History How Traditional is Fiberglass?

Now, before everyone thinks that this is an attempt to justify the use of reproduction bodies, that's not what I'm after here. Fibergl*** has a long history in the hot rod world, starting with Frank Kurtis's specials and the Gl***par G2 in the early 50s to name two, and Roth's use of it to create most of his show cars from the late 50's on. These are the more well-known early users, but there were uncounted 'one offs' built in the 50's/60's by both 'manufacturers' and backyard builders. But most of these were aimed at the 'sports car' segment of the sport. By the mid/late 60's, 'kit cars' started showing up, again mostly as 'sporty' type cars.

I guess what I'm looking for is do***entation on its use by the more 'traditional' part of the sport, i.e. at the dry lakes and in drag racing, and yes, street. Yes, I know T bodies showed up in the late 50's, but I'm not including these; I'm thinking more in terms of lightweight body parts like one-piece front ends, doors, hoods, etc. The factories were using fibergl*** parts as early as '62 for some of their FX cars, and by the late 60's its use was becoming somewhat commonplace, but who were 'early adopters'? Were there any?

 

heh...from the 1958 JC W catalog...

 

In the mid sixties the local gas station owner had a stock 57 Ford with f-gl*** replacement front fenders on it. Same for Studebakers. They had a bad rust problem with poor drainage. Growing up in northern (super rust belt) Michigan..I saw many gl*** replacement front fenders for those cars. Wish I could find them now! Had to build my own for the Lark g***er.

 

@onekoolkat1950 has been using margl*** since the 60's I think

 

That's what I herd too . Early 62 I believe @onekoolkat1950

 

So when was f gl*** first invented, and what was it first used for?

 

My dad put gl*** front fenders on his 57 Ford wagon in the early 60's due to rust. I still have most of a Kellison catalog from then.

 

Well, according to Wiki it dates back to 1936, but the early plastic resins were too brittle. The US military used it for radomes (the covers over their radar antennas) on aircraft during WWII. It wasn't until the early 50s that it really saw any civilian use, mostly in boats but many of the above-mentioned 'kit cars'.

And I doubt that @onekoolkat1950 was using fibergl*** in the 60s... his profile lists his birthday as 1979! LOL....

 

when was the first gl*** T bucket marketed? I seem to remember they were pretty early.

 

Jim Lytle's 34 sedan drag car full fibergl*** body 1963 !
KK

 

I saw a video of Henry Ford pounding two 38 ford trunk lids one gl*** resin and one factory steel with an ax and a sledge hammer, the gl*** one never lost its shape and the steel one made you know you did not want to try him.

 

First T buckets 1957 or 58, ads in all the hot rod magazines by the early sixties. By the mid fifties supply of original T buckets was running thin, up until then you just hit the junk yards or looked around out in the desert.

So, when the first ones were made the newest T was 30 years old. Today the oldest fibregl*** T is more than 50 years old.

Incidentally who has the oldest surviving gl*** T?

 

I won't even try for an accurate timeline here, and this probably won't satisfy your original request, just wanted to honor a true pioneer of hot rodding.
Some past articles I've read about Dee Wescott says he was repairing Corvette bodies in or around 1955. This led to contract govt. work, then on to numerous projects surrounding some of the earliest fibergl*** body components, then to complete bodies, which are considered the highest quality in the industry.
People have said other brands are comparable, I have not been convinced.

 

Ford experimented with soybean based plastics, photo is of a 41Ford.

 

I herd old henry even built a complete fibergl*** 40 ford coupe body. Wow , that would be worth some $. I wonder how much fibergl*** he used.


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Corvettes used it in '53

 

Is the photo you are talking about for popular science? I knew that car was a 40 or 41 and was his personal car. Ford wanted to use natural farmer supplied fiber such as soybean, the film I saw was two coupes side by side and I don't think they had used the soybean fiber until a year or two later.

 

Didnt Chris Craft use gl*** to make the gold color tail on their Cobra model in the early 50s.May of had something to do with the auto industry trying it???.

Iam told 55

 

I used fibergl*** to nose and deck my ol' '49 Fleetline - this was back in the mid-50's. There was a Car Craft (or, maybe Hot Rod) magazine article on the use of fibergl*** in customizing cars and after that came out, all the guys I knew used it to work on their rides. Most all the parts houses carried fibergl*** repair kits, I bought mine at the local Western Auto.

 

Chevy made some copies of their stainless steel bodied sports car in '53. The copies were fibergl***!...and they made lots of copies! Almost all you find today are the copies...
A neighbor told me the story...

 

Hahahaha

 

Not the fiber. Ford used soybean derived oil to polymerise into plastic. Being a vegetable based oil it can turn rancid and at the time, technology did not allow 100% polymerisation, which is why some old Ford things (like my Lincoln steering wheel) stink.

 

Pfft who cares.

 

GM built a clear 39 Pontiac before fords 41. Too big an article for me to post but do a search for the first fibergl*** car parts & gl*** was invented many years before that. I went back & copied this:

 

The Stude hawk and corvette had gl*** parts or bodies since the early '50s.

There was someone popping out A bodies in the late '50s no doubt someone will post a pic on this thread it always comes up on these kind of threads. And as I recall the Ol' Man was calling a roadster that he raced against in the early '60s a plastic wonder.

I will say this about gl***, it would not have been something that someone like us would have used in the '50s and '60s. Most of us were low dollar operators and old bodies were still plentiful and cheap.

 

maybe that one was Plexigl***, rather than fibergl***?

 

It was, plexi with a bird cage frame for the body.

I'll bet it was a pricey ****** to build too.

 

Jim you are correct I went back & read some of the story. I guess these guys don't know the difference maybe?
About Geoffrey Hacker
Geoff Hacker is an automotive historian and is researching the history of vintage fibergl*** cars with his good friend Rick D'Louhy. Both are working on a book called Forgotten Fibergl***. Read more about Geoff's background on the "About Us" link of the Forgotten Fibergl*** website. He can be reached at View all posts by Geoffrey Hacker

 

Rohm and H*** did that plexy car back in the 30's for GM.

Made for a poor car for mobsters and whatnot.