What are the pro's/con's of todays body work

[nuch_ss396]

Hey guys, I have a question for the group.

Over the past few years, the air waves have become clogged
with various shows covering body work, restoration, resto-mods,
kit car development, etc..

One of the things that has concerned me most is the way
these projects feature the use of skim coats of filler
( almost the entire car ), sanding primer, etc.. Many
years ago, there was a product called Nitro-Stain that was
reported to be the best spot filler on the market. I did a
restoration on a '71 Formula 400 and used Nitro-Stain all
over the car. The body work & paint looked flawless for
many years. As time went by however, the Nitro-Stain
started to shrink and over time you could see many places
where the Nitro-Stain was used. I later learned that this
was an inherant flaw with Nitro-Stain, but this flaw was not
to be discovered for many years to come. I'm not here to
bash that product, but rather bring up a point.

What is the "expected" longevity of these new filler type
products when used in a skim type coating prior to final
paint? Will they yield similar problems down the road as
I outlined above? Additionally, I would be concerned over
any dings as I would think the skim coat would crack and
chip. Is there any data available as to how well these
skim coat mothods are holding up? Just so my question is
clear, I'm not referring to Bondo type dent fillers. I am
referring to the skim coat of filler ( or what ever it is
called ) that is trowled-on and sanded to death prior to
painting. Since it is so prevalent on these shows, I have
to assume that it is employed at most restoration shops as
well.

There are a lot of high dollar cars represented here and I'd
like to hear from owners as to how well their body work is
holding up and their longevity expectations as it pertains
to the body work & paint.

The paint job on my Camaro is 25 years old. It still looks
good, but I know where all the skeletons are burried. I'd
like to strip it some time in the future and start from
scratch. I'm hoping others that have gone through recent
body restorations can enlighten me on the pro's & con's.

Thanks guys!

Steve