C4 General Discussion General C4 Corvette Discussion not covered in Tech

paint bubbles?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jun 12, 2012 | 02:55 PM
  #1  
jispr's Avatar
jispr
Thread Starter
Instructor
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 208
Likes: 1
From: Lawrenceville GA
Default paint bubbles?

'93...My targa top seems to be bubbling under the paint. Small bubbles.
You can see them more than you can feel them. Anyone seen this b4?
Is it paint or fiberglass? Hard to permanently fix?
While we're on the top, how do you remove the front black/chrome piece that wraps around the front of the targa w/o destroying it?

Thanks all
Reply
Old Jun 12, 2012 | 04:46 PM
  #2  
1986coupe's Avatar
1986coupe
Burning Brakes
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,079
Likes: 1
From: Niagara Falls ON
Default

Bubbling under the paint could mean that the paint is lifting. Is it a factory paint job or has it been painted since? Poor prep by someone would cause the paint to not stick properly and now lift.

It could also be osmosis. Fiberglass that gets water in it will bubble and weaken. Normally this wouldn't happen on a roof since it isn't exposed to water that much.
Reply
Old Jun 12, 2012 | 04:59 PM
  #3  
Joe C's Avatar
Joe C
Race Director
25 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 11,470
Likes: 763
Default

original paint or repaint? if it's been repainted, and someone used a chemical stripper to remove the original finish, it could be gassing. if the chemical stripper wasn't neutralized and thoroughly cleaned, it will cause gassing at some point down the road. one other thing, is the bubbling under the base coat, or the clear coat? gassing in the clear might be caused by trapped solvents between coats. usually any kind of gassing or bubbling would require a refinish. either way, there is some sort of contamination in the paint.
Reply
Old Jun 13, 2012 | 07:00 AM
  #4  
HlhnEast's Avatar
HlhnEast
Safety Car
 
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,328
Likes: 15
From: Jacksonville FL
Default

If the bubbles are right on the leading and side edge it may be delamination of the 'glass. I have this problem with mine. I think it does have to do with water getting into the fibers but dont hold me to that. As far as the trim strip, your gonna have to get a small flat screwdriver and have a LOT of patience. Its supposed to be a pressed fit but if its been off once you never know what might of happened.

Good luck!
Reply
Old Jun 13, 2012 | 08:59 AM
  #5  
jispr's Avatar
jispr
Thread Starter
Instructor
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 208
Likes: 1
From: Lawrenceville GA
Default

Thanks for all the input!! It's original paint. I've never seen that trim for sale so I guess I'll give it to a body shop.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To paint bubbles?





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:38 PM.

story-0
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-2
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-9
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE