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Recent Experience with Filler Panels

Started by Greg Powers, April 17, 2010, 10:32:30 AM

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Greg Powers

I need to know if any of you have had a  recent experience with one of the many manufacturers of body filler panels. I replaced the filler panels on a 1976 Eldorado several years ago and I was happy with the material quality, but the fit had some issues. I am preparing to replace the rear panels on a 1990 Brougham, I have already purchased the license-plate surround from the local Cadillac dealership(still listed) I appreciate your input and experiences.-Greg
G.L. Powers>1954 Series 62 Sedan/1958 Fleetwood 60 Special-sold/1963 Series 62 Convertible-sold/1970 Fleetwood Brougham-sold/1994 Fleetwood Brougham/1971 Sedan Deville-sold/2000 Deville-sold/2001 DTS-sold/1976 Eldorado Convertible-sold/1983 Coupe Deville-sold/1990 Allante-sold/1990 and 1991 Brougham deElegance-sold/1992 Brougham-sold/Always looking!

Gunnar

I am actually fitting the fillers on my 1973 Eldorado this weekend, before painting. The material is very nice, easy to work and doesn't seem brittle. Looks like its going to last a long time.
Got this from http://www.autobodyfillersusa.com

The fit has some issues (I was prepared for that!), probably because the fillers have a kind of a "universal" shape that needs to be tailored to fit each individual car. I'm sure there are can be great differences in the fit between each car, even of the same year and model. So, as you know, you will need to sand, drill and try everything on until it looks decent, lol.

On my car, the headlight fillers are a little bit too short and too narrow, the turn signal fillers are excellent, but the fender extensions are way, way off. I still haven't gotten around to the licence plate filler,  LOOKS like it will be fine, though.

But I don't complain, just replacing the original broken ones is worth the (considerable) effort.

Gunnar S. Valdimarsson
CLC 24352
1964 Coupe de Ville

76eldo

Brian Rachlin
Huntingdon Valley, Pa
I prefer email's not PM's rachlin@comcast.net

1960 62 Series Conv with Factory Tri Power
1970 DeVille Conv
1970 Eldo
1970 Caribu (?) "The Cadmino"
1973 Eldorado Conv Pace Car
1976 Eldorado Conv
1980 Eldorado H & E Conv
1993 Allante with Hardtop (X2)
2008 DTS
2012 CTS Coupe
2017 XT
1956 Thunderbird
1966 Olds Toronado

Mike Josephic CLC #3877

I redid all of my fillers on my '73 Eldo about 8 years ago with replacements made from ABS
plastic (which is what they are all made from now).  The originals were polyurethane.  The
unprimed ABS pieces will look black / dark grey in color.

They require some "custom fitting" that was easily done with my trusty Dremel tool and
fit great.  The plus side of using ABS is that you don't need a flex additive in the paint as
ABS is quite stiff vs. the originals and after 8 years my replacements look great!  You can
easily paint them with a few spray cans to match your paint.

Good luck,

Mike
1955 Cadillac Eldorado
1973 Cadillac Eldorado
1995 Cadillac Seville
2004 Escalade
1997 GMC Suburban 4X4, 454 engine, 3/4 ton
custom built by Santa Fe in Evansville, IN
2011 Buick Lucerne CX
-------------------------------------
CLCMRC Museum Benefactor #38
Past: VP International Affiliates, Museum Board Director, President / Director Pittsburgh Region

Eric S. Maypother #15104

Hi,
Just saw your posting, I put some after market ones on a 77 Fleetwood before, the fit wasn't perfect, they crack when hit, I don't know if they make them better now but I have some originals for a 1990-92 Brougham on eBay now, item # 370379310907, 370379311727
Eric :)
1990 Cadillac Brougham

Misfit

Mine on my '76 Eldorado came out beautiful. It took a bit of fit and finishing, but you have to expect that.

They were purchased from Plastic Parts Inc. in Pompano Beach Florida.

Fins

Jim Skelly, CLC 315958

Doesn't ANYONE make the correct rear filler pieces for the '74-'78 Eldorado?  None of the cars with repro pieces that I've seen have the bottom of the pieces milled to accept the stainless steel pieces that tie together the rear bumper fillers with the rear fender extension fillers.

Barry Norman

I agree with Jim. Looks like they got them close enough . and didn't go the extra mile to be correct. They will not accept the curved short pieces near the back up lights either. Guess we're supposed to be happy with what ever they make available !
Barry Norman

76eldo

You have to file the edges down, and glue the trim on.

Jim is correct in saying that NO ONE makes them exactly right.

Brian
Brian Rachlin
Huntingdon Valley, Pa
I prefer email's not PM's rachlin@comcast.net

1960 62 Series Conv with Factory Tri Power
1970 DeVille Conv
1970 Eldo
1970 Caribu (?) "The Cadmino"
1973 Eldorado Conv Pace Car
1976 Eldorado Conv
1980 Eldorado H & E Conv
1993 Allante with Hardtop (X2)
2008 DTS
2012 CTS Coupe
2017 XT
1956 Thunderbird
1966 Olds Toronado


76eldo

There are several sources for these fillers.  I seriously think they ALL come out of the same factory because I have tried several vendors for different cars I have done over the last 6 years and they are all strikingly similar in design, fit, and application of the flat black primer.

I would stay away from the fiberglass ones, and have had the best luck with the ABS fillers.

I was at Atlantic City yesterday for the car show and auction.  There was a beautiful 76 Eldo convertible with 4000 miles on it.  It had replaced fillers with chrome door edge molding around the rear quarter vertical  pieces and nothing on the flat pieces over the rear bumper.  So even on a mint 4000 mile car, you can't escape this problem.

DO NOT buy used ones, they will fall apart with minimal handling.

Brian
Brian Rachlin
Huntingdon Valley, Pa
I prefer email's not PM's rachlin@comcast.net

1960 62 Series Conv with Factory Tri Power
1970 DeVille Conv
1970 Eldo
1970 Caribu (?) "The Cadmino"
1973 Eldorado Conv Pace Car
1976 Eldorado Conv
1980 Eldorado H & E Conv
1993 Allante with Hardtop (X2)
2008 DTS
2012 CTS Coupe
2017 XT
1956 Thunderbird
1966 Olds Toronado

TJ Hopland

My experience was the same.   Looks like they were all made in the same mold that was created from an original shrunken part.  They are close but require some fitting.  The ABS ones do have some give to them that makes the fitting process much easier.  I have never seen fiberglass ones but I could imagine the difficulty in getting them to fit.
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

AHBrown

I only needed the 2 rear 1/2 panels, and the company I posted sold them as a set, without having to buy the whole set.  They were black like the ones mentioned and preprimed. The only difference between them and the originals, is that they don't have the two tips sticking up to hold them in place with the bracket.  Since it is very difficult to attach without the filler being attached to the bracket, I used a couple of small pieces of double sided tape to attach the filler panel to the  bracket and installation was quick and easy.  Painting was easy and the exact color was found at Advance Auto, with Dupli Color Perfect Match. 

76eldo

#13
I have never been able to install these and get a proper fit without drilling out the mounting holes AND grinding down the brackets.

The added inner reinforcement on the peaks of the front and rear fender vertical do not allow for the metal inner frames to slip in like the originals.  Removing material from the ABS part would weaken it, so I grind down the frames.  The inner metal frames have a fixed fit with the fenders and quarters and obviously line up hole for hole.  The plastic fillers just hang there, sandwiched in between the sheetmetal and the brackets.  When you oval out the holes, you allow the part to move around as you tighten it up so you can get the best possible fit.

(Top part as manufactured, bottom part after opening up the holes to allow for adjustment)

I get the parts painted at a body shop and they can match the paint exactly using a combination of the paint codes from the car and they scan tools they have available to sample the paint from the old removed parts.

Most of these cars do not have original paint on the at this point, so you need to match to the car, not necessarily the firewall codes.  I never seem to have much success with spray cans.

Brian
Brian Rachlin
Huntingdon Valley, Pa
I prefer email's not PM's rachlin@comcast.net

1960 62 Series Conv with Factory Tri Power
1970 DeVille Conv
1970 Eldo
1970 Caribu (?) "The Cadmino"
1973 Eldorado Conv Pace Car
1976 Eldorado Conv
1980 Eldorado H & E Conv
1993 Allante with Hardtop (X2)
2008 DTS
2012 CTS Coupe
2017 XT
1956 Thunderbird
1966 Olds Toronado

AHBrown

I haven't used spray paint for quite some time, but it appears as though the newer versions have better nozzles, and if one takes their time, can accomplish professional results on filler panels.  The trick is to keep the nozzle moving and apply several thin coats.  I might add that these aftermarket filler panels are the only viable products available for our 25= year old cars, and I for one am very thankful that resourceful entrepreneurs have taken the time and money to make them available to us. 

TJ Hopland

Rattle can paint jobs can be good.  I still think its all about prep and technique.   Back in my youth when I had big plans for a worthless car someone creased in my door in a parking lot.  I let the guy just pay the body shop to take out the crease and put primer on it since I had big plans to do a sweet paint job any day.  Body shop guy told me that it would be best not to leave it in primer so I had em just use the parts store rattle can touch up paint I had in the trunk that I had been using to hide the rust spots.  That door was the best paint on the whole car and it still looked good when I scrapped the thing (never fully painted) about 8 years later after the car made the rounds through my entire family.   I never get results anywhere near that good when I try but I dont prep and paint cars everyday.
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

R Schroeder