How To Prep And Fit Aluminum Panels

These panels turned out to be sturdier than expected. They will tolerate some alterations. Just be very gentle, as they will likely kink easier than the steel versions.

Though it did take a little longer to get all the pieces together, the end result looks just like steel. We'll leave it up to you if you want to share your secret with the world.

Prepping e-coated panels for paint requires a quick rough up with some 120-grit. Sand across the seams to locate any high/low spots. The goal is to have all the panels straight, not just individually, but also as a unit.

If you are good with an orbital sander, you can save yourself some time. Just be sure to stay away from the panel edges and stay off the sanding disc edge as well.

It turns out that the body line on the driver's fender was just a little farther out than the line on the door, so it needed to be moved in a bit. The good thing about aluminum is that it doesn't take much force to move it-which is also what's bad about it. A 1-pound dead-blow hammer used on its side just did the trick. It was important that the aluminum be moved but not stretched or hammered thin, which could have led to oil canning.

A little weld was added to the leading edge of the upper door line/break to build it up slightly. This will improve the uniformity of the door-to-fender gap. These are the types of little tricks that really improve the overall look of the car but go unnoticed because, if done right, they disappear after the work is done.

The last step before applying body filler is to rub down the panels with a red Scotch-Brite pad to be sure every bit of the e-coat has been roughed. Then do a quick wipe with DX394 to be sure they are completely clean and uncontaminated.

Using a wide (5- to 6-inch) metal spreader to apply the 3M Platinum Plus filler will minimize the amount used and also the sanding time.

Treat the two panels as one and sand across the seam with 80-grit sandpaper. Be careful not to bear down on the aluminum fender. It will give more readily than the steel door, and that will lead to an uneven surface. Imagining both panels are aluminum will help keep you out of trouble.

It's important to be sure to touch all of the filler with some 80-grit before the next coat is applied.

The guys really like using a Dura-Block for the finish sanding. Its teardrop shape works very well on both the straight and curved parts of any panel.

After the finish sanding is complete, it's likely there will be some bare-aluminum high spots that will need to be covered. It's perfectly fine to spray these with a coat of NCP271 Corrosion Resistant Primer before using DP90 or another quality primer to finish the job.