Hey so are you just doing a paint job or are you restoring the entire car? Fiberglass cars are all designed to have their paint coats removed by strippers. Just because you can sand one down doesn’t mean that’s how it’s actually done professionally. :) I’m doing an 81 with at least 16 to 20 coats and 4 color changes on top of one another. Black blue yellow and gold. So stripping one chemically is how you dont get into having to do fiberglass repairs. Yet you appear already there and now you will need to do them? If you lay laminate on top of what you have now it will just have to be sanded again to get down to level. You won’t want to do layers of fiberglass on top surfaces. If you are too thin in places I’d think you would build and repair it from under the layers. However, if you are gonna lay layers of fiberglass on top, you’ve got to take it down those layers plus one before you lay on top to keep from being too high. So in other words, you don’t want to do that because of the amount of work involved you would want to use a material like filling cracks or holes. Like structural fiberglass repair material. And you would use it just like you would be using plastic filler on a metal car.. only it’s 3 times stronger. And adheres to fiberglass. Anyway, I’m no expert. I’m still learning but if the fiberglass is strong, your repairs aren’t needing to be made with fiberglass cloth they’re gonna be made with just resin and fiberglass material that is structurally strong and can be sanded like plastic fillers when you go to block that surface out. But also, I’m not here to tell you how to do what you’re doing. I’m only here to suggest and maybe understand your process and thoughts a bit better. God knows that you have the ability to do the process however, you see fit right or wrong. But it is such a formidable task that and such a time-consuming one at that. I don’t want you to do something that is incorrect if you can find a better way. And for all I know you are doing it the best way you know how but perhaps we can talk and exchange ideas since I’m basically doing the same thing you are except I am chemically stripping mine and softening up the paints that I can actually scrape them off with a razor scraper , taking it down to the fiberglass and removing all four coats at once. and I’m not getting into fiberglass at all because that’s just gonna create a lot more blocking and sanding. Anyway it would be cool to talk with you. And share our journey. If you get a chance Find me on Facebook. Rick Bell Lewisville Texas. And in Regard to more videos keep em coming. Take some shots of you actually working maybe in time lapse. Viewers like to see the actual work. Even if they skim through the video and just pick out the highlights. Also what sander do you use. Rand of sandpaper and tools and materials along with way. And regardless no matter what people say here just keep going. They saying is how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
Hi MrcBell57, thanks for the comment and for watching the videos, so I'll try to answer or comment on your comment:) When the car was brought to me, there was a lot of "work' that was already started, as you can see the car had been wrecked, parts broken and stripper used, as well as razor blades to remove the old material?? most of the work done would not be the way that I would do it, but I have to continue on with what is there, if that makes sense? The paint removal with the stripper and razor blades, made for a very uneven surface, bondo was used, and other materials, fiberglass, resin...etc....I needed to get down to the OEM substrate, or primer, gel coat...stripper would not have accomplished this, with the car in this condition. Now, if the vette just needed a paint job, this would have been so much easier, "BUT let me make this clear, I WOULD NEVER USE STRIPPER on any vehicle again!! I hate stripper, it's just a huge mess, and can contaminate other vehicles near you , if you accidentally touch your wife's car, or you truck...or anything...but blah blah blah....my rant about strippers. I hate them and would never recommend them. I also feel the same about soda blasting, the soda gets EVERYWHERE, places that you can't reach, even with air blowing out all the recesses, you never can get the soda completely out of the cracks, UNLESS you have access to an acid dip... but anyway that is my personal opinion, and my own experience, right or wrong, everyone has their own ways of getting it done. I personally would rather sand with a DA and 80 grit, that's the way I do it. The reason I used fiberglass material, and resin in some of the areas, was because I didn't want the Bondo to be too thick, I knew it would be a lot harder to sand the fiber material, and get back to even, but I don't like to pile up the bondo, so that is the reason for the use of fiber and resin. I use a Dynabrade sander, it is the best I have ever used, and it's been going for years and years, with NO issues, I also use top quality filler, Evercoat Extreme, Rage Gold, very expensive, but worth the price, because it sands easy and never leaves air holes. I hope I explained my way of doing what I do?? And the reasons behind my methods? But anyway, thanks for watching, and it would be great to compare notes. Take Care, Toby
Nice work, I’ll be following your progress
Thanks for the like!! I have a lot of work ahead of me on this one.
Hey so are you just doing a paint job or are you restoring the entire car? Fiberglass cars are all designed to have their paint coats removed by strippers. Just because you can sand one down doesn’t mean that’s how it’s actually done professionally. :) I’m doing an 81 with at least 16 to 20 coats and 4 color changes on top of one another. Black blue yellow and gold. So stripping one chemically is how you dont get into having to do fiberglass repairs. Yet you appear already there and now you will need to do them? If you lay laminate on top of what you have now it will just have to be sanded again to get down to level. You won’t want to do layers of fiberglass on top surfaces. If you are too thin in places I’d think you would build and repair it from under the layers. However, if you are gonna lay layers of fiberglass on top, you’ve got to take it down those layers plus one before you lay on top to keep from being too high. So in other words, you don’t want to do that because of the amount of work involved you would want to use a material like filling cracks or holes. Like structural fiberglass repair material. And you would use it just like you would be using plastic filler on a metal car.. only it’s 3 times stronger. And adheres to fiberglass. Anyway, I’m no expert. I’m still learning but if the fiberglass is strong, your repairs aren’t needing to be made with fiberglass cloth they’re gonna be made with just resin and fiberglass material that is structurally strong and can be sanded like plastic fillers when you go to block that surface out.
But also, I’m not here to tell you how to do what you’re doing. I’m only here to suggest and maybe understand your process and thoughts a bit better. God knows that you have the ability to do the process however, you see fit right or wrong. But it is such a formidable task that and such a time-consuming one at that. I don’t want you to do something that is incorrect if you can find a better way. And for all I know you are doing it the best way you know how but perhaps we can talk and exchange ideas since I’m basically doing the same thing you are except I am chemically stripping mine and softening up the paints that I can actually scrape them off with a razor scraper , taking it down to the fiberglass and removing all four coats at once. and I’m not getting into fiberglass at all because that’s just gonna create a lot more blocking and sanding. Anyway it would be cool to talk with you. And share our journey. If you get a chance Find me on Facebook. Rick Bell Lewisville Texas.
And in Regard to more videos keep em coming. Take some shots of you actually working maybe in time lapse. Viewers like to see the actual work. Even if they skim through the video and just pick out the highlights. Also what sander do you use. Rand of sandpaper and tools and materials along with way. And regardless no matter what people say here just keep going. They saying is how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
Hi MrcBell57, thanks for the comment and for watching the videos, so I'll try to answer or comment on your comment:)
When the car was brought to me, there was a lot of "work' that was already started, as you can see the car had been wrecked, parts broken and stripper used, as well as razor blades to remove the old material?? most of the work done would not be the way that I would do it, but I have to continue on with what is there, if that makes sense? The paint removal with the stripper and razor blades, made for a very uneven surface, bondo was used, and other materials, fiberglass, resin...etc....I needed to get down to the OEM substrate, or primer, gel coat...stripper would not have accomplished this, with the car in this condition. Now, if the vette just needed a paint job, this would have been so much easier, "BUT let me make this clear, I WOULD NEVER USE STRIPPER on any vehicle again!! I hate stripper, it's just a huge mess, and can contaminate other vehicles near you , if you accidentally touch your wife's car, or you truck...or anything...but blah blah blah....my rant about strippers. I hate them and would never recommend them. I also feel the same about soda blasting, the soda gets EVERYWHERE, places that you can't reach, even with air blowing out all the recesses, you never can get the soda completely out of the cracks, UNLESS you have access to an acid dip... but anyway that is my personal opinion, and my own experience, right or wrong, everyone has their own ways of getting it done. I personally would rather sand with a DA and 80 grit, that's the way I do it.
The reason I used fiberglass material, and resin in some of the areas, was because I didn't want the Bondo to be too thick, I knew it would be a lot harder to sand the fiber material, and get back to even, but I don't like to pile up the bondo, so that is the reason for the use of fiber and resin.
I use a Dynabrade sander, it is the best I have ever used, and it's been going for years and years, with NO issues, I also use top quality filler, Evercoat Extreme, Rage Gold, very expensive, but worth the price, because it sands easy and never leaves air holes.
I hope I explained my way of doing what I do?? And the reasons behind my methods? But anyway, thanks for watching, and it would be great to compare notes.
Take Care, Toby