Hi A.B.:
I'm sorry but I must disagree with you. The kind of skill that was
demonstrated takes a lifetime to acquire and is unaffordable to all but the
most affluent. For the remainder of us, fillers offer a perfectly
acceptable means of repairing what our skills or out pocketbooks cannot
provide.
I have automobiles which I have owned for more than 20 years which were
repaired using filler more than 10 years before that. There is still no
sign of deterioration because the work was done satisfactorily to begin
with. The old Briticism that fillers in bodys or gasket sealers on gaskets
are the refuge of a poor workman is simply untrue. H.J. Mulliner made
bodies for the rich. They didn't care what it cost. That kind of
craftmanship, wonderful as it was, no longer is affordable.
My Lagonda was built by old-fashioned craftmanship at Tickford Coachworks.
It is a miracle that it has survived as long as it has. This horrendous
combination of wood, aluminum, steel and leather defies description. It
was obviously not designed, if any formally-educated designer was involved,
with a view to repair or longevity. The structure lacks any form of
weather protection and would have been nearly irreparable in case of
collision. The quality and sizes of fasteners used was completely
inconsistent with the task asked of them. Many of the most important
structural components of the car were made of thin sheetmetal, cast
aluminum or wood.
The use of wood as a major structural component was discontinued in nearly
every automobile made long prior to 1957 - with the exception of the
verymost expensive cars from Britain. In this case the old-fashioned
methods were plainly inferior, although sold at a tremendous premium
because of their emphasis on "old-world craftmanship".
John McEwen
>In <bb99974.34882e3b@aol.com>, Bob MGT wrote:
>>In a message dated 97-12-05 03:50:28 EST, you write:
>>
>>> Don't be afraid to use filler. To me making a
>>> "filler free car" is like rebuilding a carb using
>>> only your mouth. It's a parlour trick, making things
>>> tougher for a silly reason.
>>>
>>> Filler has a bad name because people gob POUNDS
>>> of it on to fill dents and cover rust. Used properly
>>> for smoothing and light filling, it's a wonderful
>>> substance and lasts well.
>>>
>>
>>I agree, I've heard from several professionals that
>>"Bondo" is better than lead ever was. It's the
>>teenagers trying to build whole cars out of the
>>stuff that gives it a bad name.
>>
>About three weeks ago I attended a 2-day seminar on bodywork
>techniques conducted by Mick Lewis of Missisauga, ONT. He began
>working for H.J. Mulliner in 1956, also worked for Cobra and Rolls
>Royce, runs his own shop now. He convinced me of the wisdom of doing
>bodywork correctly. It doesn't take that much longer, and it yields a
>panel that is as good as new.
>
>He never uses plastic. He uses skill.
>
> A. B. Bonds
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