Uncured gel coat?

[Jacob]

Not sure exactly how to handle this but today I was probing around the seams as I was getting ready to start sanding the gel coat...and found some areas where the outside of the body form were stiff and brittle but as I probed underneath the hard outer surface there was quite a bit of uncured gelcoat. So I am assuming that I need to remove the outer surface until I stop finding uncured gel coat and then rebuild that area with body filler? Is this the correct way to proceed? Appreciate any help!

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=77312&d=1512082962

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=77311&d=1512082945

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=77310&d=1512082928

[David Hodgkins]

Jacob, when did you receive your kit? I've sent an email to FFR, and will report back when they respond.

Hopefully they will chime in; would also love to hear what some of the vendor painters have to say (Setting up the BAT signal as we speak)

:)

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Why not see if FFR will take it back & give you a good one?

[Jacob]

Jacob, when did you receive your kit? I've sent an email to FFR, and will report back when they respond.

Hopefully they will chime in; would also love to hear what some of the vendor painters have to say (Setting up the BAT signal as we speak)

:)

I got the complete kit August 2016. I haven't called FFR but guess I should. I was assuming this is a common issue? It looks to me that to make it work you'd have to grind off the outer shell until you stopped getting "goo"? If you've ever had one of those chocolate covered ice cream bars, it's hard on the outside but soft underneath.

[carbon fiber]

Is it uncured gelcoat or colored clay? All of that has to be removed either way.

[Jacob]

Is it uncured gelcoat or colored clay? All of that has to be removed either way.

Must be gelcoat, couldn't get off my fingers with paint thinner or anything else?

[GoDadGo]

Acetone will get it off of your fingers.
Nail polish remover will work too, but it will take longer.
Also, the uncured Gel-Coat was obviously not properly catalyzed.
I wonder if they where using a gun that catalyzes at the tip, a pressure pot unit or my favorite, Ye-Old One Quart Dump Gun.

http://www.uscomposites.com/equipment.html

[Gumball]

I found a cavity of that in my Mk3.1 back when I did the bodywork - had to do quite a bit of grinding to get it out. It was located along the mold parting line directly above the front driver's side wheel.

Here's a pic of it during and after the operation to remove. Once done, I repaired the area with filler and it has held up fine.

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/GooeyGelCoat_zpsf6e24bcd.jpg (http://s845.photobucket.com/user/CCRsAC/media/GooeyGelCoat_zpsf6e24bcd.jpg.html)

Overhead and profile of the cleaned area with a straight edge over top.....

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/Seams5_zps87998384.jpg (http://s845.photobucket.com/user/CCRsAC/media/Seams5_zps87998384.jpg.html)

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/Void2_zps5a23539e.jpg (http://s845.photobucket.com/user/CCRsAC/media/Void2_zps5a23539e.jpg.html)

Finished....

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/FourthCoat4_zps025c5d16.jpg (http://s845.photobucket.com/user/CCRsAC/media/FourthCoat4_zps025c5d16.jpg.html)

[mikeinatlanta]

I'd be more worried about the uncured gelcoat you haven't found. What are the odds that it is only in that exact spot? If not cured by now it will never cure and rear its head later. I would go for a new body. If replacing the body is not an option, I'd fill low areas with 3M HSRF and finish with normal body filler products. If super deep, I'd fill with 1/2" chopped fibers and vinylester resin, then bodywork as normal.

[DaveS53]

The problem looks minor compared to what I've had to repair. Remove all of the uncured material and repair with chopped fiber and resin as already recommended. I find that cutting fiberglass mat into narrow strips with scissors, then cutting it into short lengths makes nice chopped fiber. I bought a big bag of 1/4" chopped fiber that did not work well at all - it was extremely difficult to get wetted.

Get a gallon of acetone for clean-up when working with fiberglass resin. You'll also need a bunch of nitrile gloves. I like tiger-grip gloves. None of them hold up to much acetone exposure.

[edwardb]

I got the complete kit August 2016. I haven't called FFR but guess I should. I was assuming this is a common issue?

There have been numerous issues with the parting lines being contaminated over the years, resulting in grinding, filling, etc. But the later versions (e.g. your Mk4) not so much. What you're dealing with is definitely not common. I'd start by calling FFR. Probably can be fixed by maybe there are other options.

[Jacob]

thanks all!

[Jeff Kleiner]

I've encountered it a few times but must say that the globs were not that big. I dug, ground and cleaned them out then filled with HSRF and Rage. As much as 6+ years later on some of them and thus far none have reared their ugly heads.

Jeff

[bobl]

I had some pretty big globs in my MK IV also. It seems to be pretty normal, some more than others. I just dug it out and ground until I had a good clean surface then filled it with HSRF. I never found one that went so deep that it needed actual fiberglass repair.

Bob

[Jacob]

I had some pretty big globs in my MK IV also. It seems to be pretty normal, some more than others. I just dug it out and ground until I had a good clean surface then filled it with HSRF. I never found one that went so deep that it needed actual fiberglass repair.

Bob

I called FFR today and in summary they recommended the fix you mention, grind it out until no more goo, clean with acetone, fill with HSRF and finish off with body filler. In essence not a big deal, regrettable and unfortunate but fixable. Not saying I'm a body shop expert but I think I can handle it. I'll post results in my build log. thanks all