i hate bodywork

[c00nhunterjoe]

Just want to say I hate bodywork and it hates me. A solid weekend plus every evening till midnightish and this 1\4 panel looks like crap. I am a mechanic, bodywork is not my cup of tea. It is winning and this sucks. The plan was to make it look decent, not a show car, just decent...... I can't even do that!      Ok end of rant

[A383Wing]

same here....bodywork hates me as well...all my cars run & drive great......most look like crap though

and on a side note....woodworking ain't my cup of tea either....I can take a perfectly good 2x4, measure 10 times....cut it 3 times....and it is always too short

rant over as well

[Patronus]

Really??!!? Body work does take some patience. Buy some sanding blocks and just go from one end of the panel to the other. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over. In all honesty, if you guys were closer, I'd come over and do it for free.

[Silver R/T]

bodywork does take skill, of course I know a handful of guys who think they know how to do bodywork, things that they worked on prove otherwise

[A383Wing]

Really??!!? Body work does take some patience. Buy some sanding blocks and just go from one end of the panel to the other. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over. In all honesty, if you guys were closer, I'd come over and do it for free.

I would give ya free pizza & beer....kinda like a buffet....

[hemi-hampton]

Got any Pics of the problem   LEON.

[az69rtcharger]

I used to hate bodywork, but at my local Paint Supply store has classes for the average person to learn how to achieve great results in no time, we just finished my fenders tonight 

[resq302]

I agree.  Body work is a gift.  It is truely an art form where either you have it or you dont.  If you don't you need to practice your arse off because it is not as easy as you think.  I think half of the people out there who claim they are body shops do crap work.  One of the reasons why I bought my charger back in 2000 was because the body was perfectly straight.  Whoever did the work must have spent countless hours on it.

[c00nhunterjoe]

I have plenty of pics, all on my phone though. I definatly don't have the bodywork gift. Mechanicaly I'm gold, so guess I'm halfway there. With a torch, a sawzall and a welder I can build you just about anything and it wil look good. I have built plenty of engines that run great on supercheap budgets. I keep multi million dollar tanks operational every day, but I can't handle a little bit of sheet metal.....wtf 

[HOTROD]

I agree same hear  and still looks like shit but I;ll pull a motor out re build it put it back in and runs like hell !
I even have made body panel pach pices and they look good but cant do finsh work!
been working on a quarter on a non mopar for 6 months - I am not even going to tuch the charger with filler !!!

[71charger]

You guys are lucky... I have HORRIBLE mechanic skills and even worse body work. Just wasnt made to do that stuff, would like to learn how but I dont have someone to teach me

[69 OUR/TEA]

Just want to say I hate bodywork and it hates me. A solid weekend plus every evening till midnightish and this 1\4 panel looks like crap. I am a mechanic, bodywork is not my cup of tea. It is winning and this sucks. The plan was to make it look decent, not a show car, just decent...... I can't even do that!      Ok end of rant

We all had to start somewhere,and with anything the more you do/practice you get better and better.It helps if you have someone with experience to show you the correct ways to do things to.There are a good handfull of body guys here,and I'm sure they can agree that when you have the eye for good bodywork,or lack of, it sticks out to us more than the average guy staring up and down at a car,where you might think it looks perfectly straight,we can see beyond that as even the littlest flaws jump out.Not being a critic,but I often get stopped in my tracks when I see a car that is outstandingly straight,panel alignment and fit,sanding and buffing job,etc.,as I then can appreciate it as I know the time spent to get it to that stage.I't is'nt some hours to get one like that,but more like hundreds!!!!!

Don't give up,give it your best,there is much gratification when you can do your own work.NTM,the body/paint resto is'nt cheap!!!

[Hemidog]

I hear you man.... Everyone is pestering me about painting my car gloss black... but I cringe at the thought of sanding and bondo....

[Charger RT]

I've made my living for the last 30 years as a mechanic but hate bodywork. I have been getting better but still don't care for it.  My son told me a year ago he wants to be a body man. He is finishing 10th grade and just signed up for a new program here. If accepted he will finish his last two years of high school at the community collage taking high school classes in the morning and taking body shop in the afternoon. The cost to us is free. I hope he gets good my charger could be a good project for us.
Tim

[71charger]

I hear you man.... Everyone is pestering me about painting my car gloss black... but I cringe at the thought of sanding and bondo....

[69 OUR/TEA]

I hear you man.... Everyone is pestering me about painting my car gloss black... but I cringe at the thought of sanding and bondo....

Common comment on painting cars black,"better be straight".Bodywork on a car should be done regardless of what color it's going to be.

[vancamp]

I hear you man.... Everyone is pestering me about painting my car gloss black... but I cringe at the thought of sanding and bondo....

Common comment on painting cars black,"better be straight".Bodywork on a car should be done regardless of what color it's going to be.

I agree it needs to be flawless whether its black or white, im a perfectionist when doing bodywork thats why i have a hard time doing my own stiff it would take me forever because never think its good enough, mechanically i do ok but electrical and carbs give me fits.

[bill440rt]

Yes, bodywork is just one of those arts where practice makes perfect. If you are totally unsure, take some night classes at the local vo-tech college.

Many mechanical aspects is just nuts, bolts, & screws. However, with bodywork there is a SAFETY concern as well: aka poor welds, shoddy bodywork on structural components of the car, etc. It's not just about making it look pretty.

I'm like vancamp. Carbs & fine tuning is tough for me, & I'm somewhat of an electrical retard.