paint/gelcoat. Stop me if you heard this one.....

[oldguy668]

My 289 body came in black gelcoat. I dug some gelcoat out of the seams on the front clip and filled back with HSRF. I want to make it just presentable enough to get it through registration, and do real paint next winter. What shall I use for a temporary finish that won't make the painter hate me later? I can get the HSRF and the rest of the body to a 220 or 320. Can I use gelcoat to recoat the whole shebang? FiberGlast has a gelcoat/additive/hardener system that air dries and does not require a wax additive. I'm a total klutz when it comes to body work, so K.I.S.S. BTW, is there a primer/filler that is compatible with polyester gelcoat for the really bad spots?

[Jeff Kleiner]

Hit it with a black epoxy sealer such as PPG's DP90LF or comparable.

Jeff

[frankeeski]

I asked Miller the same question when I was doing the work on my Super Snake Hood and the fender flares. He told me I could use rattle can sandable primer from the home center or auto parts store. Said he was going to sand it all off anyways so he just wanted something that wasn't going to clog up the sandpaper.

Not quite the same thing you're doing but you can mask each side of the seam work and see how it turns out.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa78/frankeeski/Fender%20Flares/20140328_172507_zpsf17b9750.jpg (http://s200.photobucket.com/user/frankeeski/media/Fender%20Flares/20140328_172507_zpsf17b9750.jpg.html)

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa78/frankeeski/Fender%20Flares/20140328_182050_zps5ad3f87b.jpg (http://s200.photobucket.com/user/frankeeski/media/Fender%20Flares/20140328_182050_zps5ad3f87b.jpg.html)

[oldguy668]

This body has lots of scratches and dents all over it, so it's more than a matter of hiding the seams. The thing has to be all one shade if I'm going to convince the RMV that it's "done".

Jeff, I thought epoxy primers had to be topcoated right away for UV?

[DaleG]

Tell'em that its a rat rod finish, and its "done".

[oldguy668]

Tell'em that its a rat rod finish, and its "done".

This is the Massachusetts RMV. They have a former KGB agent as a customer service consultant.

[michael everson]

Just an FYI Joe. when I brought my 818 through, the guy never even left his desk. Maybe they are relaxing a bit now?
Mike

[Jeff Kleiner]

This body has lots of scratches and dents all over it, so it's more than a matter of hiding the seams. The thing has to be all one shade if I'm going to convince the RMV that it's "done".

Jeff, I thought epoxy primers had to be topcoated right away for UV?

Joe,
It'll start to get chalky after about 3 years of sun exposure but it doesn't sound like you're looking for that long of a term solution. As Frank said the painter will take it all off in the end but epoxy will seal the glass and fillers from contaminants until that time.

Jeff

[oldguy668]

Joe,
It'll start to get chalky after about 3 years of sun exposure but it doesn't sound like you're looking for that long of a term solution. As Frank said the painter will take it all off in the end but epoxy will seal the glass and fillers from contaminants until that time.

Jeff

Jeff, what do you think about my gelcoat idea?

[ehansen007]

Gel will be a pain and just make it harder to block down when it comes time to paint. If you really want it to shine, hit with black primer as Jeff said, let it sit up and then just shoot with some cheap gloss and then color sand with 600 to match the gel coat. The gloss will have to be taken off when it goes to paint but if it's a light coat it will come off with a few swipes.

[oldguy668]

Thanks,guys. Epoxy it is.