body shrinking

I have been reading over posts on new ownership and the issue of body shrink and lack of stability of the fiberglass.Can owners please weigh in with their experiences with regard to how well the cars body holds up over time: 1-5+ years or more. Is this a serious concern when choosing a color or a builder?

With regards to the body shrinking issue, avoid cold water. It will happen every time.
John

Depending on if you buy new, who built the car, what time of year it's built - all these things come into play.
My car was built by JPS in the fall/winter of '03. The build time was relatively fast, about four weeks. After about five months a crease developed where the firewall meets the rear deck. A few ripples developed on the driver's door and there are numerous areas that have shown some minor ripples over the years. Certain colors (like white, yellow, beige, gray)hide imperfections. My color (liquid copper metallic) does not. Rich, bright, metallic colors and, of course, black seem to accentuate any and all imperfections. My body was air-cured for a short amount of time before it was painted. Some manufacturers, like Intermeccanica, oven-cures their bodies.
My suggestion? Buy a used, older car that has had the paint redone or refinish it after purchase. Or consider ordering the car during the warmer part of the year and request to have the body cure for a couple months prior to paint.
For me? I'm waiting until the body stops "moving" then blocking and repainting.
Same color, of course...;)

Terry knows of what he speaks...so what he just said X2!

FWIW we have a '95 VS that we've logged over 100,000KM (65,000 + miles) and stills looks as good as it did when it rolled out of Vintage Speedsters.

Thank you Terry and Jim. This is very interesting information. It is reasonable to assume then that perhaps Jim's car was built at an opportune time of the year while Terry's was not! Sort of like making wine. A 1995 Vintage was a good year, hmmm?

I suppose the Buyer could specify that his car's body be allowed to age before proceeding,for a price of course.

My black gel-finished CMC has been off-gasing and aging in garage since 1989. No problems with shrinkage at all. I actually thought I might have damaged hood by piling junk on it but no sags or dimples at all. I suspect silver, ivory, cream and white are most forgiving for even showing ripples. For some reason the top of doors seem to show they are made of fiberglass (ripples) on many cars. I suspect the builders keep several bodies aging vice popping one out of the mould and immediately finishing it. Some actually import the bodies from Mexico which gives them time to cure.

My red 'IM' is 22yrs. young. It has original paint and I can't find any eveidence of shrinking ,spider webbing , rippling or stress fractures. I just finished buffing out the finish and it looks almost as new.
'IM' uses a steel ladder frame and perhaps that is the reason for the fiberglass integrity. Tom

After 3+ years of driving my Beck I can see a few ripples only if I get it in the right light and look at certain angles. For example, if I stand slightly to the right of the rear of the car and sight down the side I can see a little concavity to the door. The driver's side doesn't have this issue.

So, am I to assume that all the rippling and distortion is due to the body moving under the paint and that eventually the body stabilizes at which time a re-paint would be o.k?

Yup, that's right.

Takes 2 - 3 years, unless it's a CMC. Then it's best to set it out in the bright, summer sun and let it bake a few days to see if any bubbles or bulges appear, especially on the hood and/or between the engine cover opening and the top of the back seat.

No bulging after three days means it's now stable.

"So, am I to assume that all the rippling and distortion is due to the body moving under the paint and that eventually the body stabilizes at which time a re-paint would be o.k? "

Or the painter simply didn't take the time to fill and block sand the body before shooting on the paint. Preparation is 75% of the cost of a decent paint job.

Peter,

The other thing Henry at IM does to insure the body does not shrink is it gets baked in an oven to cure the glass. As others said to get a good paint job you need a good solid base to start with.

Copied directly from the website:

ALL INTERMECCANICA VEHICLES FEATURE

Actually, Terry mentioned that IM oven bakes their bodies the 3rd post of this thread

I guess I read Terry's post too quIck.........;-)