aaronz28

picking up my walnut shelled body -

i've not seen it yet - but anyone who has had this done before, does the walnut take the gel coat off as well?

if so, what do you body guys use atop the bare glass - I"m thinking Evercoat Slick Sand.

If the gelcoat is still there - fix whatever needs to be fixed, and then a good 2k primer?

Cheers

derekderek

I had a heater that was acorn shelled by mice. I guess that is a different process

SB64

Well not sure without pictures to see what you see. Any body work need to be done? Door gaps, etc. Evercoat Finish Sand might be a better choice then the Slick Sand. Hard to say!

RVZIO

VERYSOON

Epoxy primer! Three coats!!!
VS

bmans vette

Might try Paint/Body subforum for answers.
Also try sending a PM to DUB....he has a lot of experience with out fiberglass. Different years and different generations were made with different fiberglass at the factory. Not all should be treated the same.
Good luck

sambrand

it depends on how aggressive the psi setting was, higher psi likely did remove the gelcoat in which case u must apply a gelcoat before primer/paint or the final coat will blister the first time it rains and then sits in the sun. use the water test to see if the gelcoat is intact or a very close inspection with a magnifying glass in as many places as possible paying special attention to any are that is a cup such as the rear end just before the spoiler etc, as the sandbast media bounces around in the cupped areas the odds are the gel coat has been penetrated/removed. it is not recommended to sandblast any fiberglass application because the final substrate (fiberglass) is almost as soft as the first layer of paint. ive seen sandblasted steel panels actually eroded by an inattentive sandblaster
. walnut shells and similar media is used because of the hazards of silicosis in people more then any superiority of one media over another, but each media has a different penetrating ability based on psi settings, a organic media generally can use a higher psi rating and is faster due to the increase in media volume, but regardless of sand or shells any area over exposed to sandblasting can be damaged. theres numerous options to repair a gelcoat but the number one consideration is brand of the rest coatings, it is almost ALWAYS a good idea to stay with the same brand paint / primer from bottom layer to final coat. so once you have decided what final paint / cc you are applying match the gel coat and primer to that same manufacturer. Urethane or Acrylic, once you decide which type will be applied will start guiding your choices to the proper primer / gel coat.

Priya

There is no factory gel coat on an early C3 and you don't need to put one on to paint it (although some do). I know some use an epoxy primer direct on the fiberglass and then a high build primer like Slicksand on top of that. Later C3s are sheet molded compound panels and have no gel coat either, if I remember correctly you cannot put a gelcoat on a later C3 with SMC body panels.

I'm pretty fuzzy on this but I think GM started using some SMC panels on 73 models.

gleninsandiego

As some have stated above
No gel coat
Epoxy primer

aaronz28

Hemi John

everything I've ever read said epoxy primer over bare substrate, filler, filler primers, putties as applicable in between and epoxy primer coat as a sealer under paint. More than one way to skin a cat, but sealing before and after always seemed like a good practice to me.

derekderek

A friend uaed feather fill on a 69 vert he bought in 86 or so. Semi pro restorer. Did body- off in like 2 weeks. I see it is still around. Polyester sandable primer. Rated for bare glass and SMC.

sambrand

consensus is no gel coat, ive always used it but my shop dealt with a lot of modifications including cutting and installing scoops for cars, and numerous watercraft repairs. thnks to all for the correction I learned the gelcoat wasn't oem on the vette! but I will say if theres any fibers showing then do gel coat, it always worked for me.

Priya

That's how I'm planning to do it unless someone talks me out of it, lol

I'm also doing my first fiberglass car after several steel cars.

Vette5311

sambrand

baking soda is very light and although it does have good blasting ability because the psi can be very high and volume very high but it will have a very high volume and it will coat everything in the entire bay, ceiling, floors, your cup of coffee, your hair, .... it will aslo work itself into every nook and cranny of the car including the heater intake and engine bay... so clean up will take longer then any sane mechanic would want to do,

Priya

Baking soda for paint removal is generally not recommended as it can prevent the paint form adhering properly if its not meticulously cleaned off and as sambrand said it gets everywhere so its very difficult to make sure you've thoroughly cleaned the car before painting. Some body shops won't warranty a car they paint if its been blasted with baking soda.

cardo0

71 Vert LS1

I did all the body work a 68 C10 last winter at a body shop last winter under their supervision. I've never done body work before. The owner made is clear first step is a skim coat of body filler to get the panels as straight as possible. Slick sand and 2K are not fillers. So after sanding off most of the skim coat off next was what they called "poly" which is really a very thick spray filler.. Sanded most of that off with 180 grit. Then primer . First round sanded with 180 grit and guide coat. Second round of primer sanded with 320 grit. All sanding done by hand mostly because the body shop owner said due to my lack talent I would get myself into trouble with power sanders. The bigger the panel the longer the sanding board..
I know its not fiberglass but I believe the principles would be the same.
Any place a bit putty was needed to fix a pin hole or very small imperfection the putty was a "2 part" meaning it was mixed just like body filler. Not the stuff you by at the auto chain stores that comes in the little tube.

We used all PPG paint products on the truck.

augiedoggy

as you can see it was pretty rough, many paint jobs and repairs


epoxy


clearcoat


I used urekeme paints "molten orange 2 stage pearl


it was almost dont in this pic.
this is what I did..evercoat vette filler for bdy repair, epoxy, then High build stuff then urethane primer and paint. than again I used baking soda in my door jams... no issues with adhesion. My $800 paint job still looks good after a few years although someone backed into me at a carshow this summer so the front bumper need to be repaired and painted.
this was the third car ive painted in 20 years and my second vette, my first was an 84.. I watched lots of youtube videos..

Vette5311