Switched from standard body filler to a polyester glazing putty on a tough Ford F-150 repair last week

I had a 2019 Ford F-150 rear quarter panel with a tricky low spot after the main filler work. The standard filler kept pinhole bubbling on me after sanding. A buddy at the local NAPA recommended trying a polyester glazing putty instead of using more spot filler. It spread way thinner, no pinholes at all, and I was done sanding in about 15 minutes. Has anyone else found a specific trick for small imperfections on modern aluminum panels?

3 comments

3 Comments

rubysingh29d ago

My first thought reading this was "man, Ford really knows how to keep body guys employed." That pinhole bubbling is the worst, I swear the aluminum panels just hold onto moisture like a grudge. My trick for small dings on those F-150s is to hit the bare metal with a quick wipe of acetone right before I lay down the putty, then let it flash off for like 30 seconds before I sand. It stopped the bubble monster for me.

annaw7329d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you actually use acetone before putty and it doesn't react with the aluminum?

noahmartin28d ago

Acetone trick is solid. It's funny how the same principle shows up everywhere. You see the same thing in paint prep. If you don't degrease right it bubbles. Or even in cooking. If you don't dry off a steak before searing it steams instead of browning. Moisture is the enemy no matter what you're doing. Aluminum panels are just worse at hiding it cause they're softer and hold onto stuff differently than steel. It's always the little prep steps that make or break the job.