Where do you guys buy your autobody supplies at??

Online or Offline? Who has the best prices? That goes for both consumables, such as sandpaper. And tools.

Andrew

There are a few auto body supply places by me. This is one of the areas that I buy local for the knowledge that these guys have. I can ask them questions, sometimes bring in my work that didn't come out right and get real helpful advice. They also talked me out of buying real expensive guns and turned me on to products for my application that I didn't know existed.

I would second using a local auto body supplier. Check out the yellow pages. As was mentioned, they can save you time and money by steering you into using the right products and techniques.

www.eastwood.com is a good site.

I get most of the stuff I keep "in stock" at the local Finish Masters location. Mattos Paint is open Saturdays 'til noon so I hit there sometimes, or if I need DuPont products (BTW, on really nice motorcycle stuff I use DuPont Chromaclear. It's amazing and comes in quarts)

I hit the Carlisle spring and fall swap meets at which there are numerous sellers of bodywork supplies at crazy-low prices. I get boxes of grey and burgundy Scotchbrite pads, self-adhesive rolls and discs from 60 to 400 grit, U-pol filler and spray cans, tape, cups, tack cloths, strainers, Sata cup lids and filters, disposible inline air filters....

Eastwood has stuff but it's really expensive compared to the places that cater to the auto body trade.

Thats the problem i'm having, eastwood has some stuff, but they are soo expensive...

I have a local NAPA dealer that cannot only get me everything I need.. but can find things I need but did not know about.

I really need to remember to go there first

I'd say stick with a local supplier. Reason being: it's not ~real~ likely but mixing different brands of paint/hardener/fisheye remover/etc could have deleterious effects. So if you find yourself running short on something, you can grab it locally and not have to worry about any incompatibility issues.

On sandpaper: buy cheap stuff from Lowe's etc for stripping and rough bodywork. I have used some of the HF wet/dry paper and been underwhelmed, Norton and 3M are the best but pricey. There's a new lower priced kid on the block called Indasa which I have not tried but have heard good things about.

By the way: I have decided that Evercoat makes the world's best body fillers. I have not had real good luck with the Bondo brand, it stays sticky on top making it hard to sand properly.

i do agree with you on evercoat's products, their gold filler is top notch. the kitty filler is damn nice as well.

Andrew

I have been browsing but have not actually bought anything from:

http://www.tcpglobal.com/

The reason I was looking at them is that they sell some car painting kits in various types of paint that should be good for a more budget oriented paint job. (I am not necessarily looking for super cheap paint, just some decent single stage stuff that is easy to touch up)

http://www.tcpglobal.com/restorationshop/rspcolors.aspx

Local. Instead of saying "This is what I need, give it to me!", you can say "Here's what I'm planning on doing, and what I'll use to do it. Will that work?".

Then they will save your bacon.

Here is where I got my challenge paint and supplies

http://www.smartshoppersinc.com/

http://www.pivco.net/

+1 for smartshoppers, the Kirker UE paint is the same stuff that Eastwood and Summit sell but alot cheaper ($230 for a complete paint kit).

I shop around. Some online and some local depending on what I need and how fast I need it. Price shop with your local jobbers as well.....the PPG supplier in the city I work in is quite a bit cheaper than the PPG supplier in the city I live in.

wow, yeah all 3 of those sites seem like they have good deals on them. I'll not start the debate of 3m versus norton sandpaper either.

In reply to digdug18:

I buy from Eastwood, Ebay, Summit Racing (local) and most of the time a local auto body store. I've never bought a canoe, but if I did I think I would look at CL for that.

I'll give another vote for a local supplier, unless you are really familiar with the products you will be using.

In reply to Streetwiseguy:

More and more I try to buy locally whenever I can. I'm getting a little irritated with all these big conglomerates putting the little guys out of business. I'm not trying to take this thread in another direction, so please ignore what I just wrote.

bravenrace wrote: In reply to Streetwiseguy: More and more I try to buy locally whenever I can. I'm getting a little irritated with all these big conglomerates putting the little guys out of business. I'm not trying to take this thread in another direction, so please ignore what I just wrote.

I'll take it that direction anyway. I can buy steaks from Costco, or from Vic Boryski down the street. Vic gets all my business.