Body work on c4???
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
Body work on c4???
I have done radical vettes/fiberglass for over 20 years but I have heard in the rumor mill that the c4 is not really fiberglass as in my 81.... :skep:
Some careless person put the screw of the hose clamp that goes on the front of the TPI air cleaner hose on top, when they slammed the hood it made a cracked hole, :cry if it was a c3 I would have it gone in a few hours with bondo, but what do they use on a c4? :confused:
thanks all....
Charlie... :flag
Some careless person put the screw of the hose clamp that goes on the front of the TPI air cleaner hose on top, when they slammed the hood it made a cracked hole, :cry if it was a c3 I would have it gone in a few hours with bondo, but what do they use on a c4? :confused:
thanks all....
Charlie... :flag
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Union City CA
Re: Body work on c4??? (The13Bats)
Was this before you bought it?? Or did this happen when you owned it and someone else did it? If it was the 2nd one, nothing like a gulf club or bat wont fix, The person that is that did it. :lol:
Not so sure about the hood of the C4 though, And it is fiberglass, when I smashed the front end of my car, yeah it is, you could tell the little fibers underneath it. :yesnod:
Not so sure about the hood of the C4 though, And it is fiberglass, when I smashed the front end of my car, yeah it is, you could tell the little fibers underneath it. :yesnod:
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Albuquerque NM
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
Re: Body work on c4??? (Light84vette)
ive heard here that the c4 body wasnt fiberglass. its SMC, or sheet molded compound. not sure the difference between the two.
Thread Starter
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From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
Re: Body work on c4??? (The13Bats)
No I didn't do it, not saying that I might not have made the same mistake but this time I didn't do it, it was there when I got the car...the clamp on the intake on the front of the TPI was on top, I already moved it around....if this hood is fiberglass I can fix it in an afternoon and you will never know it was busted... I just don't wanna go slopping 'glass and bondo on it to have it be some weird GM plastic that the repair will fall off of, I agree it has strands like fiberglass....but see with the replies on here folks aren't 100% sure.... :skep:
Thanks, Charlie. :flag
Thanks, Charlie. :flag
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,620
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From: MCAA License to Kill
St. Jude Contributor
Re: Body work on c4??? (UA89Vette)
ive heard here that the c4 body wasnt fiberglass. its SMC, or sheet molded compound. not sure the difference between the two.
[Modified by JSA 007, 6:08 PM 4/8/2003]
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Bucks county Pa
Re: Body work on c4??? (JSA 007)
There are SMC specific fillers and fiberglass fibers you can add to fill a hole. Then you need to check compatability of a surface selaer/primer. You use the stuff like usual fiberglass except its not as liqiud its more solid like bondo. You need to grind out a notch around a hole or crack to bond to but it sounds like you know this already. Good luck. :smash:
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Re: Body work on c4??? (blk90rdstr)
The hood is fiberglass, special molding but still fiberglass, only a little tougher.
C5s are a plastic composite material.
C5s are a plastic composite material.
Thread Starter
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From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
Re: Body work on c4??? (oldace84)
You're wrong you're right.... :thumbs: :jester
I use to think fiberglass was fiberglass I heard in the rumor mill c4's were not fiberglass the same way c3's are fiberglass, like I said some dork shut the hood with the intake clamp on top and it put a cracked hole in the little valley down the center of the hood about the size of a nickle, if I use bondo like I would on a c3 I could make the hole dissapear in an afternoon..... :skep:
cheers,....
I use to think fiberglass was fiberglass I heard in the rumor mill c4's were not fiberglass the same way c3's are fiberglass, like I said some dork shut the hood with the intake clamp on top and it put a cracked hole in the little valley down the center of the hood about the size of a nickle, if I use bondo like I would on a c3 I could make the hole dissapear in an afternoon..... :skep:
cheers,....
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Union City CA
Re: Body work on c4??? (hngacurv)
But the doors have to be of some sort of metal right? Either aluminum or Steel? Because on my TransAm, the front fender and the rest feel like plastic but the doors pretty solid.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2002
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From: Shitcago IL
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07-'08
Re: Body work on c4??? (Light84vette)
But the doors have to be of some sort of metal right? Either aluminum or Steel? Because on my TransAm, the front fender and the rest feel like plastic but the doors pretty solid.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Anaheim Ca
Re: Body work on c4??? (DanielW)
The 13 Bats, are you sure that you've got the correct clamps on your intake? There are two of them. Both of my clamps have the screw assembly on top and they don't come anywhere near hitting the inside of the hood. Maybe the previous owner changed the clamps and put something on there that is too big.
Thread Starter
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From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
Re: Body work on c4??? (Netnarc2)
I'm not sure it's the right clamps, that's just what lines up with the hole/crack, maybe there was different clamps on it at one time that did the damage, I turned the clamps over to the side to be safe, the air intake is not 100% stock so that may be where the problem came in but I really don't know for sure how it happened , it was before I bought the car....
Cheers, :thumbs: :flag
Cheers, :thumbs: :flag
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2002
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From: Tucson Az
St. Jude Contributor
Re: Body work on c4??? (The13Bats)
The C4 body panels are SMC, sheet moulded compound. They consist of plastics, resins and fiberglass particles. They're fabricated in high pressure molds. SMC is an epoxy base product, so the best structural repairs are made with epoxy base bondo's. One of the strongest I've found is J.B. Weld. You can also use epoxy resin with fiberglass matte. Evercoat makes a resin called "SMC Resin", but a chemist friend at work looked into the materials and found it to be a polyester product, so I would stay away from it. Polyester can soften epoxy. Non structural finish work can be done with polyester products.
Eklers sells a couple of self help videos for this type of info.
Hope that helps alittle . . . . . . . .
:cheers:
Eklers sells a couple of self help videos for this type of info.
Hope that helps alittle . . . . . . . .
:cheers:
