[dojo]

Hey Everyone.
I had a picture update from the shop concerning my body off restoration. The pictures can be found here : http://users.telenet.be/FYM/corvette%20resto%202007/ The pictures concerning these questions are under the 08-05-2007 bodywork folder.
Before I make some silly remarks when talking to the body guy could any of you help me with these questions?

1) I suppose the whole body is sanded upto the bare polyester and then the gaps are tweaked? (fitment between bumpers and body, gaps around the doors)
2) Arn't normally the doors removed to have better access to the inner door wells for sanding?
3) Arn't the windows removed instead of masking them ?(as for example I have new seal strips to be mounted)
4) Why not remove the door handles and door locks and mask them when I have new door handles and locks to be assembled?
5) The rear silicone was glued in with silicone and someone did a very messy job + the polyester edge around the window was irregular, wouldn't you remove the window instead of masking it?
6) The corner near the rear door glass, wouldn't you remove all trim and weatherstrips before sanding?
7) The car is outside?

Maybe its just a panic rush because I dont know alot about it and the guy is renowned for jobs well done..

Thanks in advance,
Nick

 

[craftomatic]

As far as body work goes:
- All weatherstiping must be removed as well as glue remnants
- As for irregular groves and notches around rear window, fiberglass body filler
- You should take off doors and hood for proper prep and paint
- You don't have to remove door glass or windsheild, possibly rear window if it's an earlier C3 (you'll know what I'm talking about if you can)
- As for gaping everything you'll need to use actual fiberglass mat and epoxy to build up gaps then cut and sand them down for proper gap spacing, fiberglass body filler to smooth imperfections.
- For sanding the body, if the paint is still factory then roughing up the surface with 120grit BY HAND then take it down again with 500 BY HAND will do the trick. If the cars been painted in the past then you should talk to a reputable paint shop for their take. You are then talking about some BIG money for a good paint job and most of that money will go into taking off your existing paint and all the prep work that must be done cause it's a fiberglass body.
- DO NOT use chemical striper to take the paint off if you decide to do it yourself!!!

Post any other questions and I'm sure someone here will give you some good advice. Hope this helps

 

[craftomatic]

Take off door handles and locks. This can take a while but a small child or a chic with small hands will be of some benefit. What I mean is that there is a VERY hard to get to nut holding the door handle in place, actually there are two but one is a lot harder than the other to work on and off. You should start loosening it and once it's loose get the kid/chic to unscrew it the rest of the way! Also the metal trim on your T-tops have to come off too.

 

[mike82]

Hey Everyone.
I had a picture update from the shop concerning my body off restoration. The pictures can be found here : http://users.telenet.be/FYM/corvette%20resto%202007/ The pictures concerning these questions are under the 08-05-2007 bodywork folder.
Before I make some silly remarks when talking to the body guy could any of you help me with these questions?

1) I suppose the whole body is sanded upto the bare polyester and then the gaps are tweaked? (fitment between bumpers and body, gaps around the doors)
2) Arn't normally the doors removed to have better access to the inner door wells for sanding?
3) Arn't the windows removed instead of masking them ?(as for example I have new seal strips to be mounted)
4) Why not remove the door handles and door locks and mask them when I have new door handles and locks to be assembled?
5) The rear silicone was glued in with silicone and someone did a very messy job + the polyester edge around the window was irregular, wouldn't you remove the window instead of masking it?
6) The corner near the rear door glass, wouldn't you remove all trim and weatherstrips before sanding?
7) The car is outside?

Maybe its just a panic rush because I dont know alot about it and the guy is renowned for jobs well done..

Thanks in advance,
Nick

All of this ,depends on how much you are paying.
If you are paying top dollar for this work,
then yes the issues you pointed out should be addressed.
But if you are getting this work done on the cheap,
then expect corners to be cut.
What did you agree with the bodyshop at the start of the project?
:cheers:

 

[6880 Mike]

...
1) I suppose the whole body is sanded upto the bare polyester and then the gaps are tweaked? (fitment between bumpers and body, gaps around the doors)
2) Arn't normally the doors removed to have better access to the inner door wells for sanding?
3) Arn't the windows removed instead of masking them ?(as for example I have new seal strips to be mounted)
4) Why not remove the door handles and door locks and mask them when I have new door handles and locks to be assembled?
5) The rear silicone was glued in with silicone and someone did a very messy job + the polyester edge around the window was irregular, wouldn't you remove the window instead of masking it?
6) The corner near the rear door glass, wouldn't you remove all trim and weatherstrips before sanding?
7) The car is outside?...

I took a look at your pics and did not see anything extraordinary and nothing to cause undue alarm.

1) Not a big deal whether the car is sanded before gap adjustment or after. The important thing is to make adjustments up to factory specifications where needed.

2) These cars were painted at St. Louis with the doors mounted. Doors do not have to be removed for a repaint. Some folks remove them, others leave them in place. I painted both of my cars with the doors in place.

3) Door glasses can be removed for a repaint, but do not have to be removed. The door glasses had not been installed when the car was painted at the factory. I've done it both ways. I painted my '68 with the door glasses removed. I painted my '80 with the door glasses in place.

4) I agree with you. If you have new door hardware, I would remove the old, repaint, then install the new.

5) Rear glass may not need to be removed. The excess silicon might be removed/cleaned up with the window in place.

6) Trim and weatherstipping should be removed prior to sanding and paint with the exception of the windshield and rear glass. I would leave those in place and the existing weatherstripping intact. Moot point if you have new weatherstripping for the windshield and back glass.

7) Doing paint prep with the car outside is not a problem. You want to ensure the car is not painted in the open air.

Some folks remove the headlight assemblies prior to paint and paint them separately. It was done both ways at the factory: early cars had headlight assemblies painted separately, then installed. Later cars had the assemblies in place at the time of paint.


:thumbsup:

 

[dojo]

Thanks for the replies, it means alot! Perhaps its just a preliminary stage as the body needs to be dropped on the frame, come back to Belgium, mount engine and transmission, ship back to France for the finalisation (mounting and painting). Yeah the main thing which bothers me are the door locks and the T top hardware still attached at the moment. Both A pillar and rear glass weatherstrip where replaced some years ago so that might be the reason why they are not removed. I think the glass has to come out anyway to mount the new rubber edge trim on the door no?
The T-tops are replaced by glass ones, hence they are not going to be painted.
Anyway some other pictures of the engine bay and underbody cleaned up. (the whole serie you can still find on http://users.telenet.be/FYM/corvette%20resto%202007/ under the 09-05-2007 body and frame work folder.

before

cleaned

after

before

after

A grease free transmission tunnel !

rear end

front end

 

[6880 Mike]

...I think the glass has to come out anyway to mount the new rubber edge trim on the door no?...

Not necessarily. There are stops in the door glass channels which could be lowered and might allow enough room for weatherstip installation with the glass in the door.

I will agree it's easier to do with the glasses out, but the trade off is reinstallation and resetting the door glasses. Tedious stuff at best.

:thumbsup: