Gel Coat ??? What is it - Really?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 781
Likes: 4
From: Reno Nevada
Gel Coat ??? What is it - Really?
Guys,
What is Gel Coat?
I hear, at car shows, guys ask wheather a car has been re-gel coated or just painted ? ? ?
Do 60's Corvettes use this process?
Do C5s - C6s ? I know the new cars use "Composit Plastic", not "Fiber Glass" per sae...
I had a GREAT Plastics lab in high school (30 yrs ago), we'd spray colored Gel Coat into a mold, let it dry, lay down fiberglass mat, then brush on some resin - Viola, a "Fiber Glass" part.
(We had a motorcycle fender mold, thus made about 50 fenders.)
Would a new paint job, on an older - 60s Corvette be re-gel coated? Or just (sanded and) painted ?
THANKS, Art
What is Gel Coat?
I hear, at car shows, guys ask wheather a car has been re-gel coated or just painted ? ? ?
Do 60's Corvettes use this process?
Do C5s - C6s ? I know the new cars use "Composit Plastic", not "Fiber Glass" per sae...
I had a GREAT Plastics lab in high school (30 yrs ago), we'd spray colored Gel Coat into a mold, let it dry, lay down fiberglass mat, then brush on some resin - Viola, a "Fiber Glass" part.
(We had a motorcycle fender mold, thus made about 50 fenders.)
Would a new paint job, on an older - 60s Corvette be re-gel coated? Or just (sanded and) painted ?
THANKS, Art
Pro
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 704
Likes: 2
From: Cincinnati OH
don't know about the 60s vette but the latest advice I got from USC was to not put on a gelcoat but to use a polyester primer. my understanding is that the gelcoat seals the glass and is flexible enough to move with it. Guys let me know what I'm missing in this simplstic explanation. The polyester primer does the same thing, seals and is flexible. It's also thick and requires a specific nozzle on the gun. Supposed to be great to start blocking with.
Last edited by TheMongoose; Dec 11, 2005 at 07:14 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,727
Likes: 39
From: Fremont CA
GM never gel coated the Corvette NEVER! I just dropped off a Vette to a paint shop and the guy asked if I needed re-gel coating on the car. I almost didn't drop off the car until a second painter came over and corrected his idiocy. Gel coat is for boats NOT Corvettes!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 3,025
Likes: 12
From: Pleasant Grove AL
Originally Posted by Solid LT1
GM never gel coated the Corvette NEVER! I just dropped off a Vette to a paint shop and the guy asked if I needed re-gel coating on the car. I almost didn't drop off the car until a second painter came over and corrected his idiocy. Gel coat is for boats NOT Corvettes!
A gelcoat is something to be considered on a Vette that has been severely damaged with stripper or a sander. There are polyester primers such as "FeatherFill" that will correct most of these problems without resorting to gelcoat. Gelcoat is for boats.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 8,918
Likes: 27
From: New Hill NC
Never Say Never
Never Say Never. In 1954 some Corvette bodies were gelcoated with a white polyester gelcoat that was a disaster. It was done as an experiment and some upstart engineers graduate thesis. Now to the question of Gelcoat. Eventhough the bodies were not originally gelcoated, there is nothing wrong with doing it as part of a body restoraton and paint. But you have to be mindful of what type fiberglass is on the car. Typical Gel-Coat is a polyester product and only should be used on polyester glass. This means 68 and earlier. The job will generally last longer and show less shrinkages etc. with gel-coat. After 68 the bodies were a mix of fiberglass types, and gel-coat may not be compatable. A good urethane primer surfacer would be better on these, especially later into 71. Remember our SMC fiberglass discussion? Well after 72 with SMC panels I perfer to use an epoxy as a base and maybe Urethane to build. Epoxy seems to adhere better.
