Prepping a glass car body

Anything goes in the world of fiberglass and plastic

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:40 pm
Yeah, that is a shame about those seams. When I built my Superstepside Truck there were areas where you could just barely see them. Even the Finale build I did had decent strong seams. Yep, found that out with my rotary as well. I had a switchable wide band gauge right in the car and also an exhaust gas temp. unit I could plug in. A lot of the newer gauges also can data log which is handy for doing a run and then checking stuff.
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Truckbuildup3 New Size.jpg
You can easily see the 5 pieces that were seamed in-mold to achieve this 1 piece tilt nose.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2018 10:08 am
DarrelK wrote:Yeah, that is a shame about those seams. When I built my Superstepside Truck there were areas where you could just barely see them. Even the Finale build I did had decent strong seams. Yep, found that out with my rotary as well. I had a switchable wide band gauge right in the car and also an exhaust gas temp. unit I could plug in. A lot of the newer gauges also can data log which is handy for doing a run and then checking stuff.



Nice looking truck... Is that the way she sits right now or do you have a completed picture of it?

I still have to finish the wiring, probably over a weekend, and then buy a battery and fuel to be able to get to the first start. After that I need the wheels and tires and a new drive shaft to go-cart. After first start I will be able to mount the body and start on the body work. I guess I could start on the seams before it is bolted on, but I want it mounted before I start adding any glass or filler. No need in allowing it to pop and crack by doing it before the body is mounted.


Tim

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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2018 11:16 am
Tim, yeah, that all makes sense......
Truck was done/sold probably 10 years or so ago. Ha, ha, so does it look like a 1990 Chevy Caprice? Here are a few pics.....
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IM000895.JPG
This is done in Auto Air Colors water base
IM000890.JPG
Massive nose came out pretty well.
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 11:36 am
Darrel,

How long should I let the body sit out in the sun to assure that it is fully out gassed? It has been sitting out in 95+ degrees for the last week or so. I would like to move it back in so I can get some work done... Would it be done with a week or two?

This is where it has been sitting during the time.

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Tim Sapp

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 12:23 pm
With it being in black gel you should be good to go after a week. I like to leave white gel coat bodies for a couple of weeks but the higher surface temp.s generated from a black surface make the curing go faster. If you can get within a foot or so of it and you are not getting the strong smell resin off of it then it is definitely ready to be worked.
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 11:36 pm
Hi Tim, Darrel too.
I'm also in the process of building a '33 with an LS3. Figured it was time to come back to this forum and learn about fixing seams and prepping glass for primer.
Thanks for all the good info on glass Darrel and for the help you and Chris gave be back in 2014 when I joined this forum.

JimLev

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 12:12 am
Hey, Jim....yeah, doing the seams is not really much in the way of rocket science, ha, ha......Factory Five doesn't make a very wide seam at least. To me that's kind of good/bad. I always worry about the strength of the bond with narrow seams but they are easier to check for air bubbles, detects, etc. You can always do more layering of mat/cloth from underneath....
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 12:22 pm
DarrelK wrote:Hey, Jim....yeah, doing the seams is not really much in the way of rocket science, ha, ha......Factory Five doesn't make a very wide seam at least. To me that's kind of good/bad. I always worry about the strength of the bond with narrow seams but they are easier to check for air bubbles, detects, etc. You can always do more layering of mat/cloth from underneath....


OK, two things... One. I like rocket science, here is a photo of one of my rockets.

Image



Second, I don't really think we are really dealing with seams per say, more like parting lines. The actual seam and overlap is done on the bottom side of the body. They are actually not as bad as I thought when I first looked at them. Most of the guys are hitting them with 36 grit paper on a DA and they are smoothing out quickly. Then there is pin holes to deal with. Most of the time they are hitting it with a small Dremel bits and then filling them.


My current question is one of the guys has been producing some great videos on building the Hot Rod. His suggestion is after going over the body with the W&G remover to then wash the body with green scotch bright and comet to scuff up the gel coat. Then to start doing the work. I did not see anything like that on any of the articles I read on here. Is that something that should be done to prep the body?

Tim

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 2:53 pm
Nice rockets :lol:
Yes, those could indeed be parting pull lines. It's not exactly like most of these guys share much information with us about their manufacturing process..... On the Scotch Brite/Comet thing....yeah, it's just another way to prep. a surface. You don't see it on here because guys use an even more advanced technique using a dedicated Scuffing Paste in the same way. And even with that I still prefer to sand the gel coats. Sandpaper and the rougher green color Scotch Brite pads both introduce a scratched surface however I've been in restoration and conservation classes where both magnifying glasses and even microscopes clearly show that sandpaper always created deeper and more defined scratches at their subsequent grit. Scratching a surface is all about increasing surface profile which is what holds that next layer of paint. Scotch Brite pads are faster and easier to use......that does not make them better.....that's just an opinion.
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 8:46 pm
Tim, hope you don't mind me piggybacking on your thread.

Darrel, some guys have said this 3M filler was excellent, have you ever seen or used it? It could be good for the seams.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XBKL1Y/?c ... _lig_dp_it

thanks,
JimLev
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