Engine Bay Seams

[AlphaWolf1993]

I'm looking for the best way to make all the seams in the bay smooth. Among the options i've read are to remove the sealer and weld up the seams, or just do stitches or to refill it with new sealer. Then, what would be the way to cover it, sealer, bondo, fiberglass...I just don't know what is the best option and what will hold up to the everyday movement of the metal. All help is appreciated!

 

[cody1018]

Sand blast your engine bay, and if you've done a wire tuck to your bay then weld up the holes, grind them down and use bondo as a filler to smooth it out. Yes you can use bondo to make the seams run smoother. Then repaint and call it it a day.

 

[AlphaWolf1993]

Thanks man, wasn't sure if the bondo would crack and split the final paint.

 

[DeAngebro]

I would use jb weld, not bondo.

 

[LoweredDC4]

the seams? like the seam sealer? if you want them smooth, just take the old one out and reseam seal it. There are different seam sealers out there and you can make them smooth when you put them on. Do not bondo it. The seam sealer is there to prevent water from entering and if you just have bondo there, the water will leak through and the bondo will soak up the water like a sponge and eventually crack and crack your paint, rust out the area, etc..

 

[AlphaWolf1993]

What about metal filler? Made by bondo but has aluminum reinforcement. I've already got my welds every .5-1 inch and most builds I see use it for the bay. Is it strong enough for the application?

 

[LoweredDC4]

not sure about metal filler, i really dont know what that is.. just dont use bondo on the area where water can get in.. also if you plan on seam sealing, make sure you prime the area first and then scuff it allite before you apply the seam sealer if you go this route..

 

[klutchDb7]

Jb weld for sure

 

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

Every seam in my bay was cleaned out and re-welded. I used a seam sealer product from 3m. Over 2 years and no cracking...

Welding every seam:

Primed and seam sealer smoothed out. I used a little bit of thinner on my finers to smooth it down

All the products I used for my bay:

Final product:

 

[LoweredDC4]

Every seam in my bay was cleaned out and re-welded. I used a seam sealer product from 3m. Over 2 years and no cracking...

Welding every seam:

Primed and seam sealer smoothed out. I used a little bit of thinner on my finers to smooth it down

All the products I used for my bay:

Final product:

we use the 3M seam sealer too at the shop, but ours is different from what you are using.... We use degreaser instead of thinner to smooth out the seam sealer .

 

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

Yeah I am sure theres several different products and techniques, but as long as it comes out nice in the end and stays that way thats all that matters haha.

 

[AlphaWolf1993]

Looks perfect DaddyBuilt. Hate to sound like and idiot, but as far as body work, i'm fairly new at it, just wanted to do what I could before paint. After I clean the sealer out and take in the seams, do I just need to smooth the new sealer in the grooves and feather the edge later with sandpaper, or is there anything else I should put over that? I'm just unsure about how reliable the seam sealer is, but it's just because I don't know

 

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

I used a wire wheel on a air drill to get the old sealer out, saved me so much time. After I welded it up I used the 3m stuff with some thinner to smooth it down. I used a little spot putty here and there but not a whole lot. Ill see if I can dig up some more pics for ya

 

[1caintegra]

The bay came out great! nice work.

 

[XjoEnX]

That looks amazing. Nice results man.