How to . . . Body Shop Tips & Photo Gallery
Provided by Jeff Lilly Restorations.
| Everyone desires a straight, ripple free body but few are able to achieve it. Perfect body work calls for the right sanding blocks and sometimes you have to fabricate them yourself. |
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1. Every conceivable shape and size you can imagine is needed to obtain optimum results on all the different body shapes and contours. Here is a table of some of our sanding blocks. We have 27 others for color sanding paint before polishing. These blocks are single and double wide, short, medium, long, extra long, round, convex, concave, small, medium and large diameter foams, hard rubber, vinyl backed, levels for straight edges etc. You can purchase some blocks from 3M, Motor Guard, Hutchins, Eastwood etc. Others you will need to fabricate on your own. |
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2. When building your own blocks we have found that Rubatex Rubber is the best choice and it comes in crows feet or smooth. Search the Internet for a supplier near you. On the sanding blocks that you are going to do 40 to 80 grit work, the adhesive from the paper will tend to release on to the rubber if left on too many hours. On the smooth rubber the glue residue is easier to clean off using thinner and a scuff pad or other solvent between rounds of use. It is always best to remove the sand paper on your blocks at the end of the day for less maintenance and cleanup. |
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3. On long sanding blocks (13 inches or longer) we curve the ends like a sled runner to keep them from digging in, thus eliminating dips. We heat the Lexan with infrared lamps and use a jig to get the desired shape. Allow it to cool slowly to prevent distortion. |
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4. To get good results you will have to maintain your blocks and sharpen them on a regular basis. We run our blocks on this "big block" perfect surface to true up the Lexan surfaces before the rubber has been applied. And after the rubber is applied we do it again. We also use it to keep the rubber in perfect condition.
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5. Here is the bottom of the Big Block. We use three, two foot perfect surface levels mounted to 1/2 thick Lexan for a true surface to maintain our blocks. In general, 24 inch long blocks are enough to do any surface.
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6. The 3M gold stick-it paper is our choice for sanding primers and fillers. We use 80 to 500 grit while refining and sculpting and buy it in rolls. |
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7. During body work the use of a straight edge is vital. It does not matter if the panel is concave/dipped, convex/rounded and/or flat as the distance between the panel and the straight edge on the ends or in the center tells you what you have to work with. In general, if you can taper off a dip or concave in a 13 inch distance it will be so gradual that no low spot will be detected. If you have less space then that, it takes some special combing out methods. A convex or rounded area like most fat fendered 30´s 40´s cars are easier to make look perfect.
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8. Notice how easy this flex block flexes. Two fingers on each end allows ample pressure to get it moving. This block was made with two 3M yellow hand blocks on each end of an 18 inch long piece of 1/8th thick Lexan, double wide for two sheets of stick-it paper. Rubatex rubber was applied with contact cement.
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9. This flex block can be used in a myriad of places but roofs or sloping areas where you want as much contact to the surface as you can get is most important. With the thin 1/8th Lexan it is best suited when doing 180-400 grit work like primer blocking.
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10. This is a round foam block backed by an acrylic rod. You can buy these from body shop supply places or you can make your own from quality foam pipe insulation.
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11. The concave section where the roof meets the quarter panel on a lot of bodies is where this foam block shines. |
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12. Another angle shows the rotation needed to achieve the results (black arrows). Twist your fingers in this direction while moving your arms back and forth on the panels, 18-24 inch long strokes. Everything is done in criss cross patterns. The difference is how long the stroke is and how tight the criss cross is.
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13. These duro blocks are a tiny open cell rubber material. It "gives" a little, meaning it tends to move with the panel. It works well in all grits from 40 to 2500 color sand work. We cut them to different lengths in order to fit them to our panels. We also rounded the edges a bit to keep them from digging in.
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14. When perfecting gaps we use small metal spreaders 1 to 2 inches wide as shown. Too wide and it tends to dig on the ends as you work a gap. Too narrow and it does not keep a straight line. These two sizes work best. Simply wrap the stick-it sand paper around it as needed. Always work panel to panel never work a body panel off a car separate from each other.
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15. This foam block works good when going from a high to a low section. We removed the stiffening rods that ran through the length of it and then sliced the foam top half way down to make it flex sideways and front to back, like a centipede if you will. Eastwood sells a model like this one but they need to be modified like this one for optimum results.
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16. We made this block from PVC pipe. We rolled contact cement on before applying the rubatex rubber to the surface. The PVC tubing is perfectly straight and makes a very durable, light weight block. Because of the two shapes, you twist your wrist as you go back and forth, stopping where the top and bottom of the cove meet to keep from digging into the valley.
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17. Strange shapes like louvers require many techniques. We fabricate grooved blocks cut from 1/8th 3/16th and 1/4 inch Lexan. Notice the grooves are cut somewhat larger then the louvers to give some motion in order to gradually taper the panel into the louver for that sweet no dip look.
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18. Many square shapes can be cut from the open cell Durablock rubber to fit a section. For this inside panel we chose a piece thick enough for our fingers to hold it steady yet thin enough to fit inside and clear the overhang.
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19. A piece of 1/2 inch PVC makes a great block with a glued on handle to grab while blocking. This works great for tight areas like where the spear drops off into the flat area of this hood.
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20. Here is a double wide adjustable block we fabricated using an adjustable lead file. We built this block to use on panels requiring heavy duty blocking. You just twist your fingers until you get the desired fit against the panel you are working and you are ready to "block and roll".
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21. This block has been adjusted to fit the rounded contour. You want as much surface contact as possible with the ends just off the panel.
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22. The rounded corners of this tail gate call for a Lexan mini block. The reflection in the tail gate shows the proper tool was used. You can purchase Lexan at a plastic supply house in any desired thickness. Simply cut it with a jig or band saw and then file the burrs off the edges. Drill, taper and screw it to a hard level or straight block and then add rubber and paper.
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23. Up inside the bed we used an angled block we made to fit in the corners. This enables you to block with out digging a rut or valley when trying to match the inside edges.
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24. Large panels like this convex door require a simple flat block 18 inches long. We have 11 inches of contact in the middle. This type of shape is easy to perfect. Notice the hand and fingers: just enough pressure to remove material and your hands will not tire easily. If the vehicle moves you are pushing too hard, which will tend to cause a dip.
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25. How you hold the block and position your body is important to get the criss cross pattern needed to achieve the best results. We also use rolling office chairs while working some panels if access is available to the panel. In this case the running board would not allow us to sit in a chair while blocking.
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26. Here we use a single wide or typical width block to slice the top sections into submission. Notice the handle is an aluminum level. The level makes a perfect surface to screw the Lexan to and then apply the rubatex rubber. You have a dead on straight surface with this fabricated block.
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27. This Firebird received the "Durablock" treatment with the nine inch block to sculpt the hood scoops to the flat section for a no ripple transition. A very strange and unusual shape to deal with.
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28. For fender beads we slice the Lexan on an angle so the block can go close to the edge without digging into it. Most fenders like this have a dip caused by the factory mold process and this is how we remove them. Keep in mind that many of the flaws we are removing would never be seen with a typical job, but we want perfection.
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29. A different fender lip or gradual flare style used on a lot of GM cars like Camaros require a C- Block. This was cut specifically for this type of shape. It removes dips and allows you to get into the contours as close as possible.
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30. This skinny open level block with 1/8 thick rubber does a great job on the inside edges of drip rails.
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31. We finish off the drip rail with 1/8th thick Lexan. Masking tape was applied on the block as a mini cushion before stick-it sand paper.
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32. When all is said and done you want a ripple free surface with panel to panel fit dead on like the side of this Corvair.
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Jeff Lilly Restorations
11125 F.M.1560 N
San Antonio, Texas
210-695-5151 - www.jefflilly.com
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