Hello all, It's been a long time since I've posted on here. I've got an '84 SE now, I've rebuilt the motor, converted the headlight motors to the 87/88 system, changed over to the larger fuel tank out of my old 88. Long story short, I've had her around three years, she runs great, I've driven her all over the place, and she's got very little rust on the frame (She even still has the original battery box). I work as a mechanic professionally, so all the mechanical and electrical stuff is no big deal. The part I'm unfamiliar with is paint and body. Most of the plastic and smc panels are in pretty decent shape, but there's some scuffs and dings that go into the material and one crack in the door panel that I'm gonna need to fix before I finally get around to painting her. So my question is: what should I use, and how should I go about fixing this? (I'm thinking Evercoat SMC Resin, but again, this is all new to me.) And then, once I have fixed these issues, what do I do to prep the panels for paint? And what type of paint should I use? And where can I get new seals for my luggage rack, which I'll have to remove to paint the decklid?
For the repairs on the door I would shy away from anything fiberglass or non flexible. I think 3m 4240 is the number. It’s a semi rigid urethane repair since the doors are urethane. As far as the cracks in the smc they make a 2 part smc repair as well. I can’t recall the number off the top of my head.
I'm a little more concerned about the upper hood and roof from your photos. It appears the SMC fibers are coming through the paint. That's a little different to repair and prep for paint.
I'm a little more concerned about the upper hood and roof from your photos. It appears the SMC fibers are coming through the paint. That's a little different to repair and prep for paint.
Yeah, those are the parts that I'm really unsure how to proceed on. Like, do I just build up SMC resin over that, then sand it down to the correct appearance? I'm just not sure.
For the repairs on the door I would shy away from anything fiberglass or non flexible. I think 3m 4240 is the number. It’s a semi rigid urethane repair since the doors are urethane. As far as the cracks in the smc they make a 2 part smc repair as well. I can’t recall the number off the top of my head.
Thanks for the recommendation on that. That 3M 4240 looks perfect for the door.
If the SMC fibers are open there is moisture in the SMC. Before effecting repairs, keep the car in the sun as much as possible to drive out the moisture or it will blister later.
Replace the door skin. It'll save you a lot of time and headache.
The damaged SMC gets repaired just like fiberglass. As mentioned us the SMC 2 part repair stuff and then a thin layer of regular body filler (Bondo) for feathering. The upper panels need to be sanded smooth and if the fibers are indeed coming loose then you'll need to make sure it's dry as also mentioned but if it's rough you may need to sand down those loose areas and coat with a thin payer of SMC repair. Epoxy primer should work but it might not hold the fibers in place and the paint will crack. Hard to tell without actually seeing it. Your paint overall looks like it's turning white, too. That would be the clearcoat delaminating from the color and it's failing to maintain it's hold on the color layers. If that's what is happening you need to remove all of that old clear and get to the good paint material before repairing or priming or painting. If you paint over delaminating paint the new paint will flake off when the old paint no longer sticks to the car. It's a lot of work but it needs to be done. Paint work is 95% prep and 5% paint. The time to do it right is invaluable to a good paint job.
Originally posted by olejoedad: If the SMC fibers are open there is moisture in the SMC. Before effecting repairs, keep the car in the sun as much as possible to drive out the moisture or it will blister later.
She sits outside all the time, so keeping her in the sun should be easy. The weather just has to cooperate.
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Originally posted by olejoedad:I would replace, not repair, the door skin.
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Originally posted by cam-a-lot:
Why not just replace the panels? These parts are still very common, and generally don't wear out. Just grab new skins/hood and call it a day!
I've got access to a number of Fiero parts cars, so I may just do that with the door skin. Most, if not all, of the hoods in my area have the SMC fibers visible like mine, though, so repair is definitely going to be the way to go on that.
[This message has been edited by KZ88 (edited 07-20-2022).]
Replace the door skin. It'll save you a lot of time and headache.
The damaged SMC gets repaired just like fiberglass. As mentioned us the SMC 2 part repair stuff and then a thin layer of regular body filler (Bondo) for feathering. The upper panels need to be sanded smooth and if the fibers are indeed coming loose then you'll need to make sure it's dry as also mentioned but if it's rough you may need to sand down those loose areas and coat with a thin payer of SMC repair. Epoxy primer should work but it might not hold the fibers in place and the paint will crack. Hard to tell without actually seeing it. Your paint overall looks like it's turning white, too. That would be the clearcoat delaminating from the color and it's failing to maintain it's hold on the color layers. If that's what is happening you need to remove all of that old clear and get to the good paint material before repairing or priming or painting. If you paint over delaminating paint the new paint will flake off when the old paint no longer sticks to the car. It's a lot of work but it needs to be done. Paint work is 95% prep and 5% paint. The time to do it right is invaluable to a good paint job.
Mark the paint guy
Yeah, I'm not looking forward to all the work and time involved, but I'm definitely going to make sure I get all the prep done properly.
Something I neglected to ask in the first post: Does anyone know where to get new seals for the luggage rack (or if there's a heavy gasket material to make new seals for it)? I'd like to take it off to do the work and paint on the rear decklid, but neither Rodney Dickman or the Fiero Store seems to have new seals.
[img]https://images.fiero.nl/userimages/KZ88/2 0220617_130018.jpg[/img]
