I know I'm putting more effort into doing this than if I had done it the right way, but since I'm this far into it now I'm just gonna finish it out and redo it better next time.

I'm trying to rebuild my rusted out rocker panel and so far I've rivited in some diamond plate aluminum and laid on 2 layers of bondo. I'll end up with more than the 1/4" max depth of bondo in some places, up to 1/2" probably.

So my question is, how do I go from the still in progress janky bondoed up side on the right to a paint ready shape of the panel on the left?

I've got both color matched rattle can paint and high build primer on the way now.

Use a long sanding block and coarse grit paper. I would start with 36 grit on that mess.
Block it flat, spray the dust off, apply more filler and repeat the sanding process with 80 grit.

Follow the above steps until you are sanding with 180 grit and it looks like a rocker panel again.

As you stated, going this route is the wrong way to fix the panel and it is going to cost you a lot of work for substandard results.

LOOKS like you're dobbing the filler on. try and spread it on smooth, like putting peanut butter on your bread! you'll need to sand the high spots down first, THEN SPREAD the filler. you may need to fill some low spots first, then come over it with a smooth spread. just so you understand fill the low spots then spread over that, no need to let it dry. just fill the low areas then right over it with a smooth coat. good luck.
Jay D.

I don't want to be rude, but you are trying to pack filler in a cavity with rusted jagged metal all around it. Not only will this not work, it is a waste of time, money, and materials. Stop, rewind, and start over, or farm it out to somebody that can do a more acceptable job.

David Edwards wrote:I don't want to be rude,

Yeah, same here.

This is the second one, recently, trying to do a bodgie repair on the sills. You can probably get replacement sections for less than what's going to be wasted on bog, let alone the time that will be needed to sand down that 1:1 topographical representation of the Moon.

Even if you just hack welded a new section in and then filled over the join, you'd have a better job than what that's going to be. Plus you won't need to take out insurance for when it falls out and bounces into the windscreen of the brand new Benz behind you.

David Edwards wrote:I don't want to be rude, but you are trying to pack filler in a cavity with rusted jagged metal all around it. Not only will this not work, it is a waste of time, money, and materials. Stop, rewind, and start over, or farm it out to somebody that can do a more acceptable job.

No truer words have ever been spoken
Buying correct rocker panel and gluing it on would be a better repair and far easier to redo later.

BUT what do we know about saving money and doing repairs?

My guess is we are dealing with a 16-20 year old with little to no money that thinks he can make it look better by simply smearing on filler and painting it rather than spending a couple hundred on it.
many posts on this board are similar First car wnats to fix it make it look better But no money no experience No funds no tooling and yet dead set on doing it with nothing

NFT5 wrote:. . . let alone the time that will be needed to sand down that 1:1 topographical representation of the Moon.