Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

He did say it was special filler that moves with the fibreglass....is there something on the market now that might not have been when Miles Wilkins' books were written, some 20 years ago? It would be nice to avoid having to use all that mat, tissue and gel....a nasty smelly job!

robertverhey wrote:He did say it was special filler that moves with the fibreglass....is there something on the market now that might not have been when Miles Wilkins' books were written, some 20 years ago? It would be nice to avoid having to use all that mat, tissue and gel....a nasty smelly job!

Fillers have improved somewhat but they are basically the same technology as they were 20 years ago. Filler is for final shaping and should be kept to a minimum in a good repair.

There are no magic paints or fillers. There is only one way to do the job properly and that is to repair the shell.

One thing which has changed in the last 20 years is paint technology 2K primer fillers are very good and 2K paint is economical and durable (compared to cellulose for example). That said, paint is just paint and it's only as good as what it sits on!

I've used polyester spray filler several times, and in all cases found that it takes days to harden up sufficiently to be sanded; whether it will harden better in an oven I can't say, but ovens aren't that hot, and I've used it on a hot summers day at least once.

normal practice for me is to put the polyester on, leave for 3 days then apply 2k primer and dry flat that; as previously said if you wet flat it, then you have got to get it hot to dry the body out, as well as the paint.

Plastic padding used to do a flexible filler, it was impossible to sand smooth, as it was too soft; unfortunately,there is no quick fix.

desprit dan wrote:I've used polyester spray filler several times, and in all cases found that it takes days to harden up sufficiently to be sanded......

........Plastic padding used to do a flexible filler, it was impossible to sand smooth, as it was too soft; unfortunately,there is no quick fix.

Not being rude, but are you sure you put the activator in? I've Used "U-Pol Reface" spray filler, in good weather and the only problem I had was getting it out of the gun before it cured. It dries and behaves much the same as conventional filler paste and is sandable in a short time. A trade aquaintance of mine used it on most of his everyday body repairs.

You are perfectly correct that all the coats should be left as long as possible to thoroughly dry and harden before susequent coats are applied. If you need to paint an Elan in a hurry, my advice is don't!

Yes, you are thinking of so called "Plastic Padding Elastic". There have been lots of fillers over the years making all sorts of bold claims but in my experience of using many kilos of them they are all much the same. Some are finer, some sand easier and some pinhole less but they are all designed to be the final shaping skim over proper repairs (be they on glass or steel)

We all have to do quickie trade repairs to earn a living but if it's a car you value and you want it to last there is only one way to do it and that's properly.

Yes, I did put the activator in! although in my first encounter with polyester spray filler in the mid eighties, I didn't! a friend gave me a litre tin (but no activator, or any mention that one was needed) and I used on a mk2 Jag; it eventually went off after about 2 months, good job it was a long term resto!

I should mention that it is the surface that remains tacky, and if you try and sand it, the abrasive paper clogs really quick.

desprit dan wrote:Yes, I did put the activator in! although in my first encounter with polyester spray filler in the mid eighties, I didn't! a friend gave me a litre tin (but no activator, or any mention that one was needed) and I used on a mk2 Jag; it eventually went off after about 2 months, good job it was a long term resto!

I should mention that it is the surface that remains tacky, and if you try and sand it, the abrasive paper clogs really quick.

I can only comment on the U-Pol product but it certainly cured OK. As mentioned the biggest problem I had was it was too fast and actually started to cure in the gun nozzle. I flatted it dry using around 180 grit production paper without any problem.

I have another friend who restores old motorcyles and he uses it to fill the pits in otherwise sound but pitted steel parts (after they are grit blasted) Again using the U-Pol filler and he's a fan of the product.

I know ICI used to market one back in the 70-80's and if I recall it was just called Polyester Spray Filler but I can't comment on how good or otherwise it was.

tell you what, bet he wouldnt have been tearing around like the big fella was on his test drive,if he'd seen the state of those top ball joints......
think i'll take mine for an mot where the seller took his.......

And the doughnuts man, don't forget the state of his doughnuts.

I know this is years late but this car had a clean MoT in November 2009.
With a car the original owner said he didn't drive there's no way the ball joint would have got that bad.
Same goes for the rotoflex - they all looked good and the 'bad' one was looked ok before they took it off.
So the usual tart up job!!

A bit late to comment here but I think we are talking about different products here, Plastic Padding is a paste filler, not a spray filler, it's much thicker and cures quite slowly if the mix is correct. Spray fillers should cure more quickly.