Basics of Spotting Bad Bodywork

If you're buying a classic car or truck, one of the major things you should be looking for is whether any repairs or custom body work have been done and how well such work was performed. Or maybe you had to take your currently owned classic car into the neighborhood repair shop and are uncertain of the end results. Sadly, there are many unethical body shops out there that have no problem cutting corners if it means saving time and money. Sometimes it isn't even about being unethical but rather general automotive body shops have a financial structure that depends upon high turnover and completing projects as fast as possible. The results might be fine for the average daily driver, but not when it comes to your classic 1950s Chevy.

The following are a few tips for how to spot bad body work so you know what you're getting when you buy a classic car or if you had a rushed repair:

The Basics of Spotting Bad Body Work

Painted over rust. One of the most frustrating tricks ill-trained and unscrupulous mechanics will do is lightly sand down surface rust and then paint over it so that owners can't visually see the rust. But just because you can't see the rust anymore doesn't mean all is fine and well. Rather, that rust will start working through the paint, generally within a few short months, and you're back with the same problem. The only tried and true way to get rid of rust is to remove the impacted body panels altogether. At Customs & Hot Rods of Andice, part of our custom body work services entails cutting out rusted metal and outfitting it with replacement pieces machined to spec.

Owners and classic car buyers can spot painted over rust by running their hands across the vehicle's body and feeling for any rough or uneven spots. Any sudden cracking or bubbling paint also generally points to rust.

Poor body filler work. Body filler is a wonderfully useful product that a repair mechanic has in their arsenal -- so useful, that it's often abused. For example, instead of taking the time to properly repair a frustrating dent in a car's body, a mechanic might opt to simply fill it in with a body filler like Bondo, let it dry, sand, and then paint over it so that the owner is none the wiser.

Determining whether or not body filler was used on a vehicle can be tough and sometimes requires the use of a magnet. Because body filler is made of fiberglass, a small magnet can be run across questionable areas to determine whether what's beneath the paint is repaired metal or fiberglass filler. Just make sure to use a paper against the vehicle's body if using this test method to prevent scratching the paint.

For the Best Custom Body Work, Visit CHRA

Here at CHRA, our team consists of experienced professionals committed to delivering the highest quality of work. Contact us to learn more.