Fiberglass and Gel Coat

[Davidmachx]

Hi Guys,
Just paid a body work guy allot of money to repair the fiberglass body work and Gel Coat it white. The first time I put the body on I got fine lines almost like pencil marks... was this the result of a poor job or is this the nature of fiberglass and gelcoat? How do I cover it of fix it? Everything I read says it continue no matter what I do..Advice? Thank you!

[xmazdatracy]

I got rid of mine by sanding the hairline cracks all the way back down to the fiberglass. Then working back up with resen bondo, primer, then paint. Anywhere I did not the cracks would show back up. But I am in now way a professional.

[DanW]

I sand the stress cracks area down until its fairly thin, then apply fiberglass surface tissue mat, and wet with resin and squeege the excess. Then sand and surface for painting.

I have only used one layer of mat and the cracks didn't return. More layers equal more weight.

[sabre1fv]

It doesn't look like you got an answer to your question yet. Without seeing the cracks and where they occurred, it is difficult to give a complete answer. However, I do not think you should have cracks appear after the work was done. The cracking happens because the part was over stressed at some point - perhaps the fiberglass was still cracked under the repair or it was damaged during installation. Certainly the fiberglass and gel coat are flexible to some degree, but as they get thicker, they become less flexible. The repair methods mentioned will do the job, but perhaps it would be worth talking to the person who originally did the work for you...

Good luck.

-Jim

[Hardingfv32]

The thickness of the gel coat is the main issue. A gel coat is not the most flexible material when it gets too thick.

Generally speaking you should not have had a gel coat reapplied to an existing piece/panel. It is generally not a good top coat material. A urethane paint job would have been much more appropriate and flexible.

Brian