RacerX posted:The Original owner drove the car daily and it sat out in the sun for years. The door sags in approx 5/16 ths. In the center. There are large cracks in the paint forming a large 18 x 30 oval around the indentation. Should I price new doors from JPS or is it possible to do a permanent fix ? Sorry, Didn’t mean to hijack this thread. May need to start a new topic here.
Brian
Brian.
JPS buys their bodies from Vintage, so you will probably get a better price directly from Vintage.
product photos
+1 on Upol Fibral & their "Gripped" filler. I used Fibral in part to stretch Bridget's fenders last winter (glassed weave and mat from inside and outside as well). Recently bought a can of Bondo "Kitty Hair" and it's nothing like the Fibral. Oh, it works ok (in fact it's more "workable" and sandable—better for small fill jobs). But Fibral is the stuff for making structural repairs.
Glass work can get pretty esoteric on the high end, with various poly-, vinyl- and exotic -ester products, epoxy fillers, arrays of filling agents (talc is the most common, short strand glass is next, but there are many polymers and even aluminum!) and a world of new and improved multi-element paint products. But for our applications, regular old fiberglass and polyester resin works well and has the added benefit of matching what we're working on. And it's not that complicated to work with: grind it out, clean it real good with acetone, clean it really, really good again, feather the edges, clean again, mix as instructed, use at proper temperature and, in general, strive to end up with the same fiberglass thickness you started out with.
Oh...and wear gloves.
All good information! I have experience working on metal body repairs and fillers. This has got to be easier with the workability of these materials. I can imagine problems start if you have built the cloth fiber up above the existing level of the panels and are now having to sand back through that, exposing the material. Got a lot of reading ahead.
Brian
Troy Sloan posted:RacerX posted:The Original owner drove the car daily and it sat out in the sun for years. The door sags in approx 5/16 ths. In the center. There are large cracks in the paint forming a large 18 x 30 oval around the indentation. Should I price new doors from JPS or is it possible to do a permanent fix ? Sorry, Didn’t mean to hijack this thread. May need to start a new topic here.
Brian
Brian.
JPS buys their bodies from Vintage, so you will probably get a better price directly from Vintage.
OK, Thanks Troy! I wasn’t aware of that. Prolly gonna be North of $500 a piece 😵
So is a coupe door the same as a Speedster door with just the side window aluminum loop added? (Surely, something is different to get the window loop to align with the windshield frame). Speedster doors are molded in 2 parts - the complicated inner door and a simpler flat outer surface. You could just replace the outer skin. For instance - Rusty Tubs has complete un-bonded (2 piece) Speedster doors for $595 and just the outer skin for $325.
West Marine also makes a complete line of fiberglass materials - used from patching to building an entire hull. I'd investigate that long crack - it looks like it has a lot of filler on it already and the door perhaps "drums" resulting in the thick filler loosing adhesion? (Photos appear to be of the same crack?)
You've got tons of options where you are located - not far to either JPS or VS -- or shoot down to Tijuana. Got to be lots of Corvette, dune buggy and boat places with fiberglass experience.
Good question. I will call Vintage Today and ask. I might be more willing to attempt the repair if I know there is a safety net available. The photo is of the same crack, but there are two others that form a semi oval around the area. The driver’s door has the same indent, but is less pronounced.
Good point , you could replace the outer skin ( it was late last night when I posted and didn't think about that) Ask Kirk if, there has been any changes in the door configuration over the years. Fiberglass comes from Mexico , probably could get just a skin made up. ... VS gets a truck load of, bodies ( speedsters that is) every week or so. You'll need a quality " Corvette glue" to do the bonding.....
Just talked to Ron @Vintage (Arizona) $330 on a new door + freight. Not too bad!
