Need advice on shaving this third brake light

[Hurst]

I need to shave the third brake light on a doge ram. What would be the best way of doing this? I was thinking about leaving the light in there and using metal bonding adhesive to fill the gap after preping the light with a roloc and grinding the roof area down to metal. Or attempting to cut a piece of metal and gluing it in with metal bonding adhesive. I'm scared to weld on this roof because it is paper thin. Please let me know what you guys think.

thanks

[Serge]

When I shave stuff I usually fill it with metal...and that one would be quite easy...

Remove the light, shape a piece of 20ga satin steel to the round shape, cut tack and fiber or all metal...

That area of the roof is pretty solid because of the round corner all around. If you don't put too much heat (just tack every in or so) you will be allright...

[Hurst]

So your saying don't weld it solid? I did that once on a tailgate (tacked it in and finished with all metal). After I primed it and put the heat lamp on it you could just barely see the edge around where the handle was. Did I do something wrong?

[Len]

So your saying don't weld it solid? I did that once on a tailgate (tacked it in and finished with all metal). After I primed it and put the heat lamp on it you could just barely see the edge around where the handle was. Did I do something wrong?

I may or may not weld a patch in solid, that usually has little to do with being able to see it through the paint job. You'll need to keep the welds fairly close but, if the metal is a similar thickness, you shouldn't be able to see the repair.

[Hurst]

I guess I didn't have my welds close enough on that job. Thanks guys. Could I use short strand fg body filler or is all metal better for this?

[Serge]

I find fiberglass fille (everglass) easier to work with than allmetal but neither have ever failled on me...so difficult to say which is better!...

You don't even need short strand, you can use milled glass filler in this application...

[Hurst]

I already have short strand in my shop though. What is milled glass filler? I'll google that right now

[Serge]

This is what I am talking about...

http://autobodystore.net/Merchant2/m...tegory_Code=FM

There is an equivalent in every filler make...

If you already have short strand that will do fine for the first coat over the welds...but this milled glass has no strand, it behaves pretty much like a filler although its a little more difficult to sand...its easier to push into seams as it has no strands and its easy to level...and has the same characteristics as short strand except for structural strength (the longer the strand the more structural the repair.). In repairs such as those you don't need the structural strength as the metal gives you that you just need the water/humidity proofing and strength of the high resin content glass filler...