I am trying to build some knowledge in the following aspects of fibreglass restoration and would appreciate advice prior to getting stuck into the job.
My S130 is a 5 yard car, looks great from 5 yards … but upon closer inspection there are a number of gel cracks:
- Bootlid has loads, as if somebody has pushed it in the middle of the panel to shut
- Doorhandles have flexed the adjacent area
- Light pods have affected the adjacent panel.
- Roof panel has several cracks.
It sounds a good deal worse than it is, but they are nonetheless problems to be rectified.
I am expecting there to be many layers of paint, which should be removed as part of my schedule, which I am prepared for.
However, Miles Wilkins book shows only repairs to existing painted fibreglass panels with filler skimmed to match paint layers.
If you no longer have a paint layer, I guess you just lay up to the level of the gel coat prior with glass / resin prior to an overall coat of the tub with spray filler of some kind?
Having seen a few articles from Classics magazine (which showed the restoration of a rough +2) I note that the body was soda blasted which left a bit of a mess because of the state of the donor vehicle. I only managed to get some of the magazines in Australia.
A company called Option 1 (I think) decided to completely overlay the body with a new layer of mat / gel coat to resolve all of the problems - Miles Wilkins book does not cover this method at all.
What sort of substrate is required for this method?
Does the body have to have exposed mat all over, or is the mat laid over the original gel coat?
I have noted on many forums (US) that restorers of metal cars do not like soda blasting because contaminants from the process if not washed off thoroughly can affect the new paint. It also concerns me that a blasted exposed f/g shell needs to be washed with water for this purpose - (is this not the kiss of death?
If anybody has gone down this route and has a car that has been painted for a reasonable amount of time with no ill effects (or otherwise) I would appreciate your advice.
Justin