Aircooled VW South Africa

Hi all

Its almost time for me to start stripping, and I just want some advice. On a lot of forums the consensus seems to be to use 2k, as cellulose tends to crack after a while, but when it comes to cars itself, proper information is few and far between.

One suggest etch primer, another epoxy primer, and yet another plastic primer - as I understand using etch on fiberglass is not reccomended, is this true, or will it work?

Another says starting with 80 grit paper is fine, while some say dry sand until you hit the gelcoat, and wet sand from there. I have done a respray before, but it was a tin car.

There are hairline cracks in the current paint, but it looks like the paint, and not the gelcoat. Any advice please?

JonnieOC wrote:Hi all

Its almost time for me to start stripping, and I just want some advice. On a lot of forums the consensus seems to be to use 2k, as cellulose tends to crack after a while, but when it comes to cars itself, proper information is few and far between.

One suggest etch primer, another epoxy primer, and yet another plastic primer - as I understand using etch on fiberglass is not reccomended, is this true, or will it work?

Another says starting with 80 grit paper is fine, while some say dry sand until you hit the gelcoat, and wet sand from there. I have done a respray before, but it was a tin car.

There are hairline cracks in the current paint, but it looks like the paint, and not the gelcoat. Any advice please?

Have you managed to get going yet?

I have a fix for those hairline cracks - - - and what paint\primer combination I used. The paintjob still looks awesome after about 3 years.

Jonnie,If I can put my bit of advice into your paintbin. It depends on the paint on the car at the moment if it is a rubbery substance when you sand it it might be a enamel type. I am not a paint boffin but I have played with fiberglass bodies fron 86 and my experience is . If there is cracks in the paintwork take your angle grinder and run along these cracks. Not through the body just make a nice groove unto the gelcoat. There you stop. Take chopstrand fiberglass mat and unravel it to get to the individual strand and the you mix your fiberglass resin with hardener on 1% per volume of resin but I would suggest try about a tabel spoon full of resin first to get the idea. Then you take the fibreglass strands and mix it in with the resin. Then you take that floppie messy mixture by hand and work it into your freshly cut groove as smooth as possible because you must at one time in future sand it down. If there is no more cracks sand your body down to a respectable paintable level. If there is some little unevenness you could use a body filler to get it straight edge smooth. Prep work is 90% of the work. The you an etch filler primer and shoot the body one coat. smooth it down to a straight edge level with no bumps and grannys. The you take your special flipcoat color of 2k and your shoot it on the body to about three layers. One layer at a time to a touch dry level where only the fingerprint stays behind and the the next coat. If you are finished closed the garage and leave it for three days even if there is a tear on a panel leave it you can do nothing until it is dry. I am proud in that I guarantee a run per panel!! So hope this could help!! My Eagle is running for fourteen years already with this same recipe and it is still good. Enjoy because if you open the garage after two or three days and start to take all the masking off and you see the gloss and maybe a run dont dispair. Kindig Customs in America watersands all their cars after sparaying and then you remove the tear with a 1200 or finer sandpaper and soapy water. Enjoy

Thank you both - sorry for such late reply. I haven't started yet with paint prep, wife gets edgy every time the covers comes of... I have done the dash though