Hi Guys..
In the process of removing the paint from my 75 convertible I have found that there is one coat of red over primer and the original red laquer over the original primer. So it has been repainted once. Under the original primer is a hard white surface I figure is gel coat. Should I remove everything down to gel coat before repainting or can I just remove the last color coat, reseal the primer that's there, and repaint ?? I'm removing paint with a scraper.
Thanks !
Larry

 

No gelcoat on factory panels. The white surface is fiberglass.

You need to take it down to the fiberglass. Factory primer was lacquer and being 40 years old is not a good base for your new paint.

You should take the primer off with scotchbrite and lacquer thinner to avoid damaging the panels.

 

Boats have gelcoat, corvettes don't.

 

I'm not surprised that it's not gel coat but I thought SMC was gray ?

 

I've seen white, grey and black.

 

Boats have Gelcoat , Corvettes do and don't, depending on the Year and Part we are talking about.

 

So much for the debate over gelcoat or not. I accept probably not gel coat. My question remains, can I or should I just remove the top coat, reseal, and repaint without going all the way down to the white surface whatever it is ?
Where is DUB when I need him?

 

DUB will tell you the same thing: Take it all the way down.

 

When my car is in need of a repaint one day I might do white gelcoat

 

What year and parts are you talking about?

 

When I was putting mine together, I had to replace the rear filler panel. I figured I would GelCoat it - because I had never done it and was wondering what it was all about. Won't do it again! Be sure you know ALL about the process of putting it on, putting the "cure coat" on, etc. before you decide.....

It's NOT a boat!!

 

Well I wont be doing it myself. Body work is one thing I won't touch. The body shop manager at the dealer I work at said it is very doable on a Corvette. He's owned a few C3s and has worked on a lot.

I'm in the process of adding sidepipes to my car and the covers came in gelcoated white. They are very close to the color my car is now. only a shade or two off.

 

*** Posting tip**** Post paint and body STUFF in the paint and body section .

Posting it in the C3 section ...which I check on for reasons like this...often times it gets overrun by other posts and I do not go through any pages of posts other that the first page.

With that written...You car is NOT gelcoated and it is the body color which is a really light gray if not almost white panel. And as written above because people know me...TAKE IT ALL OFF!!!! Because if you don't...you can "possibly" run into problems.

Scraping the paint with a razor blade knife will work to a point...but you will either need to use what was mentioned above. LACQUER THINNER and red scotch-brite or rough steel wool to get all of the primer off. I myself...would use a chemical. But to each his/her own.

I know you did not ask for feedback, comments or any thoughts...BUT
You can do what you want...obviously...but I would not apply gelcoat on your 81 if you came into my shop wanting it done UNLESS you signed a statement taking all liability. I have contemplated shooting a few test panels and wait a few years and see what happens. On polyester fiberglass panels...I would have no problem doing it...but on the SMC...which I know many products that can be applied on it are polyester based...I can not confirm if the required chemicals are in the gelcoat so it can actually bite into the SMC...instead of just lay on top of it...which I have seen before where that product could actually be "popped-off" by getting a thin edges blade under it and lifting it right off the sanded/prepped SMC.

And when it comes to your urethane bumper covers and lower air dam (if you still have urethane bumpers/air dam...and the headlight doors, mirrors and fuel door...you might run into a problem.

DUB

 

You are entitled to your opinion and expressing your experiences....and I encourage it. Sorry that it was not what you expected.

And the reason you had problems is because as you wrote:because I had never done it and was wondering what it was all about.

Well many times in life that is the "kiss of death". Trying something unknown and having problems. And I would bet...that not knowing anything about gelcoating...you more than likely went right in on your car and shot it ...instead of testing it on something so you could have some knowledge of how it works. Because IF you had tested the gelcoating process on something else...and figured out how it works...you either would have stopped and chose another route...or applied it as designed and have a different experience. I am not wring that you DID NOT do your "homework" and had a game plan...and possibly followed the instructions to the letter...but...if you had problems...or it took longer than you liked..I do not know how to comment on that.

This is why I often comment to people who do not do paint and body work all the time is to TEST it first on something that you do not care about.

I can state that I have gelcoated so many fiberglass bodied Corvettes that I honestly have lost count. And I do not even closely equate the use of gelcoat to making it like I am turning a 1967 into a BOAT. GET REAL! Simply childish. Yet..aftermarket hand laid fiberglass panels are gelcoated. Does anyone know why gelcoat is used on a boat? What benefits is provides when the boat is in WATER. People often times comment on "issues" that they either do not totally understand or DO NOT CARE to understand. And no mater what is written or stated...people will still hold their beliefs when in many cases...their views can be proven otherwise...and that is when their emotions override their intellect.

You have to remember...that if any of us were in charge of building Corvettes back in the day...when no one cared about paint as much as they do today...because back then...those Pre-1972 Corvettes were just another car. So why would GM spend the money on gelcoating and keeping the body panels from having paint issues...they wouldn't..because they are in the business of selling cars. And it took a long time for the length of time a paint and body has to hold up to keep up with other manufacturers. Hence why the materials have all changed. So just because GM didn't do "this-or-that" doesn't mean that adding a product that can benefit a project. It is much like using only products that GM used....so using EPOXY PRIMER...which was not used on early cars...would be a joke and a waste of time...beacsue GM did not use it...when it has been proven to help in many areas.

Yes ...gelcoating is a process that is NOT the same as priming...and anyone who wants to do it better know that it is labor intensive...but for me...It provides an excellent barrier that is in a world all its own. And I know hat it takes and it is not a problem doing it. Some products are close...but they are still not the same.

DUB

 

As said else ware here all Hand Laid Fiberglass Parts are so that means everything aftermarket. The Factory L-88 Flares sold across the parts counter would of been Gel-Coated, along with other Fiberglass race parts. And I think some C1 and 2 cars were, but I'm not sure which were.
As Ecklers and ACI are the two biggest aftermarket suppliers, they make it convenient for users since Ecklers uses Grey and ACI uses White, ( or is it the other way around ? )
Then there is ever ending debate on whether to Gel Coat or not to, which I will not get into. When I was doing custom bumper mods to a hand laid part I re gel coated it when I was done with the fiberglass. Then when I was sanding it the gel coat was such a pain to work with I ended up sanding it all off and using Primer paint to seal it which sanded so much better. So basically I converted from one camp to another.

 

The concensus seems to be "go all the way to bare fiberglass" which I will do. I'll probably give up scraping and go with sanding, chemical stripper, and laquer thinner with red scotchbrite. The scraping was killing my 70 year old fingers anyhow. Thanks everybody.
Larry

 

And you, too, are entitled to your own condescending, insulting, completely off the point, opinions....

Enjoy your boat...

 

There were no hand laid C3 factory panels. There was no factory gel coat. This post is about factory fiberglass.

 

I see I hit a NERVE...which I did not intend to do..I APOLOGIZE!!!!
So if you took it as a "cut-down"...it was not...it was only to convey to other people....that gelcoating is done all the time and can be done....regardless of what fiberglass part is it being applied to.

It is funny how you can comment on you dis-like of gelcoat...which is fine...but I can not nor will not allow it to go without a reply....so other people who may consider it..would not be put off....by people who did not like it.

I hope it NEVER happens to ANYONE!!!! ...but if one day your paint job blisters...or oil soaks into the underside of the hood and causes lifting...my "boat"... so-to-speak...will still be fine.

I agree...using primers are MUCH EASIER than gelcoat...due to being much softer...that is for sure. I prefer to provide a strong surface that can aid in reducing "problems" that these fiberglass bodied Corvettes are know to have.

And everyone is aware where GM got the name "CORVETTE" from....right....A BOAT!
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...4215420AARL2UW

DUB

 

Exactly.