Willforce71

DUB, I know exactly what your talking about. I live in New Hampshire and this winter has been ridiculous. I am still waiting for it to warm up enough so I can open the doors and start stripping the paint off m y 71 resto. I don't know why I stay up here.

DUB

Maybe so you can experience all four seasons, Because you can come down here and deal with some cold damp weather and then HOT and HUMID weather with very little 'normal' spring and fall temps. When we get them...they area blessing.

DUB

NAVY08

DUB, I broke a few of those screw wells when I was dissembling my '69 and I had been wondering how I was going to fix them! Now I wonder no more. Do you have a link for where you got them from? Or the screw size off the top of your head?

Loving the education as you go through it. Thanks for the effort. It makes us all better.

DUB

Those prong t-nuts ...or what I call a tubular nut can be found at basic hardware store.

https://www.grainger.com/search?sear...3Fsst%3Dsubset

DUB

Westlotorn

Dub, my car will need much of this same fiberglass work and that is a product I have never worked with. Your write up is offering so many tips I have to say THANK YOU.
I am starting to think mine won't be too bad after all.
Mark

DUB

Mark,



Hopefully it will help you and just keep in mind that in some repairs it can be a pain to repair and challenge...but a vast majority of the time it all depends on you and if you want to do it.

DUB

Westlotorn

Areas of my front end have spider cracks, a friend that beautifully resotred a 54 from a fire advised me to grind my cracked areas till they are thin to get all the old spider cracks out and then laminate new glass to build up and establish a solid body we could work with.
He showed up at my house with a gallon of resin and some glass ready to start but I was timid to take on a job I had not read up on.
Thanks again for sharing your work bringing one back from the dead.

Brackets

Glad to see this thread still alive as I have a question about your technique that I haven't seen asked or commented on (I've read every word). I've noticed in many of the pics that you didn't seem to saturate the mat all the way to the edges and left the fringe dry. Why is that? Does it leave a nicer edge once the dry fiberglass is ground away? Thanks, Brad.

DUB

Brad,

Good question and hopefully this will answer your question(s).

When I am laminating...sometimes the section of fiberglass mat or cloth I use may be actually a big larger than the actual area I have prepped for the lamination. So instead of wasting time and tearing off mat or cutting the cloth to perfection. I know where to stop applying my resin which will cause the edge or edges to still show dry mat or cloth. In some lamination's..I do take the time to get the mat or cloth precisely cut. So it all depends.

SO..when I apply my resin I make sure I keep it within my prepped area and if the fiberglass cloth or mat extends out past it.... I do not worry about it because I am going to grind it away and get the area smooth regardless. BUT...I also do not want to apply resin on the strands to get them to be saturated when those strands are on an improperly prepped surface. I know in many cases it might not be a big deal. But starting poor prepping/ application practices of materials can cause problems in the future in some repairs. So why start doing them at all... like I told the guys who worked for me.

It is like many times I see in threads that body filler has been applied on top of paint or primer knowing that it was not correctly prepped. What this does is now cause that person to be aware of this. And IF they get the surface sanded perfectly...BUT they have now have some of that filler on an improperly prepped surface...they just wasted their time and will have to...or should...grind it out and do it again.

Sometimes when I tear my mat...it will fit within the area I prepped so I will get all the strands to lay down with the resin.

So...that is why what you noticed looks like it does. Because if you did read and see the photos I posted...you can see that IF someone laminates an area and does NOT properly prep that area so the resin can adhere...the fiberglass and resin can be pulled right off of that surface with very little effort in some cases.

DUB

Brackets

Thank you DUB for answering my question and for the in depth and concise explanation. It makes perfect sense and if I've learned anything (which I definitely have) from this thread is that the prep, much the same as a good paint job, is key to a good end product.
I'd also like to thank you for taking the time out of what must be a hectic schedule to document this process and explain to those of us who want to learn a little about your craft. Priceless! Gracias amigo

DUB

And it all well worth the time I put into it if it helps people. I did not have the luxury of the internet when I began doing this....because there really was not one yet.

DUB

Simtech

Loving this thread, I have learned a lot and will have to read threw it several more times and probably still won't absorb it all. I just peeled some improperly prepped glass work out of the fender on the 1981 I am working on. They looked just like the patches DUB peeled with the black undercoat and road dirt on them. I'm pretty sure all of this work was done at a professional body shop years ago and I would expect better if I was paying for it. Thanks again for the great thread and keep the info coming.

DUB

I am glad that this thread is being of some help to you.

If you feel what I have put into this thread does not exactly answer a problem you may be having. Start a new threads in the 'paint and body' section and I am sure that you questions can be answered.

DUB

leadfoot4

Hey "DUB", any updates on the restoration project??

DUB

YES...I am just busy as heck and need to compile what has been done and get it on the thread. Sometimes it is easier for me to help others here on the forum than focus on getting photos and text written for this thread. I know it may seem weird...but that is how it is sometimes.

Sorry if this thread has lost peoples interest. I am getting to it...hopefully in day or two I can get some stuff on the thread again of interest.

DUB

leadfoot4

929nitro

No interest lost here. Good things are worth waiting for.

74_stingray

Chonciceptor

porchdog

the entire body is made from mat and resin .