Let's face it, anyone who puts more than 15 miles a year on their hot rod is going to run into some unforeseen obstacles along the way. Perhaps it's that dip in the road that you didn't see and proceeded to scrape the chin off your grille, attempting to take the radiator and all the front sheetmetal with it. Or maybe it was a gravel truck that you pulled behind, unbeknownst to the fact that it was hauling two tons of gravel, with half of it ending up in its wake. The point is, if you drive 'em, you're gonna end up with those little badges of courage all over the front of your car, and while some are simple touch-up jobs, others may require a little more ingenuity to fix. While most guys can handle touching up the random nick or scratch, a fender full of them or an otherwise large repair will send most shade-tree rodders running for their bodymen.
We recently ran across this problem when one of our staff cars came back from a cross-cross-cross-country trip and had the wounds to prove it. The endless highway miles had taken their toll in multiple pockmarks upon our coupe's facade. In addition to that, we had somehow inadvertently introduced the front tire to the fiberglass fender and broke a chunk of it off. That being said, the techniques we used mostly apply to that medium--fiberglass--although some of the same techniques can be used on steel surfaces as well. We took the car, in all its faded glory, down to J.B. Donaldson to have his crew assess the damage and see what could be done. While J.B. and his crew are among the most knowledgeable in the fiberglass business, the methods they use are relatively simple and easy to learn. With a little bit of practice, you'll be fixing those damaged areas yourself in no time.
