Auto Restoration 101

A bull nose file reaches those hard to get corners of which are dipped in and unsightly from the factory. The nice thing about bumpers is the gauge of the metal is 4 times that of sheet metal so you have some room to perfect without cutting through. Tap and file, tap and file more until you are happy. As with anything in life the foundation is the key.

After all the dents are removed and all the metal filing is done, we then block sand starting with 80 grit through 400 grit before the copper is applied.

Keep in mind that steel sands so much harder than primers, so you need to use power sanders where you can initially. We start with 80 grit.

Round PVC blocks can achieve the contoured areas well. Note the copper in some areas from the factory still in place. There is nothing wrong with this as during the stripping process the copper does not always come off well, because its adhesion is so great, we sand right over it and continue on.

Ken used the long power air board file to knock out a few more flaws. A seen he has circle marked with a sharpie some flaws he wants to remove.

This post is courtesy of Hot Rods