I went out getting estimates for getting the '69 painted today, big difference. The first guy didn't want to touch it. He said it needed alot of glass work. The body looks good to me, exept at the top of the doors. There are lots of little cracks there you can feel, looks like rabbit fur in the paint. First guy says it's dried out fiberglass. 2nd guy says it's cracks in the old laquer paint. He guarantees it won't leave the shop unless I'm satisfied. Both shops have a good reputation. The 2nd shop is a big car dealership, they get in quite a few newer 'Vettes  for body repair work. 5 of my co workers at the FD work there part time delivering parts and driving tow trucks, they all recommend that shop. What do you think? 

Thanks,

Matt      

If you have that many friends that work there, and they still recommend it, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet. If a shop is doing bad work, the employees realize it first and will steer their friends away.

As far as the cracking, it really could be the old laquer paint breaking down. The rabbit fuzzy hair sounds like glass though. Neither are the end of the world. The car will need to be stripped, then you can actually see what's going on. If the glass is "fuzzing", it's probably where paint is just gone and the UV's got to it. Best way to fix that is either an epoxy  or a polyester primer. I prefer the polyester because that's what the car is made from in the first place. Keep in mind that it's simply my preference, if the shop wants to use epoxy, let them, they are the ones standing behind the job and it's a good product.

Anyway. the primers, whichever you go with seal off those errant strands of glass and the car can then be sanded down.

Good luck with it, and if you'd like, you can send me some close up pictures of the areas in question, I might be able to tell from there.

Hello it´s Stefan in Sweden.

I´m doing a big restoration on my 68 and I have stripped the body down to the fiberglass in some places so I can do the repair.If I use the epoxy or polyester primer can I forget about the gelcoat layer?

Stefan

Either the epoxy or polyester primer/surfacer will be all you need. The condition of the surface will determine how much you need to spray on. Both are very high build products.

Keep in mind it's a surface repair, if you have cracking of the glass or separation at the bonding seams, I'd recommend doing all the body work prior to spraying the surfacer. Once that's done, I believe it's best to let it be for a while. move on to other issues on the car and let the surfacer cure as long as possible.

The surfacer will give you plenty of material to "block" the car out. After that, you still need to prime the car, again stay with a 2 part type of primer,