Where to start, Part 4, the body work. I’m going to do my best to explain.
The car is assembled, seals in, etc, the gaps are set, the metal is prepped. What next?
It’s time to begin body filler. Being truthful, there’s no exact method of where to start. Here are some general rules and tips that will help:
♦️Begin by establishing a main section of the body. On this Camaro, it was the large section of the door and fender below the center body line.
♦️See the body as large shapes, and not individual panels. Completely ignore where the panel gaps are. On this Camaro, the doors and fenders would be one shape, do not see them as separate panels.
♦️Once you bodywork your first main section and get it straight, you have something to start going off of.
♦️I usually begin with the center of the car/doors, because more often than not, that is the ‘highest’ area of the side of the car.
♦️If you think of a flatter car, like a Lincoln or tri-5 Chevy, from the wheel openings to the ends of the car, start to fade out. So, you could body work the whole center of the car, and then blend the ends into that main section of body work. But first, you need to establish that main section. ***(See picture below)***
♦️♦️The biggest key is starting with a main section, and getting it straight. Do not just sort of start to rough everything in, you’ll get lost in the body work. Be methodical, and focus on one section at a time.
♦️Don’t really worry about gaps or body lines at the point. Work on getting the body straight first, the gaps and lines will come later.
