I am building a 32 Ford gl*** coupe. I have the body on the ch***is now. Does it need to be on the ch***is to prep it for paint or can I set it on a wooden dolly to do the body work? I dont know whats the best way to go about the paint process. Do I prep and paint body on the ch***is and then take off the body and paint frame after the body? Is the body rigid enough to set on a dolly for prepping and doing door gaps and such? It has a steel inner structure in the body. This is my first time doing a gl*** car. Any info on the best way to go about this is welcomed. Thanks.
My experience with Gl*** bodies are this. Make sure all your holes line up etc, and get your rolling ch***is finished. Paint the frame then mount the body. The gl*** body can move enough sometimes to make things not fit. I would suggest finishing off and painting the body while its bolted to the frame. I have a friend who runs a pro shop and he always does this. When I built my 32 Ute, I took it apart to paint, big mistake. My gaps were ok but the doors never fit the same way as they did when I had it all together for bodywork.
Have the body all bolted down to the frame, set all your gaps the best you can by shimming the body to the frame. Have the car sitting on its wheels,not stands under the frame. Do all your bodywork and prepping while it is on the frame. Right down to final sanding. Blow it apart to paint it. Remember to keep track of how many shims were in what location, makes bolting it back up after paint much easier. Hot Rods to hot tubs, you can build anything out of that ****! Sorry, I had to say it.
Treat it the same as a steel one, they'll both flex to a degree when not bolted to the ch***is. If you're still concerned, tip it up, paint the under-side and fire wall, bolt it down to your finished ch***is and do your door gaps and finish the body work then paint. When painting 'gl*** it's all in the prep (same as steel), Prepsol the body before you sand anything this will get rid of any wax left from the molding process, sand all the gloss off then use a good quality etch primer then paint as normal. If you have sanded through the Gel-coat this will need to be resprayed as this is the layer that stops the fibre printing through your paint. Yes I am in the fibregl*** industry and I paint parts most weeks, it's not as hard as some make it out to be. Scotty
I've never built one but seriously looked into it and I was given this advice: bolt the body to the frame and take it out in the hot sun on the hottest summer days you can get, for several days in a row. The first day it's out in the sun, watch the body as it heats up and if any spots seem to warp out of shape, push them back into position if possible. Fibergl*** cures to the highest temperature that it's exposed to. A body that hasn't been cured and then is painted a dark color can warp out of shape the first hot sunny day if this procedure is not followed.
Yes, to a degree. Be careful pushing it around whilst it's hot you could put pressure marks in it, you have to put even pressure over a larger area and go past where you need it to be. It's not for the faint hearted or the novice and can go wrong. The other problem with heat is- you shouldn't paint white gel-coat a dark colour and vice-versa, the paint and gel heat up at different rates and could give you other issues. I don't want to start a ******* match but beware about taking advise from someone who has never touched the stuff, I wouldn't get my engine built by a carpenter. Scotty
Some other things to think about too. . . http://www.gibbonfibergl***.com/resources/prepping_paint.html
This is what i do with corvette frame offs: 1. Get your ch***is done and fully painted and ***embled. 2. Finish the underside of the body and paint/ polish 3. Wrap the ch***is with Saran wrap. Yea I know, it's a lot of saran wrap. You can get your hands on shipping wrap, it works better and is cheaper. 4. Put the body on, then Shim and fit the body gaps. 5. Do body work and paint. 6. Get all your wet sanding and polishing done! Cut Saran wrap off from underside with a knife, and you never had to take it apart. Trust me, you will be happy, you saved time, and you only had to do fit up one time. Cut the Saran
The Jalopy Journal
