. I should probably add labor to the mix too.

Stock Tank:

Hammered in sides:

Bondo in progress:

Finished w/primer:

 

[Fix]

That looks great. Do you worry about the durability of a bondo edge that sharp?

 

[SrgtBear]

That looks great. Do you worry about the durability of a bondo edge that sharp?

The bondo is pretty solid. Was handling it alot. Once the stuff fully cures its hard to break off by hand. The shaping work had to be done by wood chizels and heavy grit sand paper. In my experience with this whole shaping process I learned alot when it comes to bondo. First of all the stuff is tough as shit and hard to fix if you mess up big time. You'll spend forever sanding that stuff off. I think the edges will remain stiff.

 

[cr8zy1van]

Agreed on the bondo toughness! I have been working with it a bit lately and found there is a sweet spot for shaping. I use a wood rasp to file it down while its still slightly warm to the touch. Removing excess before it is completely hard saves on a lot of sanding work! You can still sand it pretty easily for about a day with drywall sandpaper sheets... but after you are stuck with a hard surface! It bonds like crazy to anything clean, so unless there is a LOT of expansion/contraction, or you take a direct hit to your tank you should be fine!