69 Mach 1 repop ABS quarter panel trim panels are crap!

jerry S · Jun 13, 2008

Ask me how I know.

The body guy elected not to install the repops and stick with the originals but these were in bad shape. What to do? What to do? The body guy suggested filling them in with filler and repainting. What about covering with fiberglass and painting?, I asked him. That would work too, was his reply.

Then it hit me. Why not get some carbon fiber cloth and cover the stock panels and then clear coat with a UV protecting clear coat? CustoMike's eyes lit up; Ooooh. Now that would be nice. We are going this route. Pics to follow. If only I had known, I would have done this to my dash rather than shell out $400 on an OEM tooling replacement.

10secgoal · Jun 13, 2008

Getting stuff to fit really sucks sometimes. You "should" be able to do something in a given time frame. But NOOOOOOO, it doesn't want to fit.

xoxbxfx · Jun 15, 2008

do you know some good carbon fiber guys? Wet layups on a compound cure panel are kinda complicated. You will probably want to vacuum bag it to get a nice smooth layup. The ideal thing to do is make a buck mold and repop them like the ABS/fiberglass ones on the market. If you do, let me know..I have a set of POS ABS ones that needs replacing.

jerry S · Jun 15, 2008

xoxbxfx said:
do you know some good carbon fiber guys? Wet layups on a compound cure panel are kinda complicated. You will probably want to vacuum bag it to get a nice smooth layup. The ideal thing to do is make a buck mold and repop them like the ABS/fiberglass ones on the market. If you do, let me know..I have a set of POS ABS ones that needs replacing.

I was rather hoping to just lay some fiber over the shell (using epoxy resin) and clearcoat it.

You think this might not work?

xoxbxfx · Jun 15, 2008

jerry S said:
I was rather hoping to just lay some fiber over the shell (using epoxy resin) and clearcoat it.

You think this might not work?

It will work...Id do some test pieces if you have never done it before. Wet layups are hard on a complex piece like that. If you have never done it before, Id get a piece of glass big as the carbon fabric you are going to use and impregnate the material with the resin, lay it over and really take your time trying to get it perfect. Its going to take a LOT to make it have the smooth carbon fiber look with a wet layup.

Basically impregnate the material...lay it over...let it dry. Then mix more resin and paint over the whole thing (it will smooth out quite a bit by itself)... let it dry. One more coat of resin...let it dry. THEN sand it smooth. Depending on the thickness of the resin after smoothing, you might have to resin again, then sand. THEN you polish...THEN you clearcoat. You should end up with a good looking piece but it's a lot of work. A mold is a pain to make but keeps you from having to deal with the sanding/resin.

Sign up for this forum and do some reading: http://www.racingcomposites.net/unu

here is a great tutorial to follow http://www.racingcomposites.net/unt?id=648

jerry S · Jun 15, 2008

xoxbxfx said:
It will work...Id do some test pieces if you have never done it before. Wet layups are hard on a complex piece like that. If you have never done it before, Id get a piece of glass big as the carbon fabric you are going to use and impregnate the material with the resin, lay it over and really take your time trying to get it perfect. Its going to take a LOT to make it have the smooth carbon fiber look with a wet layup.

Basically impregnate the material...lay it over...let it dry. Then mix more resin and paint over the whole thing (it will smooth out quite a bit by itself)... let it dry. One more coat of resin...let it dry. THEN sand it smooth. Depending on the thickness of the resin after smoothing, you might have to resin again, then sand. THEN you polish...THEN you clearcoat. You should end up with a good looking piece but it's a lot of work. A mold is a pain to make but keeps you from having to deal with the sanding/resin.

Sign up for this forum and do some reading: http://www.racingcomposites.net/unu

here is a great tutorial to follow http://www.racingcomposites.net/unt?id=648

I was planning on having the guy who did my bodywork do it. He did an awesome job on my car.

I had followed Paul Bird's stuff for the past 2 years on corral.net. Man, I wish I had the time and skill to do what he did to his cobra. I realized that making a mold for the 1/4 trim panels was beyond my skill and not worth it. I just wanted something cosmetic. I was under the impression just one coat of epoxy was needed but you are telling me it is much more than that (which means lots of $$ and I am $30k over budget on my car already). Maybe I will just lay some fiberglass over it and be happy with it.

JS

xoxbxfx · Jun 15, 2008

jerry S said:
I was planning on having the guy who did my bodywork do it. He did an awesome job on my car.

I had followed Paul Bird's stuff for the past 2 years on corral.net. Man, I wish I had the time and skill to do what he did to his cobra. I realized that making a mold for the 1/4 trim panels was beyond my skill and not worth it. I just wanted something cosmetic. I was under the impression just one coat of epoxy was needed but you are telling me it is much more than that (which means lots of $$ and I am $30k over budget on my car already). Maybe I will just lay some fiberglass over it and be happy with it.

JS

It will take more than one coat for sure. When you to a overlay all the resin falls to the bottom and out off the fiber leaving a rough texture. If they are ugly..just bondo it like you would a car. Your body guy should be a pro with that

69gmachine · Jun 15, 2008

jerry S said:
Ask me how I know.

The body guy elected not to install the repops and stick with the originals but these were in bad shape. What to do? What to do? The body guy suggested filling them in with filler and repainting. What about covering with fiberglass and painting?, I asked him. That would work too, was his reply.

That's really bad news for me. I was planning on freshening up the interior over next winter, and I'm going to need new interior quarter panels. Can I ask what was so bad about the fit?

jerry S · Jun 16, 2008

69gmachine said:
That's really bad news for me. I was planning on freshening up the interior over next winter, and I'm going to need new interior quarter panels. Can I ask what was so bad about the fit?

Installed, they looked like mismatched parts from different cars. Bulging here and buckling there. Just awful. I think a fiberglass overlay (or CF if you have the time and money) is best way to go.

JS

xoxbxfx · Jun 16, 2008

69gmachine said:
That's really bad news for me. I was planning on freshening up the interior over next winter, and I'm going to need new interior quarter panels. Can I ask what was so bad about the fit?

I will try and get you a picture later today of how they line up...its crap

69gmachine · Jun 16, 2008

xoxbxfx said:
I will try and get you a picture later today of how they line up...its crap

Thanks! I may have to buy a pair of used ones. I've already ruined mine.

69 Mach 1 repop ABS quarter panel trim panels are crap!

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