HQ GTS Guard Rolling – Bog, Welds, Old Repairs and Knowing When to Stop

This HQ GTS was one of those guard rolling jobs most people would rather avoid.

RJM called me in as a bit of a last resort.

The car had reportedly had a huge amount spent on panel and paint, and now it needed the guards rolled for clearance. The problem is, working on a restored classic like this can be like opening a can of worms.

Especially when the engine and gearbox were out of the car, which meant the car could not simply be driven over to us.

RJM is only about 10 minutes from home and I know Ryan and James well, so I dropped in on the way home to have a look.

Straight away, I could see what we were dealing with.

There was filler in the guards.

A lot of it.

That is never good when you need to roll a guard.

The problem is not always the bog itself. The bigger issue is usually what is underneath it.

If the metal behind the filler was never properly straightened, or if it was left lumpy and shaped with bog instead, rolling the guard can expose the real condition of the panel very quickly.

On top of that, there were sections that had been cut and re-welded behind the skin. That creates another problem.

Welded sections do not move like normal metal.

The weld itself becomes very strong, while the areas on either side can be weaker. If you try to force that area, it can kink either side of the weld, crack the paint, or distort in ways you do not want.

I told them straight away.

This is not a normal guard roll.

It is guaranteed to have filler. It is very likely to crack somewhere. And the inside is not going to look pretty.

I honestly wish I had x-ray glasses for jobs like this, because it would be nice to show exactly how much filler is hiding underneath before the job starts.

The owner trusted RJM, and RJM trusted my judgement, so we went ahead with the job with everyone understanding the risk.

I expected the outside paint to crack.

Somehow, we managed to save the outside.

I did not think we would, but under the circumstances, it came up better than expected.

Underneath, however, was a different story.

There were splits, old repairs, welds, filler and lumpy areas behind the skin. Not exactly what you hope to find after that level of restoration work, but this is the reality of working on old cars.

The passenger side rolled up almost completely without major issues. I would say around 95 percent of it rolled successfully to gain the clearance needed without cracking the outside.

The driver’s side was similar, except there was one section where I could tell there was too much filler and pressure building. If we kept rolling, it was likely to spread the damage through to the outside.

That is when the job changed.

My recommendation was simple:

Stop rolling.

Start grinding.

With permission, we used a grinder and sanding disc to shave more than 50 percent of the lip away in that area. That gained more than 50 percent extra clearance there without forcing the painted outer skin until it cracked.

Sometimes removing material is safer than trying to keep rolling damaged or repaired metal.

After the clearance was gained, the inside was smoothed over. The inner lips had cracked paint, filler and sharp flaky edges. By smoothing it out with the grinder, the inside felt much cleaner and safer rather than feeling like hacked-up sharp guards.

This is the part people often do not understand.

Guard rolling is not always just rolling.

Sometimes it becomes rolling, grinding, shaping, smoothing and making the best decision based on what the car gives you.

With a restored classic, especially one with filler, welds and previous repairs, the job is not about pretending everything is factory-perfect.

It is about getting the clearance needed while saving the outside wherever possible.

Under the circumstances, this was a very successful outcome.

Thank you to Ryan and James at RJM for liaising with the customer and trusting me with the job.

I am just glad we got the result we did, because this was definitely not a normal guard roll.

Just the one photo taken because we want to be respectful as a professional contractor.

Guard Rolling Perth
For wheel and tyre clearance on modified, classic and enthusiast vehicles with realistic expectations.
https://autofxwa.com.au/services/guard-rolling/

Car Detailing Perth
For vehicle presentation and refinement based on condition and use.
https://autofxwa.com.au/services/car-detailing/

Paint Correction Perth
For swirl marks, scratches and paint refinement on enthusiast vehicles.
https://autofxwa.com.au/paint-correction/