gel coat

[jerrys96lt4]

. A freind has stripped his C3 to bare glass do we have to re gel coat the entire car before we start blocking with primer. my local dupont jobber says we dont have to as long as were using urathane primer.in fact the dont even carry gel coat anymore thanks for any help Jerry

[JohnZ]

No Corvette (except 53's) has EVER used gelcoat on any body panel; gelcoat is only used to create the smooth outer surface on "hand-laid" or "chopper-gun" aftermarket panels and things like boat hulls, hot tubs, and swimming pools, to hide the texture of the underlying glass mat or cloth. Corvette body panels are press-molded in matched-metal molds under heat and high pressure, and are resin and glass all the way through; the finished surface is the same as the surface of the mold.

Each painter has his own favorite products for priming and sealing stripped Corvette body panels; many in this area prefer PPG epoxy primer, followed by PPG sealers and topcoat materials.

[jerrys96lt4]

thanks John, and your right PPG has great stuff. But our local PPG jobber loves his stuff a little to MUCH. Thanks Jerry

[studiog]

Hi,
I have asked this same question about the gel coat and was told that the gel coat will seal any "errant" fiberglass particles that are loosened by the sanding process and can only be resealed with gel coat. I have seen these particles and though they are very small and feel just slightly fuzzy to the touch, they supposedly can ruin the appearance of an otherwise perfect paint job. This makes sense to me.

[paintdaddy]

Johnz knows his shiznit.Also I would suggest using some poly fill as a primary primer,then start using the ppg products.The poly fill is like a thin body filler ,thin enough to spray through a gun.Vettes usually have to be blocked twice and using the ppg high dollar primer twice is too expensive.

[clar2001]

Gel coat is to hard to sand try epoxy primmer ..........

[paintdaddy]

Epoxy primer doesnt sand easy either plus its not meant to be sanded.Its only meant to be used as a corrosion inhibiter and or adhesion promoter.Its made to be primed over with a primer filler wet-on-wet.( not trying to sound like a knowit all)