Need some opinions please I am tired of reading.
I have my car down to bare fiberglass, am filling my luggage rack holes and matting my front bumber in once the new one gets here.
Then going to apply epoxy sealer
Then Spray polyester
Then High build primer
Then Paint and clear coat

My question is the spray polyster a good idea?

Thanks

 

Not over epoxy. Maybe under it on bare fiberglass.

 

ive never heard of spray polyester..

 

would i still need the epoxy then?


corz http://www.performancecoatings.dupon...er_3508_04.pdf

 

The spray polyester is like a very high build primer, more like a sprayable bondo. Only required on very rough surfaces. If the body is fairly straight, you don't need it.

 

I guess I'm just old school then.. i get the panel right before primer goes on

 

You didnt say what year, but I am going to assume you are working on the `73. Then my answer is never use polyester. There is no simple answer for C3s because the fiberglass changed makeup several times during the length of production. 68-69 cars were generally old style polyester fiberglass, so polyester materals would be good, but by 73 most panels were Gennite or SMC and polyester is not compatable with SMC. So I would use an epoxy material as a first coat and either continue with a high build epoxy or use a urethane high build product as a surfacer. You need to be conscious of cure times on epoxy and dont wait too long to recoat or make sure it is sanded well in between.

 

there are many ways to paint a corvette and get good results from bare fiber glass (now this is what i would do i dont want to get into any debates) now just to clarify... glass strands use polyester , epoxy or vinyl ester to make fiberglass . corvette used polyester . vinyl ester is the best used in extreme conditions such as boats .Epoxy was used for strength for repairs etc. polyester was used because of price and ease of use plus afew more reasons. one of the most miss understood products is smc . smc uses the same materials chopped glass strands and or polyester ,vinyl ester or epoxy. corvette used polyester . smc stands for sheet molded coumpound. smc is much stronger and less problamatic than fiberglass,its moulded under pressure giving a much better product. the confusion is the repair of smc because you have to use vinyl ester not polyester even though its made of polyester.I have primed w/epoxy then polyester . I have primed w/ epoxy then (2k) urethane . I have primed w/polyester then epoxy then paint (need to seal polyester) I have primed w/ (2k) urethane high build few coats then paint all with excelent results no failures. MY prefferd method is polyester / epoxy sealer the reason is the high build propertys I go straight over 80 grit scratches and can build up to 30 mils thick in one spray session then guide coat to 220 then 320-400 seal with epoxy non sand and finish base clear or single stage. what is so confusing every primer says use on bare fiber glass ,smc etc. Treat smc the same as fiberglass for painting just not repair. but most important of all is follow the data sheet instructions do not seccond guess the mfg.NO matter what any one says even if they have been painting a hundred years .......did I mention follow the mfg.data sheet not the label. IF it says dry sand do it if it says wet sand do it if it says wet or dry take your pick . every time there is a problem 99% of the time you did not follow the instructions. I hope this helps and did not confuse you more go for it and follow the instructions

 

 

Awsome replies guys thank you.My brother in law is helping me
with the body and paint work as thats what he does.But he has never worked with fiberglass or the guys at his shop.we want the car to be perfect when done so just trying to figure out the best way for the best finish.
Thanks again

 

Some of the older Corvettes, like my 70, had laquer paint. If it is not removed todays newer paints will not adhere and one will have a mess. That's why the stripping is recommended. Mine is in for a paint job now and the shop removed all the paint (by a sander) and blocked the entire car to make it straight.
Fred

 

i am doing polyester primer then y2k high build then a color matched primer. the polyester says it acts as a gel-coat, sealer and high build primer. it is however not as high build as the y2k. more like a medium build. it is good for going over strands. it also fills in 36 grit scratches in 2 coats, for the most part. it sands easy. although it was recommended to me to sand it within 2-3 days of spraying because it gets harder to sand as it dries

 

I have a paint question if you guys don't mind; My 81 has some cracks in the SMC surface, a bunch of little cracks in an area, probably from heat or aging. What is the right way to resolve this issue? I was thinking I'd grind the surface, then re-glass it with strand's. The thought also crossed my mind, what if I used polyester over this area, or burried it with 2k high build primer. What's the "right" way to tackle this?

Thanks in advance,

Mark G

 

Mark, Did you notice that paint threads don't last to long.There are so many options & methods that no one wants to offend any one or get into a debate. I will stick my head out an hope it dosent get chopped off. ok im going to assume your at bare glass (smc) you cant bury cracks, and it sound like you have hair line cracks less than a credit card width. These cracks must be dealt with now because they will come back to haunt you , and you will regret that you didnt handle it when you had a chance. These are the little time consuming jobs that create a high quality paint job. Ok first you must relieve the stress on the cracks,you do this by grinding a v groove in each crack past the end of the crack. I learned early you dont have to get the big guns out,to do this. let me explain..... to repair the best possible way is to use glass matt and resin for smc . When you read the instructions it tells you to use 36 grit to grind/sand the surface and v groove etc.so I get out a grinder that is 10,000 rpm and put a 10" 36 grit paper with backing. The Cracks i was fixing were at the top of all 4 fender wells. well in a fraction of a second I went from crack, to part of wheel well missing . So I say to my self I just need go easy now I have 2 wheel wells missing large areas. man I tore that car up In less than 15 minutes .There were other cracks and the seams got a little practice . so thats what I mean when i say the big guns.It took me a long time to fix the damage I caused.so any way you can you can use any tool for small cracks I V groove with small tools like dremmel hate to admit that with all the air tools I own. after v grooving 36 the surface area lower than orig. then apply the mat & resin to above the orig surface.let it dry and cure (see label) then sand it slightly lower than orig surface .then level with polyester putty . this is somwhat old school but it works. There is all kinds of new products where you can do it different no mat & resin. maybe some one else can advise on them . good luck with your project it's hard work but in the end and you say I painted it It feels good.

 

Excellent explanation and your sharing your "learning curve". Did you have any pic's of your work?

 

Thanks jetvette.... THat vette is at left on my avitar 79 L-82 this car is my first restoration. I replaced every thing the ony thing orig. is the frame, body,eng.trans. spent $$$$$$$$ will never recover the car when I bought should have been parted out I paid $2.500.00 now I know to start with a car in best shape as possible and save $$$$$$$$ thouasnds of dollars. I took pictures of that project all thru the process but not digital. It took 2 years to complete and lots of blood. this is my baby and will never be for sale. my wfe does the computer stuff I will ask her to set up a link @ my profile

 

Forget the poly,primer sealer,base,clear...

 

Fellows,

I am interested in this subject. I have some screw holes that need to be cleaned up. Also, I have about a 4 inch crack (very narrow) where the passenger side rocker molding attaches to the rear. I went to Advance Auto yesterday but they have lots of different products for fiberglass repair and I DON'T HAVE A CLUE. What do I buy?

..........suggestions are welcome!.........