I STRIPPED THE PAINT DOWN TO THE BARE FIBERGLASS,ON THE BACK HALF OF THE CAR. QUATERS,TRUNK,LIGHT PANEL. I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD JEL COAT OR, JUST GO WITH EPOXY PRIMER.ANY ADVICE WOULD BE APPRECIATED.ALSO WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL COLOR OF THE FACTORY GEL COAT IN 61? THANK YOU.
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Re: 61 CORVETTE-JEL COAT OR NOT
Frank,
The factory never gelcoated corvette body panels. The panels were made by a press molding process that makes both sides smooth. Lots of people swear by Gelcoat, and lots of people swear at it! I have used it a lot, and think that it is the superior product for sealing down strands of glass, and consolidating all the little spiderweb cracks that develop over 40 years. That being said, The stuff is a bitch to work with! It sprays a lot less smooth than a Polyester surfacer like SlickSand, and has much less working time. I never shoot it in a gun that I am not willing to pitch in the trash if the material sets up in it!
I had a Devilbiss gun that I had for years, that got ruined when the material kicked very fast on a summer day. The stuff sprays out with a pretty rough orange peel that has to be sanded smooth, and it forms a wax layer on top of it to help cure. You will clog much sandpaper just getting the wax layer off.
Polyester surfacers do not have these problems. They sand easy and lay down a lot smoother to begin with. You must understand that Gelcoat and most polyester surfacers are excactly the same product, except that the surfacer has a lot of inert material thrown in to make for high build and ease of sanding. I think either will perform well, with the surfacer being easier to sand, but gelcoat being, in my opinion, a product which will resist spiderweb cracks telegraphing back through better. It all boils down to how much time you want to be sanding on your car!
Regards, John McGraw -
Re: 61 CORVETTE-JEL COAT OR NOT
Thank you,John,I want to build the surface some,and block sand it, to try to hide some of the waves in the fiberglass.But don't want to kill myself sanding. But,I am also worried about the cracks telegraphing through. This is like a catch 22. ThanksComment
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Re: 61 CORVETTE-JEL COAT OR NOT
We have had very good sucess using PPG's DP- number depending on the color. Seal the glass with this. Come back over with K-36 or another heavy build primer surfacer. Block the car. Any where that we go back down to the glass we shoot another coat of DP.. When done blocking, we clean the primer-surfacer and lay down another coat of DP.. reduced to serve as a sealer. Within 5 days or less top coat the car using the poison (lacquer, Single Stage, Base/Clear) of your choice. Have had very good results with this system. I just looked at a C-2 that we did in the mid 90's. Car had quite a bit of minor body repairs. To this day they do not show through.
Remember, it is always best to stay with one manufacturer, whether it be DuPont, PPG, Sikkens, or whomever. If you have a problem the manufacturer will be there to help you. If you mix manufacturers you are on your own.Dick WhittingtonComment
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Re: 61 CORVETTE-JEL COAT OR NOT
Don't bet on the manufacturer being much help if you are a hobbyist and have problems! They aren't very dependable when it comes to helping the professional - someone who uses their product many times each year!
You ARE probably less likely to have a problem if you stick with one manufacturer's "system", though.Comment
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