PLEASE HELP!!! Body mk4

[msmith6773]

ok so i have read mixed feelings about the mk4 body. what worrys me is reading things from getting the kit and having pin holes in the body along one side of the car to some of the glass glue not hardend all the way and feeling like jelly in spots, and also waves on the doors. have f5 fixed these issues or are they still problems?

these are what i came across

http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/266792-mk4-bodywork-thread.html
http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/246195-mk4-problems.html

as far as the body work goes, i am going to have someone take care of it. meaning painting and whatever else it takes as i do not have the set up or the skill to paint a car, well i have actually never painted a car, but i am just going to have it done instead.

my other question is i noticed on a video on how to remove the body to start the build and noticed how flexible the body was. when the car is finished will the body tighten up with the inner panels on and/or are there more bolts/screws holding the body on then the quick jacks and a couple other bolts shown holding on the body in the video.

oh one more things, sorry guys maybe should have made another post instead of putting it all on here, but with the sheet metal panels, is there any rolling or bending that you need to do? like for the wheel tubs or anything else?

[edwardb]

Fiberglass by it's very nature and fab process will sometimes have pin holes. Not a problem and the proper finishing process will deal with it just fine. I too have read some of the posts about people finding uncured materials and such. I can only say I don't believe it's a widespread issue and is not my experience with my Mk4 body. I can also say that after building a Mk3 and now a Mk4 the Mk4 is vastly improved. While there hasn't been a reason for me, I can also say that where guys have reported workmanship issues, FFR has stood behind their product and made it right. Getting the body finished, especially since you don't have experience as you said, is one of the big efforts (and expense...) of your build, but with the right shop who has experience with glass and even better FFR's specifically, it's a pretty straightforward process and the Mk4 body is a good quality start.

Yes, the body is quite flexible when off the chassis. Keep in mind it is non-structural. The complete strength of the car is the chassis, panels, etc., and is perfectly strong and driveable without the body. The fiberglass only gives it the final shape. The body is attached at the front and back by the bumpers, along the sides under the doors, and also by the windshield. It is firmly held down onto bulb seal and cushioning material on the chassis. It is really quite rigid once in place. I've driven my Mk3 for three seasons now and I can say it doesn't have a rattle or shake anywhere. Rock solid.

No rolling or bending required for a stock build. May need to tweak something here and there for the best fits, but easily accomplished without any special tools. If you start making modifications, then that changes of course. There are no wheel tubs per se. There are splash panels behind all four wheels, but they're flat sheets. The rest is open to the fiberglass body and most guys put some type of undercoat on the underside of the glass. There is a guy that sells molded wheel well liners, and apparently they're pretty nice. But I haven't used them for either of my builds.

[msmith6773]

thanks ed, yeah i knew the car is kind of set up like a nitro rc car where you just sort of drop the body on. as far as weather, or should i say just water, how does the car stand up to wasking and the un-avoidable puddle? and the sun? the car is going to be a nice day weekend driver only but there is still the sun and water issue?

[68GT500MAN]

This is a fiberglass body that will be finished/painted to whatever you want. I have washed my roadster many times using a hose and bucket of soap, not being too careful about water entering the cockpit area. It has been driven through many puddles, pot holes, rain and fog without any problems (I did spray off the underside with a hose upon returning home). I live in Fresno where sunlight and high temperatures are normal (up to 113 in the summer) and my Miller Custom paint job is still show worthy.
Doug

[Jeff Kleiner]

I saw in another post that you're in Indy; I'm in Bloomington. I've just completed the body and paint on a Mk4. I've done other Mk4s as well as Mk3s---Mk4 bodies are much better in a number of respects. They still need attention and I've found things that seem to common to them all but the old issues with severe pinholes and gelcoat in the mold parting lines are a thing of the past. Oddly enough even though the Mk4 bodies and molds are all new some of the Mk3 flaws and fit issues somehow carried over! We should probably talk; give me a ring sometime at (812)327-zero393.

Cheers,
Jeff

[msmith6773]

thanks alot jeff will do soon..

matt



I saw in another post that you're in Indy; I'm in Bloomington. I've just completed the body and paint on a Mk4. I've done other Mk4s as well as Mk3s---Mk4 bodies are much better in a number of respects. They still need attention and I've found things that seem to common to them all but the old issues with severe pinholes and gelcoat in the mold parting lines are a thing of the past. Oddly enough even though the Mk4 bodies and molds are all new some of the Mk3 flaws and fit issues somehow carried over! We should probably talk; give me a ring sometime at (812)327-zero393.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Avalanche325]

I just took my MKIV to a weekend rally event with no bodywork or paint. There were MKI, II, and III guys there. They all were eager to have a look at a MKIV and were amazed at how good the new bodies are. It is actually not a bad 20 footer out of the box.

The body does seem very solid when on the car. Besides where it bolts down, it sits firmly on the rear cockpit wall and the dash. It only looks flimsy because you only have the thin door sills between the front an back halves.

No rolling or bending required. If you do decide to do some custom work, you would be surprised what you can do with a $30 Harbor Freight metal brake. I made a fan shroud, glove box, and foot-box access hatch.