Body Repair Material Recommendations?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,229
Likes: 1
Re: Body Repair Material Recommendations? (radhunter)
I also have an 88 vette, the side door is cracked... and I would also like to know what is the BEST of the BEST material out there to fix or patch or glue our cars back together.
My step dad owns a body shop and fixed the front hood. Right corner of the hood was wriped off so he had to cut it straight and get another corner from a scraped covette hood and he re-atached it with a special compound supposed to be made for our type of fiber glass used on our vettes. Anyway's after painting the hood you could see clearly were the hood was patched back together and the paint lifted off the hood at the areas were the stuff was applied it made kinda like an L shape were the hood was joined back together.
I was told our C4 don't use regular fiber glass like the older C3's and need a special material... but even after buying stuff made for our type of fiberglass.... it still didn't do the job right.
My step dad owns a body shop and fixed the front hood. Right corner of the hood was wriped off so he had to cut it straight and get another corner from a scraped covette hood and he re-atached it with a special compound supposed to be made for our type of fiber glass used on our vettes. Anyway's after painting the hood you could see clearly were the hood was patched back together and the paint lifted off the hood at the areas were the stuff was applied it made kinda like an L shape were the hood was joined back together.
I was told our C4 don't use regular fiber glass like the older C3's and need a special material... but even after buying stuff made for our type of fiberglass.... it still didn't do the job right.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 7,857
Likes: 2
From: Ignore this post
St. Jude Donor '03
Re: Body Repair Material Recommendations? (radhunter)
Make sure you use products designed for SMC fiberglass not the older style resin type. I have all the products at home if you need names and numbers for various fillers etc.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 7,857
Likes: 2
From: Ignore this post
St. Jude Donor '03
Re: Body Repair Material Recommendations? (TheStef)
yep! thats it SMC
My step dad used stuff exactly for that, and it still didnt' come out right.
Tell me what name brands you are using?
My step dad used stuff exactly for that, and it still didnt' come out right.
Tell me what name brands you are using?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 7,857
Likes: 2
From: Ignore this post
St. Jude Donor '03
Re: Body Repair Material Recommendations? (TheStef)
sorry I didn't post this sooner, got home and UPS had delivered my gauge cluster from southern electronics, so first things first.
this was my first time doing any serious body work so I don't have much experince, but my buddy is an automotive paint supplier and very quality oriented and these are what he sells
here's the list of the products I used,
USC Duraglass fiberglass filler for patching cracks
PEC Duramix SMC filler for filling and leveling
Evercoat Metalglaze for filling pinholes
He told me to V groove about a 1/4"-1/2" on either side of the crack before filling with the duraglass.
I was very happy with the results especially since it was my first time
this was my first time doing any serious body work so I don't have much experince, but my buddy is an automotive paint supplier and very quality oriented and these are what he sells
here's the list of the products I used,
USC Duraglass fiberglass filler for patching cracks
PEC Duramix SMC filler for filling and leveling
Evercoat Metalglaze for filling pinholes
He told me to V groove about a 1/4"-1/2" on either side of the crack before filling with the duraglass.
I was very happy with the results especially since it was my first time
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
From: Linton Indiana
Re: Body Repair Material Recommendations? (cheap vet)
When I repaired the rear fender on my 85, I used regular polyester resin and fiberglass with a little Bondo over it and it seemed to turn out ok. :chevy :chevy
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,229
Likes: 1
Re: Body Repair Material Recommendations? (oldjoe)
nahhh don't be sorry this place is a forrum... not a job hahaha, no hurry's.
Did you actualy fix any cracks on your vette with those materials?
We also used quality brand materials last time, but we still saw a line through the paint after it was painted. (I wish I had pictures) man oh man! I think I'll go buy one of those cheep cameras and take pictures of my car this weekend.
Did your job turn out good? or not to bad? ... I don't meen to sound like a perfectionnist, but my step dad owns a body shop and does a lot of body work on cars and it still came out with a weird line imprint under the paint when the hood was repaired...... keeping in mind that we cut out a small corner section of the hood and then patched up a new section on it.
I'm wondering if cracks are easier to repair?
Thanks for the reply, I'll take those products on note and try them out to fix my door before storing the car for winter.
Does any one else here have any recommendations?
Did you actualy fix any cracks on your vette with those materials?
We also used quality brand materials last time, but we still saw a line through the paint after it was painted. (I wish I had pictures) man oh man! I think I'll go buy one of those cheep cameras and take pictures of my car this weekend.
Did your job turn out good? or not to bad? ... I don't meen to sound like a perfectionnist, but my step dad owns a body shop and does a lot of body work on cars and it still came out with a weird line imprint under the paint when the hood was repaired...... keeping in mind that we cut out a small corner section of the hood and then patched up a new section on it.
I'm wondering if cracks are easier to repair?
Thanks for the reply, I'll take those products on note and try them out to fix my door before storing the car for winter.
Does any one else here have any recommendations?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 7,857
Likes: 2
From: Ignore this post
St. Jude Donor '03
Re: Body Repair Material Recommendations? (TheStef)
I fixed a 6" long crack near the wheelwell that looks fine after paint, but there are afew spots that have shown up slightly after a few months, my friend says that as much as fiberglass expands and contracts it is not unusuall for some repairs to show after time.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,275
Likes: 0
From: long island NY
Re: Body Repair Material Recommendations? (cheap vet)
The best and only way to fix SMC is with fiberglass matt and SMC resin, not regular resin. Follow this with a thin skim coat of SMC vette bond for the imperfections and pinholes. If the glass work is done right you do not need this. Repair the car with what the car is made of!! Use anything else and it will haunt you, it may look good for a while but down the road is another question. Any douts look at the vettes I build on my web site.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,500
Likes: 0
From: Holliston MA
Cruise-In VII Veteran
Re: Body Repair Material Recommendations? (vetterestorer)
I use fiberglass mat and Fusor 100ez/T11 heat set formula. I've rebroken repaired areas using this stuff and had the SMC break and the repaired areas hold up. It isn't easy to use but it works real well.
Another thing is to use Eckler's gel coat to set up a good barrier between your paint and the 'glass. Improper application of primer (too heavy, not enough flash time) and not properly V'ing back the repair area will also do what your talking about. Primer is not meant to fill imperfections or sand scratches.
There are also some SMC adhesive's out there that aren't supposed to be coated with any polyester products - body fillers, glazes, some fiberglass resins. They're mainly the structural adhesives - the ones that you'd use to bond a panel onto a vehicle.
Another thing is to use Eckler's gel coat to set up a good barrier between your paint and the 'glass. Improper application of primer (too heavy, not enough flash time) and not properly V'ing back the repair area will also do what your talking about. Primer is not meant to fill imperfections or sand scratches.
There are also some SMC adhesive's out there that aren't supposed to be coated with any polyester products - body fillers, glazes, some fiberglass resins. They're mainly the structural adhesives - the ones that you'd use to bond a panel onto a vehicle.
