fiberglass body issues!

[Lumpyguy]

I first want to say I love my 818 and love factory five, but I am not very happy with this no paint body! It takes a lot for me to get bothered by things and don't complain much but! I have started to prep my body for paint. I know everyone says to look for bubbles under the gelcoat which I have found a few. But my rear bumper was missing the whole top corner along the trunk edges like the gelcoat stayed in the mould. And both rear corners of the sails where it meets the bumper had small holes Ipicked out to fill in and the corners popped off and its full of clay/uncured gelcoat between the gelcoat and main fiberglass its soft and mushy.

I sent picks of the bumper and how much I had to fill the corner and they were going to have Tony get back to me after SEMA but I have not heard back and now this corner thing.


I am not sure what all the other red gell coated bodies are like but now I see pics of other red cars there panels look way nicer than mine!

[Kurk818]

What chassis #? Can you post photos?

[Lumpyguy]

guess that info would help, I have chassis #308S. here are a few pics. please tell ,me if I am being really picky?

A few pics are from before repairs and then after, the filler in the pics is not to fill out the corners only to build it up to match the contour of the other panels and one is of the Left side sail top edge.

I had a few corner edges that had pin holes and after picking out had a 3" long pocket between the gelcoat and fiberglass.

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[wallace18]

I understand the way you feel. The reality is these are not no paint panels. They should never have been advertised that way, IMO. I am on my 3rd 818 I am building and can tell you that everyone needed work to make the right. It is just part of the deal. I knew that going in since I build a 33 first. My latest one had cracks and voids. My suggestion to you is move on and accept you need to do some body work to get it ready for paint or wrap. You are doing a very nice job on your build IMO. Keep up the good work.

[insurance guy]

I understand the way you feel. The reality is these are not no paint panels. They should never have been advertised that way, IMO. I am on my 3rd 818 I am building and can tell you that everyone needed work to make the right. It is just part of the deal. I knew that going in since I build a 33 first. My latest one had cracks and voids. My suggestion to you is move on and accept you need to do some body work to get it ready for paint or wrap. You are doing a very nice job on your build IMO. Keep up the good work.

my body has similar issues as your pics show ( #343)
I plan on painting my bond so I was looking forward to the prep and body work

[TrickyPete]

I have #314 and my front fender where it meets the bumper was missing a chunk like your rear bumper. I also have a ton of holes/voids on the fenders where the hood sits. I think that's just the way they come unfortunately. I for one would have liked to see them at least have packed a repair kit with the kit... I mean it would be the very least they could do...

[Pearldrummer7]

I had a chunk missing from my hood and a slight hairline crack in the hood (#230).

[insurance guy]

I asked and they sent me a gelcoat repair kit
it is just the gelcoat but fiberglass and epoxy resin is available at any marine supply.
The gelcoat is good for deep scratches if you have voids you can add microspheres and fairing powder to epoxy resin. I have used fiberglass and epoxy resin building a boat and paddleboard. Its easy to work with ( watch a few TAP RESIN videos)
Here is a link to the canoe I built https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quhOjs2rdwc

[Lumpyguy]

Thanks all,

I have repaired and modified lots on the body with mat and resin and used a bonding/filler material that is for corvettes it was recomended by a few body shops I went to, they all say it does not shrink. the body is looking nice now, I am about to start spraying some 2k filler primer and then re assemble the car and block sand it.

I

[nkw8181]

Mind sharing the bonding /filler material you speak of?

[Lumpyguy]

I am using a product by evercoat Vette panel adhesive/filler for SMC and fiberglass panels. it is very nice to work with and is flowable and hardens nice, it takes a bit to knock it down with 80 grit and but sands out nice with 180.

the big work I did cutting and widening the vents was done with mat and resin on the back and this filler to smooth out the front. I used it to build up a few edges where the gelcoat was gone.

[RM1SepEx]

I understand the way you feel. The reality is these are not no paint panels. They should never have been advertised that way, IMO.

This is the problem...

[CNC_Geek]

I guess it is the luck of the draw. I have #340 and so far the body panels look solid. A few minor scratches but nothing more. I fully expected to have a finished body. That is what I budgeted for and what I paid for. Other than one trim part for the windshield wiper option my body should polish out as is. Sorry to hear so many others are experiencing the degree of defects shown in your photos. FFR should not accept these from their supplier.

[FFRSpec72]

I am using a product by evercoat Vette panel adhesive/filler for SMC and fiberglass panels. it is very nice to work with and is flowable and hardens nice, it takes a bit to knock it down with 80 grit and but sands out nice with 180.

the big work I did cutting and widening the vents was done with mat and resin on the back and this filler to smooth out the front. I used it to build up a few edges where the gelcoat was gone.

After dealing with all the FFR Cobra bodies we found the best is Evercoat Rage Gold, this stuff is easy to apply, and 80/120 knocks it down, this is what we use on the seems for the other FFR cars. It's not cheap but it does bond and last as I beat the heck out of the car on the track and no issues.

[STiPWRD]

FFR should not accept these from their supplier.

FFR builds the fiberglass body panels in house.

[carbon fiber]

FFR builds the fiberglass body panels in house. They don't make the bodies. I took the factory tour when I picked my kit up and they only do a few smaller parts, and I think some of that is done by out of house now. (CF parts, etc.) I agree they should have never advertised the 818 panels as no-paint. I'd also recommend if you're going to paint it, beat each panel with a stiff wire brush over every inch to find ALL the voids first. There's not much worse than having a void show up after you've painted the car. I also recommend taking the seams down to the fiberglass and building back up from there. The front end on the GTM is made as several pieces separately and then glassed together and they apply gelcoat in the mold where the pieces meet. I'm not sure if the 818 fenders and top are done this way, but it's not the way to make parts in my opinion.

[Hindsight]

Wow, I wasn't aware they didn't make their fiberglass in-house. Interesting.....

[STiPWRD]

They don't make the bodies. I took the factory tour when I picked my kit up and they only do a few smaller parts, and I think some of that is done by out of house now. (CF parts, etc.) I agree they should have never advertised the 818 panels as no-paint. I'd also recommend if you're going to paint it, beat each panel with a stiff wire brush over every inch to find ALL the voids first. There's not much worse than having a void show up after you've painted the car. I also recommend taking the seams down to the fiberglass and building back up from there. The front end on the GTM is made as several pieces separately and then glassed together and they apply gelcoat in the mold where the pieces meet. I'm not sure if the 818 fenders and top are done this way, but it's not the way to make parts in my opinion.
I've also taken the tour and could've sworn that the 818 fiberglass molded parts were made in house. Keep in mind the 818 body originally had no seams, it was a collection of separate fiberglass panels (unlike the other kits they make). I agree that the CF parts are made off site.

[edwardb]

I too have been to the factory a couple of times and took the tour during the open house. Like most of the departments at the factory, the molding area is pretty small and every inch is used. The first question asked was how do have room to make bodies, and the answer was they don't. I don't know the exact combination for each model, but the molding department only makes the smaller stuff. Doors, trunk lids, hoods, etc. They have a very cool robot in an enclosed booth that does all the trimming after the parts cure. The bodies are made at an outside supplier. I think they said in New Hampshire, and I think they also said by a company that mainly does boats. But don't quote me on that. It's possible more of the 818 is made in house than the others, because it is more of a collection of panels. But I don't recall seeing the main body section. I don't know about the CF stuff.