Gel Coat - What is it?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 781
Likes: 4
From: Reno Nevada
Gel Coat - What is it?
Guys,
What is Gel Coat?
I hear, at car shows, guys ask if car has been re-gel coated or just painted ? ? ? (speaking of 60s Corvettes)
Did 50s-60s Corvettes use this process?
Do C5s - C6s ? I know the new cars use "Composit Plastic", not "Fiber Glass" per sae...
I had a GREAT Plastics lab in high school (30 yrs ago), we'd spray colored Gel Coat into a mold, let it dry, lay down fiberglass mat, then brush on some resin - Viola, a "Fiber Glass" part.
(We had a motorcycle fender mold, the class made about 50 fenders.)
Would a new paint job, on an older - 60s Corvette be re-gel coated? Or just (sanded and) painted ?
THANKS, Art
What is Gel Coat?
I hear, at car shows, guys ask if car has been re-gel coated or just painted ? ? ? (speaking of 60s Corvettes)
Did 50s-60s Corvettes use this process?
Do C5s - C6s ? I know the new cars use "Composit Plastic", not "Fiber Glass" per sae...
I had a GREAT Plastics lab in high school (30 yrs ago), we'd spray colored Gel Coat into a mold, let it dry, lay down fiberglass mat, then brush on some resin - Viola, a "Fiber Glass" part.
(We had a motorcycle fender mold, the class made about 50 fenders.)
Would a new paint job, on an older - 60s Corvette be re-gel coated? Or just (sanded and) painted ?
THANKS, Art
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 947
Likes: 46
From: Saint Cloud Florida
My understanding is that Gel coat is a coating that is sprayed in the molds before the fiberglass and resin is laid. I have also been told Corvettes never used Gel coat. In the past, some restorers and repairers used Gel coat to seal the surfaces prior to painting to keep the fiberglass and paint from reacting. Today, most use epoxy primer for sealing.
