What type of resin was used in manufacturing the 1966 Corvette? If anyone knows the answer I would appreciate it. Thanks, R. Farias
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Re: Type of resin used in '66 Corvette
Hey Rocky,
All Corvettes through '72 used polyester based resin. Later cars used SMC which is made with epoxy based material. The other question is: what color should it be? (important only for original appearance). Not sure, but I think it is black for '66; If you want materials to give you an original appearance, check out the Corvette Image website below.
Chuck Sangerhausen
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CHUCK IS RIGHT!
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Re: Type of resin used in '66 Corvette
Must have been a vendor/polymer change somewhere in here, Chuck. When I stripped my '65 L-78 (April build), some pieces were snow white (most) while other individual panels were light grey. Had me scratchin' my head until I stumbled across a St. Louis factory photo in Noland Adams one night (think it's in the '66 section) showing stacks of finished body parts surrounding a few clip body bond machine/jigs....
As I studied the stacked assys in the pictures, like the hot kiss at the end of a wet fist, I saw the clone of my car's front clip! Most panels were snow white, but some that had been bonded in place were the later grey tone color. Tells me there was a running change of some sort to the original press molded panel process. Comments?Comment
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Re: Type of resin used in '66 Corvette
Jack,
Unless it is some general question about fiberglass, I know ZIP about mid-years, period. Your comments, however, have added a few details to my education.
I would not have gotten involved with this question except Rocky asked what type resin, and that answer was easy. The more important question to me, which he didn't ask, WAS THE COLOR of the resin. From your post, it sounds like I volunteered the wrong answer (it should be gray), but I felt it was important he know there WERE different colors. That is why I suggested he contact Corvette Image if original appearance was important to him, knowing that they would steer him in the right direction.
But, in the case of your '65, it looks like Corvette Image offers either white panels/front ends or gray panels/front ends. Logic says, that when GM made the change from white to gray, it was very unlikely that they had on hand the same number of white in all panels. So, they made all white front ends until they ran out of the first panel in white; then they substituted a gray panel for that panel, and continued the process, successively exhausting stock in each white panel until the front end was made entirely of gray panels. The photograph you saw is a record of this process at one particular time; that's why all the stacked front ends are built the same. The number of units this change occurred over (not necessarily in Job Number or VIN sequence) would have been determined by the diffence between the white panel with the greatest quantity, and the white panel with the least quantity. But, all of this is total BS and speculation on my part.
I'll bet Jerry Geizler of Corvette Image has encountered both white and gray fiberglass in the same '65 front ends before, and would build one to order, but if you wanted to know how common it is, you would need to ask him.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
Chuck SangerhausenComment
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