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Just bought a 95 and want to repair this damage that i knew was there when i bought the car. I am not sure if it goes all the way through the floor pan.
Any tips or suggestions before I pick up a fibergla
ss kit and start sanding? I will pull the carpet back first to get a better look.
Just bought a 95 and want to repair this damage that i knew was there when i bought the car. I am not sure if it goes all the way through the floor pan.
Any tips or suggestions before I pick up a fibergla
ss kit and start sanding? I will pull the carpet back first to get a better look.
Yup. Pull carpet back and look at damage...grind and cut all the damage out. Sand the surrounding area with anything heavier then 200 grit (use 80 if you have it...Acetone the area and start the repair..you can use any resin, but I'd recommend west system epoxy resin. You can use blue tape on underside to get the shape correct as you lay up the glass from the inside. Dont expect to get it in one shot, will take a few layups to do it right. Pull blue tape off, then you can undercoat the bottom, or paint it..on the inside you can smear some seam sealer over the repair, but not necessary. Make sure you have no voids in the glass.
When I bought my '90, it had that problem. Which I did not know, as I bought it from a web listing and it wasn't mentioned.
I ended up going down to the marina and paying a boat repair guy to fix it.
The damage on mine was on the front of the pan. So there's metal up there in that area. That's why I didn't mess with it myself. Don't see any metal in your photograph, though, so probably none back there.
I've got some soft spots I noticed while changing out my wheels. Not this bad. but its does seem I'll need to do some sifting repairs here in the near future.
I've got some soft spots I noticed while changing out my wheels. Not this bad. but its does seem I'll need to do some sifting repairs here in the near future.
I'm not sure if I feel better knowing that this is a common issue, lol - but it is added to my list of notes that make a C4 a less than ideal as a daily driver, and perhaps better for occasional use.
That said, it is also why I have two - one with lower miles that I try to keep pristine for weekend drives, and another that I bought to put miles on, drive the dog around in and not care about the wear these tasks present.
Hey, please take a look at this video my daughter made when she restored the decklid of her Pontiac Fiero. It's not a Corvette (though she does have an 84 and will be doing fiberglass repair), but remember that the C4 is not actually fiberglass, but SMC (exactly like the Fiero). There are multiple areas of the Corvette that are a combination of different SMC parts, which share the identical compound as the Fiero's decklid, hood, and roof. Do not use normal fiberglass repair compound, use the specific SMC and hardner compound. See here:
Nice recommendation - any clue what the consistency is? My damage doesn't break through and I'm hoping to repair from the underside, which, would require something thick enough to avoid dripping.
Although, I'm not sure what I am looking at on the first picture, but, it looks like I might get away with the repair based on picture of the epoxies. I'm thinking - prep area and apply with popsicle sticks or a small putty knife. And then be done with it since there's no need for it to be perfect.
Other's have mentioned repairing from the inside, but I'm thinking that would be overkill for my situation.
It’s similar to an epoxy job, mix..apply.. but try to get the best shape before it hardens unless you want to do some sanding . Like you said it’s under the vehicle so it shouldn’t matter
Thanks, I appreciate it. This is new territory to me - I've used spackle on drywall and hydraulic cement patch, but, that's about it lol.
I'm going to give this an attempt because there isn't much to lose by trying.
Originally Posted by BET VETTE
It’s similar to an epoxy job, mix..apply.. but try to get the best shape before it hardens unless you want to do some sanding . Like you said it’s under the vehicle so it shouldn’t matter
I would rough it up with a wire brush (not a circular drill attachment, but a hand-held wire brush). What you want is to make sure it has something to actually bite into. I would also sand around the edges of where the damage ends. Normally, you would want to drill a little hole in there too in order to give it more to bite on, but not really necessary in this case.
Use a putty knife to smooth it over, and then when dry, sand it down to a smooth finish and paint it.
Is the paint seal the work or just clean it up visually?
Originally Posted by 82-T/A
I would rough it up with a wire brush (not a circular drill attachment, but a hand-held wire brush). What you want is to make sure it has something to actually bite into. I would also
sand around the edges of where the damage ends. Normally, you would want to drill a little hole in there too in order to give it more to bite on, but not really necessary in this case.
Use a putty knife to smooth it over, and then when dry, sand it down to a smooth finish and paint it.
Is the paint seal the work or just clean it up visually?
Both. Ideally... the SMC has a gelcoat property to it... but the paint helps seal it. If you look at older C4s that have sat out in the sun, once the paint flakes away, the SMC starts to really decompose in the elements fairly quickly.
Fiberglass damage under driver floor pan
