Fiber glass body work easier than sheet metal?
 

As a novice mechanic, do I have a better chance of performing passable fiber glass or sheet metal body work?

Trying to decide between a C1/C2 or a 69 camaro as a long term dream project while we raise the little ones.

Figure I can't burn my finger off if I don't need to weld much!

Thanks :)

Each has it own peculiarities. My issue is I could never shrink metal well.

The price point entry is where it’s going to decide. But can you weld?

Interesting question... Sheet metal doesn't have bonding strips...and you can 'patch' an area and, if done properly, its undetectable. Fiberglass -- you'd better have some mad skills or the fix will come back to haunt you...

I feel it is easier and it you screw it up you can always redo it - metal is harder IMO

:iagree: Although metal is more stable and in some respect less likely for body work to show through eventually. But fiberglass work is really pretty easy as long as some basic rules are followed. With fiberglass mat, resin and a little filler you can create almost anything out of fiberglass - thus all the late 60s/early 70s custom body work on C2s we all love to hate now.

:iagree: I've done lots of both and fiberglass work is very easy. Metal work isn't too bad if you have welding skills. I replaced the rear quarter panels on my last project and it was no big deal, but I like to weld.

The skills you have to develop to do either are the same regardless of body type. It's just the processes and in some cases the tools that are different. Attaching a quarter panel to a Corvette is different than attaching one on a Camaro. However, for either one, you will need to develop the skills to ensure:
* The panel matches the rest of the body in terms of door/bumper/wheel gaps when compared with the other side
* The panel is not too far in at one end and too far out at the other end
* The body lines match up between the door and the panel
* The rest of the pieces (brackets, wiring, bumpers, trim) fit and/or line up correctly

The final body work is the same as well. The skills required to make a panel flat or ridge straight transfer from one medium to another.
As an aside, in the sheet metal world, many panels are being attached using automotive-specific epoxies, so welding may not even be an issue.

It is easier to form a specific patch or repair from a piece of fiberglass cloth and resin as opposed to a sheet of metal and a hammer, but most of the work involved in repairing either type of body is not there anyway. If you need specific welding skills, you can hire someone to do that for you.

:iagree:

And no one brought up the fact that you can buy a nice finished 69 Camaro for what a project C1 is going to start at.

There is a whole lot more to metal finishing/repair than simply cutting of a damaged panel and replacing it by welding in a new piece. When you move damaged or misplaced metal back where it came from in the same shape is where the skill comes in and that doesn't come easy or cheap.

I've seen people make a mess out of both steel and fiberglass bodies simply because they didn't know what they were doing.

glass good, metal bad

This is true.

I think there is more hard-core skill needed to do good metal smithing. Just about anybody can manage to stretch or warp a piece of metal but it takes some serious skill to flatten and shrink metal back into shape. And it takes special skill to work a piece of metal into a complex shape patch panel. The equipment requirements are greater for metal work. Welding requires a quality mig or tig welder and skill to weld on thin sheet metal. Some form of cutting equipment. Complex panel/patch fabrication can require a lot of metal shaping equipment.

For fiberglass you need mixing supplies, basic safety items, maybe a heat lamp, some clamps, some sanding/cutting discs and a drill or sander, a roller, some common sense and you are pretty much good to go.