Lifetime of Fiberglassbodys

Hi together,

I am looking for information about the lifetime or stability of any vendors fiberglass body.

Did somebody face problems with cracks in the body or faced other equal problems?

Thanks!

Cheers,
Frank

Frank,

I had a 63 Studebaker Avanti, fiberglass body made by MFG in Ohio. Same ones that made the Corvette bodies, maybe still do. Mine was flawless, course I had it stripped and blocked extensivly and then shot with Urathane,(SP?). I think a lot depends how the car has been treated in its lifetime. If it is really used hard then you'll get stress marks and cracks. If it has been treated well, then it should last much longer than a steel body. No Rust to eat at it.

Bruce

Check out the DIY series on restoring a 1962 Corvette -
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/ab_detailing/article/0,2021,DIY_13684_2278593,00.html

Not real sure what your question is --- over time they all will get cracks and stress fractures -- just as boats do. It is far easier to repair these or even a bashed up fender than if it were metal and it was wrinkled or rusted. A fire damaged fibergass car is impossible to repair other than by bonding in new panel. To prevent stress cracks (just like on a boat) you use large washers or plywood to dissipate the pressure when building the vehicle. You'll see some replicas with wavy panels or dips -- thats due to fact that fiberglass cures over time -- the "damage" can be repaired.

I don't believe one manufacturer is better or worse than another.

Frank,

I asked this question a while ago.

https://www.speedsterowners.com/forum/readmsg.asp?t=2227

I had my car built and over the 2 years I've had it I have developed a few ripples on the body but no cracks..........yet.

When my husband builds a fiberglass car, one of the things he does is grind out the bond line between panels and fiberglass them. it keeps them from wandering. Steve has restored at least one of every year corvette made from about 1958 thru the early 70's. Some of these cars have now been restored by him for over 15 years using the original fiberglass and are still crack free. And for those doing the math, yes Steve did begin doing restorations while he was a teenager. Some of the restored cars are some 20 years post resto now.

One thing he told me about fiberglass that no one seems to mention. Don't stack anything on it to store it. The panel will move under the weight and take the shape it is pushed into. Close the doors, hoods etc. Don't remove a hood and store it unless it is supported as it would be supported on the car. agnela

As I understand it, the type and make-up of the resin can make a lot of difference. And "hand lay up" is just that, some hands will give it more resin and some hands will give it less resin. That said, my neighbor has a "Byers" roadster (front engine, old Ford chassis, sorta like a skinny Cobra body). This car dates from the 50's and still looks decent. I've heard some of the original '53 Corvette bodies are still curing due to improper resin ratio.