That is a great story. My vote is the original restoration.

Agree!! With that story, take it back to original! Such good stuff! But either way you go, congrats on the project and we will all be watching!

Another vote for back to it's OG state

Team Malibu.

More skim coat, sanding and blocking.
First a thin coat of filler, then work it down with an air file with 80 grit, then block sand with 180 grit.

Hammer and dolly work was done before the filler went on. No serious dents; just door dings and smoothing out where rust repairs were made.

Fear not; it won't be a Bondo body. Very little filler left after sanding and blocking.

Should have it in primer in a couple of days.

Also in!

Bondo has a bad reputation because of its abusers. Used in moderation and prepped appropriately, it can make for a good foundation for a really smooth looking finish.

Can't wait to see it back together.

I use the term "Bondo" as a generic reference to body filler. Actually it's 3M's top of the line filler.
You're right, used in moderation and properly sealed it can improve even the original, undamaged factory body lines.
I've found a couple of barely perceptible low spots in the body which I'm positive were in it from the factory; never any damage there.
A slight skim of filler and it's perfect.

I found evercoat's rage gold to be easier to work with. It just seemed to sand a lot better.

If you really want to get perfect panels you are going to need to shoot a coat of a something feather fill g2. (Think sprayable Bondo). 99.99% of it will end up on your shop floor but you will end up with absolutely perfect panels.

Use a guide coat (I liked the powdered kind with the applicator better than that spray cans). Needless to say that a full set of sanding blocks is a must, but also pick up a set of Soft Sanders"

Don't go cheap on paper. Especially as you get into the higher grits. Higher quality paper will last longer and be more consistent.

I did a little bit of leading on a few spots. I was happy with the results but I see why the move was made to polyester fillers.

The spray on bondo works magic! I used eastwood's concourse on my son's C-10. Perfect adhesion and blocked out very nice with very crisp lines. Do be careful with the mix though...first pot in my siphon gun I had to chisel out within 5 minutes of the mix. Use a small amount in a test pot to make sure the instructions are correct!

Nice work

Looks great! I'll be in Nac on Tuesday and would love to check it out!

This thread makes me want to move back to the USA so bad it's not even funny.

I have a funeral to attend at 2 on Tuesday but before or after I could show you the car.
Shoot me contact info if you want to fit it in.

Bcssquares@gmail.com Shoot me an email. Will be in Nac all day today, leaving tomorrow morning.

Hope it goes back to Wedding Day Malibu looks, but with a little more oomph under the hood, and suspension upgrades.

There are enough SS clones in the world.

I'm still vascillating between full out SS clone and original Malibu.

Bought a 396 short block and it's being machined and built now. Full up, forged pistons, roller cam, fuel injection.

Then, just when I think I'm committed to SS, somebody like you comes along and says "wedding day Malibu!!"

Malibu with a built 396?? Hmmm.

Second coat of high build primer.
It'll cure overnight.
Block sand tomorrow.

Keep up the good work!

Trinity Ag said:

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stbabs said:

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Malibu with a built 396?? Hmmm.

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I love a good sleeper!

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My vote!

Keep the pics coming. Love it when a project comes together.

Body is in final blocking primer.
Now, to the doors, trunk lid and front fenders.

Skim coating any surface with even the slightest imperfection. Then air file with 40 grit followed by block sanding with 80, 120 then 180 grit. Had to add some filler to a couple of spots on the doors after they were sanded with the air file.

The trunk lid, which looked fine before removing old paint, actually has some very slight low spots. They got skim coat and will air file tomorrow.


Doors have been skim coated, air filed and blocked. Couple of imperfection were recoated.

There is something very zen about the process of working a panel. I loved the hours I spent getting panels straight.


Granted this was a hobby and not a job.

With all this hand sanding I could rob a bank and leave no fingerprints!!

Very satisfying when you slide your fingertips over a panel and they tell you, "This one is ready. Mix the primer!"

This is where I lost my fingerprints. Bottom side of the trunk lid.

No room for air sanders and didn't want to sandblast for fear of filling the thing full of sand that would never come out.

Nothing but hand sanding.

It's a lot of sanding, but those big panels sure block out nice!

Hey Centerpole, great idea! We never took a lot of pics but I'll see what I can dig up. Won't be easy; I moved 2 years ago and I'm still sorting through stuff.

Oh, glad to hear you're "invested".

You REALLY wanna be "invested"?? This thing is costing me $1500 to $2500 a week in parts and labor.

I welcome your "investment"!! ;-)