Elise Restoration

In reply to cyow5 :

I sometimes wish I would have stuck with the same system throughout for the knowledge system. 

I have been really impressed with the stuff from us composites. I am using their 3:1 epoxy as the base for my js550 750 swap.

http://www.x-h2o.com/index.php?threads/removing-top-deck-1987-js550-rebuild-engine-swap.197761/

With poly resin (smc in my case) you really need to knock the finish back with like 60 or 80 grit, then blow out and wipe with wax/grease remover and acetone. Polyester resin has a form of mold release in the resin that prevents stuff from sticking to it later unless you really get it out.

As far as filler, I have used cabosil to thicken and make inside corners or bond fittings to the glass, microbaloons for easy fill and sanding, and talc for skim coating and filling pinholes.

Cabosil is really hard to sand (basically like peanut butter but hardens more like glue)

Microbaloons are super easy to sand but leave a slightly porous surface which can have pinholes

Talc is easy to sand but not as easy as the microbaloons but leaves a super smooth surface and isn't porous. It works great for filling pinholes.

You can mix these in pretty much any consistency you need from a slightly thickened liquid, all the way up to a firm paste.

You can also get shredded mat or fiberglass strands and mix them with any of the above to make a semi-structural filler for bigger chunks.

Bondo is not a good solution for filler over poly resin, it doesn't stick all that well or flex as much.

I would really recommend browsing the forum I linked, these people are composite gurus and have been very helpful.

Sean

All great advice from smokeysevin. I'm knee deep in a motorcycle cowl project and have been using fiberglass, epoxy, microballoons, and silica fume; most all are marine specific. I'm getting through the basic fairing work and ready to move to paint and filler to touch up and this is where I'm finding the concerns over incompatibility of resin types. 

The fiberglass work on your car (specifically the poor repairs) is what would make me nervous: it looks like people were mixing resin types and using poor prep, all of which resulted in poor adhesion. 

Mezzanine said:

All great advice from smokeysevin. I'm knee deep in a motorcycle cowl project and have been using fiberglass, epoxy, microballoons, and silica fume; most all are marine specific. I'm getting through the basic fairing work and ready to move to paint and filler to touch up and this is where I'm finding the concerns over incompatibility of resin types. 

The fiberglass work on your car (specifically the poor repairs) is what would make me nervous: it looks like people were mixing resin types and using poor prep, all of which resulted in poor adhesion. 

Yup, that's why I ripped it all out and replaced it with epoxy that is compatible with the original composite. Even if they had chosen compatible products, some resin was even placed directly on top of dirt. All the best products won't make up for terrible prep.

Wow, it has been a couple minutes since I've updated this thread. Something about having a second kid, I guess. There was also quite a bit of burnout at play. The finish on the rear clam didn't come out as good as I had hoped; still satisfactory for what passes on modern cars, but that's a lower bar than I wanted for this project. Turns out, I had been spraying everything too lightly. Starting with the primer, it didn't give me a nice texture, so I'd spend countless evenings just sanding it smooth. Then with the color, I wasn't laying it heavy enough to flow and level, so there's not fixing the orange peel by buffing the clear. Still, it isn't bad enough to warrant redoing it quite yet. The next panels have come out progressively better, so the only big one remaining now is the front clam. 

A labor of love!  Looks awesome from here!

Looks great, love the green!

That is a very pretty color

Thanks guys! I'm really happy with how it's turning out this far. Now if I only I can get it running before too long...

Still loving this. Great progress. 

Bless your heart. What tail lights are those? OEM 06+?

fatallightning said:

Bless your heart. What tail lights are those? OEM 06+?

They're actually semi trailer lights from amazon. DOT approved and like $60 for the full set. I like the 06+ lights, but not 15x more

Well, I guess I wouldn't be in this whole ordeal in the first place if I had better luck, so I shouldn't be surprised the poor luck continued. Today, as I was proudly showing my wife the final panels (front clam and trunk lid), she asked if it seemed like a slightly different shade. It did. Just so happens that today I used the second gallon of two that I had bought from the same supplier with the same brand and same recipe, so I assumed with too much confidence that they'd match. At this point, I'm just going to rock the green harlequin for the rest of the year and then respray when I cut fender flares or whatever other excuse I can come up with. Right now though, I owe like three years of back taxes because NC won't let you pay taxes until after passing the annual inspection. Thankfully they think it is worth about $5k, but still, it's been hanging over my head along with just not having it . 
 

Nice work, I admire your tenacity. Re: the different colors: who cares? Presumably you're taking it to the track again, so the paintwork doesn't need to be that nice. Looks great to me :)

Looks great from my house!

Vorpal said:

Nice work, I admire your tenacity. Re: the different colors: who cares? Presumably you're taking it to the track again, so the paintwork doesn't need to be that nice. Looks great to me :)

Part of it is good old fashioned pride; when I tell people this my first time painting a car and I did it in my garage, I want the reaction to be "wow!" not "yeah, I can tell". I do agree though, it's been too long since I've driven the car, so I'd rather get it driving than spend more time on bodywork. It's just killing me that I made it this far and then the most obvious mistake isn't even my own doing. 

Do you happen to have a link for those tail lights? I could use a set for a project I am working on.

Thanks,

-chris r.

intrepid said:

Do you happen to have a link for those tail lights? I could use a set for a project I am working on.

 

Thanks,

-chris r.

Partsam 4Pcs 4" Inch Round LED Trailer Tail Lights with Backup Reverse Lights 16LED Waterproof Stop Brake Tail Running Utility Lights Lamps DC 12V Sealed, Hardwired with Grommet (Not Plug and Play) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N8M6SNL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AXDD1D48F8E1GQAJHZKC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
 

I wanted the integrated reverse light like stock, but if you just want brake/turn then are a lot of other options. I also flipped the grommet so it is less obvious