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Fri Nov 13, 2009 7:28 pm

I know how to prime and paint but with the buggy wouldn't it be better to spray a new jel coat? I have never done jel coat before but I can learn just about anything if I need to. I see a lot of buggy restores done with primer and paint. Are there some particular reasons for doing that as opposed to spraying a new jel coat over the old fiberglass?

I have some time still to decide which way to go. I'm currently sanding down my buggy body to remove all the old maroon paint that was sprayed over my original jel coat. The old jel coat was protected to a great extent by the paint and is in pretty good shape. The hood and rear were primed but the rest of it was just direct paint to the body. The old maroon paint is still tough too. I have a few areas that will need some glass repair but nothing major or structural.

Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:38 pm

Putting a new gel coat on, in addition to being difficult to do and then come out with a result similar to a new fiberglass body, will also have the drawback of never looking as good as a paint job. I have seen fiberglass Cobra, dune buggy, T-bucket and VW-based (Kelmark, Avenger, Bradley GT, Gazelle, etc.) kit cars left in gel coat rather than being painted, and they had the look of oversized plastic models with unpainted bodies. Gel coat for do-it-yourself usage (available at boating supply shops) is generally applied with a brush or a roller, and would not look very good in comparison with even an Earl Scheib paint job. (They did paint jobs for something like $39.95 back in the 60s, and were known for poor quality. They are still around, but I recommend Maaco or a local outfit due to higher quality of both paint and workmanship.) Gel coat also has a limited range of colors, whereas paint has many more color options.

My suggestion would be to get the body of your dune buggy painted by an outfit such as Maaco after you repair the damaged fiberglass, and Maaco actually does a decent paint job for the price, speaking from my experience. Then you would have a nice-looking buggy, and wouldn't have to worry about brush or roller marks, runs, drips or sags, or splotchy coloration from the possibility of the gel coat colorant not being mixed in properly.

Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:49 pm

Today's paints, especially the base coat/clear coat combinations not only offer an outstanding finish but are also extremely durable. Add the fact that you can cut and buff them so easily; why would you go any other route?

Fri Nov 13, 2009 11:44 pm

I've fixed up old bodies and had them painted in the past and to be honest wouldn't bother again. Unless it's a really sought after original kit like a Manx or an Imp etc. ,with the cost of materials and labor these days it could be cheaper to sell your old body and start afresh with a brand new gel coated one from Berrien, Las Vegas or the likes...

Sat Nov 14, 2009 12:33 am

Possibly a silly question ? :oops: can you cut and polish gel coat

Sat Nov 14, 2009 5:44 am

Sure, everyday car polish and waxes work well and marine suppliers sell a good range of gel coat restoration systems.

Once clean and shiney I just use a domestic product like Windex to keep my 10 year old gel coat clean.

Sat Nov 14, 2009 10:20 am

I'll just paint it myself. I already have all the material in Dupont chroma except for the pigment.

Sat Nov 14, 2009 10:42 am

If body has good gelcoat/color in place just buff it out..... If gelcoat is damaged, just paint it....... As others have said, there is so many colors and options for paint, it make gelcoat really old fashioned...

Dale

Sat Nov 14, 2009 8:19 pm

The thing about gel coat is that it is durable. You have to be careful getting in a painted buggy.

Sat Nov 14, 2009 8:44 pm

Quote: Manxdavid wrote: I've fixed up old bodies and had them painted in the past and to be honest wouldn't bother again. Unless it's a really sought after original kit like a Manx or an Imp etc. ,with the cost of materials and labor these days it could be cheaper to sell your old body and start afresh with a brand new gel coated one from Berrien, Las Vegas or the likes...

I know you have your paint and you are going to paint it, but having just gone through that process myself, I have to say, Manxdavid in his quote above, is 100 percent correct.

Sun Nov 15, 2009 7:36 am

Dinubadave wrote: Quote: Manxdavid wrote: I've fixed up old bodies and had them painted in the past and to be honest wouldn't bother again. Unless it's a really sought after original kit like a Manx or an Imp etc. ,with the cost of materials and labor these days it could be cheaper to sell your old body and start afresh with a brand new gel coated one from Berrien, Las Vegas or the likes...

I know you have your paint and you are going to paint it, but having just gone through that process myself, I have to say, Manxdavid in his quote above, is 100 percent correct.

Plus the fact that as previously stated, paint starts scuffing straight away especially on entry and exit, plus any bondoed repairs will always seem to shrink back after time leaving rings around repaired areas.

Sun Nov 15, 2009 9:34 am

An option to help reduce scuffing on getting in/out of buggy is to use some of the 3M Scotchguard Paint Protection film, or similar clear plastic sheet film that can be applied to the car. This is the same clear adhesive urethane film that is applied to Porsche/Ferrari/BMW/etc cars as clear front-end masks...

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3MAuto...NBZ8NH5Mbl

Not sure if it available for sale to Joe Public, but there are installers in most metro areas that could apply it for you -

bnc

Sun Nov 15, 2009 9:43 am

manxdavid wrote: Dinubadave wrote: Quote: Manxdavid wrote: I've fixed up old bodies and had them painted in the past and to be honest wouldn't bother again. Unless it's a really sought after original kit like a Manx or an Imp etc. ,with the cost of materials and labor these days it could be cheaper to sell your old body and start afresh with a brand new gel coated one from Berrien, Las Vegas or the likes...

I know you have your paint and you are going to paint it, but having just gone through that process myself, I have to say, Manxdavid in his quote above, is 100 percent correct.

Plus the fact that as previously stated, paint starts scuffing straight away especially on entry and exit, plus any bondoed repairs will always seem to shrink back after time leaving rings around repaired areas.

That is why most of us that have done fiberglass body work before say to not use "Bondo". Fill with resin and cloth/mat and sand.... BONDO---->NO.......

Dale

Sun Nov 15, 2009 10:19 am

I did consider junking this body and getting a new one but it will come out cheaper for me to bring this one back. Aside from the expense issue this is a Beecraft with the data plate intact. It is possibly the last one of its kind on the planet. I have not found another one. It was willed to me by my sister's father in law on his death. He was a good friend and had helped me many times in the past. I can't let it die. I will have to experiment with my old gel coat in a spot to see how good I can make it look. I would then have to be able to match it but then if I were going to do that it would be best to just re-gel coat the whole thing. I don't want to stay with that exact color but what I have in mind is somewhat close.

I do sincerely appreciate all the comments on this because it makes me think and helps make sure I'm going at it the right way. I've seen the results of old bondo work on my buggy. All of it was small areas but it was laid in like puddy way too thick, it shrank back from the fiberglass, it cracked the paint over it and cracked around the edges of the bondo. I could wedge my pocket knife in and flip it out in chunks. After seeing some of that I decided to do all the body work in fiberglass and resin even including smaller holes that were drilled in the body for whatever reason.

I've done quite a bit of bondo work on metal cars and it works the same way. If you build it up too thick it shrinks back from the metal, it will crack in places where there is any body flex and sometimes it will just flake off in big chunks. I've seen places where somebody had laid it in 3/4 inch thick(my mustang) and they drilled holes all through the metal and pushed bondo through the holes so it had something to grab onto. Well that doesn't really work for long. When a thick chunk of bondo like that starts to let go it lets moisture get underneath and it will rust out a whole body panel. I've had to replace several pieces of sheet metal on my mustang because it was done that way and not fixed right.

Getting in and out of one of these buggies can be hard on it in a few places. Sliding across the top edge of the body is not good. I haven't figured out how to address this yet other than having some sort of flip up padded vinyl panels made that would protect it for getting in and out. It could be snapped down the rest of the time and serve as an inside panel. My upholstery guy could do something like that and make it look really nice. Fortunately, my buggy is going to be fairly low to the ground and the side panels are not very tall so it shouldn't be very hard to get in and out of. My 84 year old mother won't make it though.

Sun Nov 15, 2009 11:30 am

hottarod wrote: Getting in and out of one of these buggies can be hard on it in a few places. Sliding across the top edge of the body is not good. I haven't figured out how to address this yet other than having some sort of flip up padded vinyl panels made that would protect it for getting in and out.

See my comment 2 posts up regarding clear adhesive films that can be installed on top of the paint surface where you slide across entering/exiting buggy...

bnc

Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:56 pm

tIAJAUNA KUSTOMS sells the clear plastic already cut to size and shape

Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:16 pm

I bought some clear plastic at the SEMA show for that specific reason, but after I got home, I noticed on the box that they don't suggest leaving it on the paint for more than 10 days. :( Kind of put a damper on it for me. Maybe a different brand would be different.

I also thought if or more appropriately, when that area gets scratched and messed up, I could tape it off and spray a bed liner covering over the entry area. I did load up that area with about eight coats of clear, I should be able to cut and buff it several times too (another option).

Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:20 pm

I would love to see a picture of the clear plastic on a buggy. Maybe I have and didn't know it. It should be about invisable when applied right.

Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:41 pm

Go with a quality brand-name, like 3M (no connection to 3M on my part) -

The quality films with UV protection will not yellow with age -

bnc

Sun Nov 15, 2009 9:02 pm

I've seen the clear used on some drag cars that were immaculately restored. It looked like it was working well. You can barely see it and you have to look at a certain angle to notice it at all. I never got around to asking where they got it or what kind it was.