Update, my 67 red roadster body has been painted and sitting on a dolly for 2 1/2 years while the Painter, Corvette panel retailer and Fiberglass panel manufacturer decide what to do. I know there must be a 100 similar experiences out there, please help me navigate thru this with your personal experiences. Background: My 67 was painted and delivered to me in Dec 04 and while sitting in my garage it develop a pattern of blisters around the area of the top surround but not in the area of the bonding strip. After waiting 2 years the painter and I decide to find the source of the problem. After some practice runs we slowly started cutting thru the clear coat, then the color then primer after primer until we hit the first layer of Gel coat and then a little further thru some filler until we hit another layer of dark gel coat. And as we slowly removed the gel coat out popped a wet gooey pale while substance. I felt like Jed Clampet, and out from the ground came a bubbling crude black gold Texes T. At that point it was clear that there was uncured epoxy under the gel coat of the surround panel. Wow, a real live smoken gun. Meanwhile back at the ranch, the the panel manufacturer and his distributer hold strategy sessions to develop a senario that will contain plausable denial. I have attempted to have discussions with the panel manufacturer but he refuses to talk to me. The Painter has stood behind his work and offered to fix it at his cost. So all you "24" Jack Bower believers, Hows this all going to end. Time to bring the attorneys in on white horses, or should I maybe have a Sit Down with the family members and let Tony tell them whats going to happen. Please, some advice from those who have had this experience, how should this play out?
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
My first question is why the long wait? The more time that goes by the less apt you are to get any help from anyone. After 30 days you should have brought the lawyers in. Just my 2 cents.
Terry -
Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
Gary
You don't mention who put the panel on.Was it you, the painter, the panel maker? A little more detail about pre painting work would help.
TerryComment
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
Bet I know who made the repro panelDick WhittingtonComment
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
After you have let this matter sit for 2 1/2 years your chances of recovery have become quite slim if, in fact, they ever existed. Your painter, who seems like a straightforward businessman, has offered to correct the problem at his cost; what is the question? The car hobby has never been a free lunch! While contemplating means of compensation you have lost 2 1/2 years of priceles time. Have the painter fix the car and get to enjoying it for what it is, or even better, leave it like it is and drive it the was it was supposed to be used without fear of minor dings and scratches.Comment
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
Did "J" offer to send you another set of replacement panels for free?Comment
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
I have the uncomfortable feeling that I know who made it too; I had a similar experience. Fortunately for me, I ground into this "pocket of thick clear goo" in the fit-up...not hard to fix it at that point. It kind of looked like resin, but it was exhibiting no signs of curing. Otherwise, it was an good product.
BTW, is the name spelled with a "J" or a "G", or...er...both?Comment
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
Gary sounds like the culprit is the panel ,but at this point it really doesnt matter, the main thing is to get that car redone ,the panel company at the most will give you a new panel, but that wont begin to cover the cost of repainting the area especially with base clear, sometimes you have to do the whole area over, your painter will have to grind out till he hits good glass and build up from there ,if you fix what you have this could be your best chose, and maybe a refund from the panel maker to help cover the cost of repair,i had a 71 that did something like this bit that was prep work not being done properly.JRComment
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Is this another Chicago Corvette or Goathill
We have just had a couple of threads on issues with bad vendors and how they could have been avoided if the people here knew how bad the vendors were.
Instead of the cryptic stuff, just say who you had problems with. At $4000 for a front end, the $5000 - $10,000 for paint, and the labor involved, this is much worse than a fuel pump or a set of heads.Comment
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
The reason for the delay is that it did not start to bubble up until 6 months, then we, the painter and I said, well how bad will it get. So I let the car have some of that wonderful southern exposure. Then it took 6 months to get it in que for the painter to work on it and well then I started to attach it like an engineering problem like I used to due and came to the conclusion that maybe its systemic in all the panels and if I spend a bullet with the painter and he repairs it what assurences do I have the we understood the nature of the problem from the beginning. Then around month 15 I was told that this manufacturer had similar problems, that soaked up some time. And I contacted the panel manufacturer and He will not speek to me. He has talked to the other 2 parties.Comment
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
OK, there is more, The painter replaced all the panels forward of the doors. He believed he owned the problem until we discover the contamination on the other side of the Gel coat. At that point the painter says its not his responsibility, disucccion between the panel MFG and the distributor started. The Panel guy will not own the problem. This moved slow over the past 2 years but this turned out to be good because had we moved quickly the painter would have sanded it out and repainted it and I would be here today saying the same story except the painter believes he has met his obligation. And he would have wasted his time and money. I was hoping that there was a person who could mediate these kinda finger pointing and prove who is at fault. I have already started an analysis of the problem in anticipation of a law suit. I have started a process to punch out a coupon in the suspect area to which I will have microsection made and analize showing that in fact the FOD is on the inside of the panel. I also have a service arranged to have a spectrographic chemical analysis performed that will identify the contamination as "Epoxy" or ? and thereby thru the use of analysis the source of the problem orignated from the fiberglass panel. I also was looking for someone who has gone down this path that could comment of the legal aspects, like are all 3 parties to be named in a law suit. This kind of stuff. GaryComment
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
Terry the painter ened up replacing every panel forward of the front doors. He did a good jobComment
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
Dick You say you have a Corvette Image of how made these panels. Who say You?Comment
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
I name no names. I hear no, speak no, see no evil.Dick WhittingtonComment
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Re: Who owns the problem when the paint job bliste
I like the idea of driving it without fear of door dings. Well the question is as follows. Does there exist a service where by the finger pointing can be eliminated without going to Court and rolling the dice.Comment
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