Paint and Body work

[Jim K.]

I checked the archives and at the chance of asking too broad a question of the board...
1.) What is gel coating?
2.) When should it be considered?
3.) What is the prefered method of re-painting?
4.) Does the car have to be stripped down to bare fiberglass?

I have a 61 with original paint that is chipped and in dire need of "replacing". Can the car be prepped by sanding and filling the chips (assuming there is still a good bond on the rest of the car). Also in the equation, I have oredered the 2 paint books from the NCRS, and the car will be restored as a driver not for judging.
Thanks!!!
Jim

[Wayne C.]

Re: Paint and Body work

Your questions:

1.) What is gel coating?
2.) When should it be considered?
3.) What is the prefered method of re-painting?
4.) Does the car have to be stripped down to bare fiberglass?

I am no expert, but here is my understanding:

1. Gelcoat is a nearly transparent liquid resin that is sprayed on in order to cover/seal loose ends of fiberglass strands in the body. It was not used on Corvettes (it is commonly used on boat hulls), and there are other types of epoxy primers that will accomplish this job if needed on a Corvette. Gelcoat forms a rough wavy surface and is difficult to sand smooth to the degree expected of an automotive finish, which is why it is rarely used.

2. When there is a very rough-surface fiberglass panel with loose strands of fiberglass sticking up/out from it, making it impossible to sand the surface smooth.

3. Not sure what you are asking... Acrylic Lacquer is the original finish, so if you wanted to prepare the car for NCRS certifications, this would be the correct finish to garner the most judging points. But, this paint is getting very difficult to find due to environmental laws, and it may be difficult to find a professional shop that will apply it. A 2-part epoxy may be the next closest thing to the appearance of an original finish, while the modern base-coat/clear-coat will give the most durable care-free shiney finish. IF there is any primer left on the car, it needs to be covered with a sealer coat, and subsequent primer and finish coats need to be of compatible chemical composition (ie, use a primer recommended by the finish coat manufacturer).

4. Due to the age of the car, it would indeed be best to strip the car to bare fiberglass in order to be sure of the quality of the paint under the new finish coat you apply... maybe not essential, but consider that the underlying primer may be 50 years old, so you are taking a chance on it lasting even longer. If it's had a repaint or two, then you don't know how thick the existing paint is, or what it was (chemically)... you would have to sand down to primer and apply sealer, primer, and finish coats, and still have no assurance the old primer will hold up. So, stripping may not be absolutely essential, but it's good insurance against the new paint failing prematurely.

[Jim K.]

Thanks Wayne!!! *NM*