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Topic: body repair

in Forum: C4 Body


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body repair (1/8)
 9/8/10 12:54pm
dflit
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Vette(s):
1969 coupe, 1974,1976,1979,1984,1986,1987,1989 convrt,1999 convert,2001coupe


Joined: 5/27/2010
Posts: 7

would you believe -  a chunk of my paint just popped out behind the drivers door. I took it to a body shop and they said who ever painted it used bondo to repair a crack and surrounding area.  They said the C4 body is not really a fiberglass but a type of plastic and that a special repair material is needed.  There are also bubbles on the rear 1/4 panel and around a headlight door so he's  pretty convincing.   Also - it's done up in a white pearl that he says is almost impossible to match.   Another shop told me they wouldn't do a repair - that it should be stripped and totally redone - ouch!  huge money.   If anyone can give me some info or even what a reasonable cost should be it would be greatly appreciated.    
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body repair (2/8)
 9/8/10 5:45pm
eddie20890
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lanoka harbor, NJ - USA

Vette(s):
1990 L-98 white/ red/black leather interior targa top auto 1975 L48 blue/black leather interior t tops auto


Joined: 3/22/2009
Posts: 1363

just had mine repaired/repainted. the only part that was stripped was the hood and front bumper as the donor car sat around for a number of years. maybe you can work a deal with the body shop where you can do the stripping of the paint and all the moldings, lights, etc. don't know what kind of plastic they are saying it is as the cracks that were in my hood looked like fiberglass to me.

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the dynamic duo


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body repair (3/8)
 9/8/10 11:12pm
Trooper
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Hermitage, TN - USA

Vette(s):
1990 C-4 Coupe Polo Green Saddle Interior L-98


Joined: 8/8/2010
Posts: 280

I about croaked when I scratched my clam shell right in front of trhe passengers door. I can tell you that that part is darn sure fiberglass... No doubt about it. Fixed and repainted without any trouble. I'd check with a body shop that specializes in Vettes.

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Allan Brenneis Nashville Tn. 1990 Polo Green Coupe Saddle Interior Chrome ZR-1 Rims https://www.c4vetteregistry.com/member_uploads/14501_14600/14572/image2014329104347r.jpg

body repair (4/8)
 9/9/10 2:23am
dflit
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Vette(s):
1969 coupe, 1974,1976,1979,1984,1986,1987,1989 convrt,1999 convert,2001coupe


Joined: 5/27/2010
Posts: 7

Thanks - I'll do some more checking and see who'd be best - there is a chevy dealer in town so they might be able to advise me.  I'm sure I could remove a lot of the parts if that keeps the price down.  Any idea what a reasonable price for a paint job should be?  Any idea what would make that piece pop out and the bubbling?   Sad part is - I was able to pick up a super nice '86  - so I was going to sell the pearl vette - now I've got to spend some to make it nice again ( I might have to keep it) - wifes not happy - go figure!!   Thanks again - Cheers!
body repair (5/8)
 9/9/10 7:49am
eddie20890
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lanoka harbor, NJ - USA

Vette(s):
1990 L-98 white/ red/black leather interior targa top auto 1975 L48 blue/black leather interior t tops auto


Joined: 3/22/2009
Posts: 1363

as norm abrahms (my hero) would say...it's all in the preparation. i would say that it was not  prepped right to start with. as far as paint bubbling, it could be the same reason or it was put in an oven to speed the cure. my 75 has a spot on the engine hood that is bubbled and paint popping. was told it was because one of those quick paint jobs and the place that does them uses an oven. it dries the paint too quick not letting it bond the right way to the fiberglass. 

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the dynamic duo


c3vr life member #97
body repair (6/8)
 9/10/10 1:42pm
redvette89
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Huron, OH - USA

Vette(s):
1989 Red Convertible - 160,000 fun-filled miles -


Joined: 12/5/2009
Posts: 179

I worked in my dad's body shop for many years when I was a young man. I had the pleasure of being part of a restoration team and we did some very cool collectors cars, Mercedes Gull Wing, 39 Zypher, 61 Jag, a model T, to name a few. I also got to work on a few late 60's and early 70's Vettes. In my experience, bondo can be used (but not my choice) very sparingly as a thin layer and as Eddie (aka Dave) said, the prep has to be right too. The area needs to be ground with a very low grit and all the previous paint and primer must be removed. Also, If there was any kind of hole or serious crack on your car that was filled with bondo, it would never hold up. The body is all fiberglass except for the front and rear bumpers which are a flexible impact rubber, and the gas cover is steel. As for applying the paint, oven baking can and should work well, but is dependant on one major factor... humidity. If there was anything except low humidity before, during or after applying the paint, the baking process will backfire and result in bubbling. This holds true for the primer as well. Bare fiberglass is more porous than steel and is more suspectable to capturing moisture, which can cause bubbling. I could go on forever but as mentioned in an earlier post, find a shop that has experience and a solid reputation. Don't hesiate to ask for references and do your own checking. Correcting someone elses prior work increases the importance of using a knowledgable shop. Hope it goes well for you, Dave


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body repair (7/8)
 9/10/10 2:24pm
redvette89
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Huron, OH - USA

Vette(s):
1989 Red Convertible - 160,000 fun-filled miles -


Joined: 12/5/2009
Posts: 179

I just realized my prior post didn't say anything about your biggest question.... cost.
Saying how much it should cost can't be answered without evaluating the car 1st hand. Also, the amount of pre-paint work you do yourself is a major factor. Disassembling trim, lenses, etc should help a little, but the real work is in preparing the body. This includes fixing the obvious problems, but just as importantly, preping the whole car. Do you want to go back down to primer or fiberglass will play a big role. Another key cost is preping the front and rear bumpers. They can be expensive to repair if they have spider cracking. The cracks need to be ground out to solid areas and then filled with a special epoxy, and that's the easy part. Getting it straight and true is a major effort and can eat up a lot of labor hours which adds to the cost. If you have spider cracks and this part isn't done right, new paoint will crack very quickly and will look terrible.
 
Bottom line, it really depends on your overall goal and how much you can do yourself.
 


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Re: body repair (8/8)
 3/5/20 12:54am
corvette85
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Prospect ky, KY - USA

Vette(s):
1985 corvette coupe red


Joined: 3/18/2019
Posts: 3

I took my 1985 to a collision center in Louisville and they told me there would no problem to repair. I was

called 2 weeks later was told it was done. It was not done right so I left car another 2 weeks and was called again.

It was still not done right. I was told they did not they could not do the work And they broke other parts on my

car.  You should always make sure the body people can do the work. I found later they have a F rating for their

work. I will now be taking them to court.

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