33 quality and fit and finish

[snappytravis]

Just curious about how well the panels fit on the 33. I would also like to know your guys opinions on the body as far as structural integrity. Do they seem to be pretty solid.
How much prep is needed before paint. Prime and block once? How many hours to get it ready for paint?
Thanks Travis

[wallace18]

You can check out my build thread. IMO there is a fair amount of work to be done on the panels. It depends on how you want things to line up. You must make everything fit. They are oversized so you can do the gaps as you want. the prep work is all about how nice a paint job you want. The better the prep the better the paint will be. Time in equals product out. I enjoyed the work myself. It depends on the individual.

[Arrowhead]

Wow, those are some loaded questions, you'll get all kinds of responses on those.

Strength wise, panels aren't bad except a couple of areas. The rear sail panel (where trunk meets the body at the top) and the lower valance where the trunk meets the body at the bottom) are somewhat flexible and a lot of people add reinforcement there. Other than that the body is pretty rigid once all bolted down. If your installing the hard top, some add additional fasteners so it doesn't lift off at high speed (some people have had the bolts loosen up).

As far as how the panels fit, well they are all cut oversize from FFR. People complain about that but it's actually a good thing. The fiberglass shrinks as it cures and when you get your kit from FFR, the glass is probably only a few weeks old and not fully cured. if the panels were trimmed perfectly from FFR, they would shrink and then you would have to add material to get the correct gaps. That why they tell you in the manual to let the body parts sit outside in the sun for a few weeks so that they are fully cured before you do the bodywork.


I think you need to determine what quality level you want when it's done. This will determine how much bodywork is required for YOUR car. Everyone has a different level of quality so no one can tell you how long it will take. Some took 6 months straight full time, some did it in a weekend. Fiberglass parts are never perfect, they may have waves or may not even have the correct contours. Do you want all the panels to "flow" so they all have smooth transitions from one panel to the other? Or do just want the panel gaps to be consistent and not worry about transitions from panel to panel? To do a nice job your probably looking at 300-500 hours depending on your skill level and what you want for a final product (again, other might chim in with 50 to 2000 hours !!!!). Take a look at some of the build threads to get an idea of what it takes.

[Boz1911]

For me the only big issue is the hardtop. I probably have as much time in it as I do the rest of the body.

[dagall]

If you are not experienced in 'glass work, find someone who is familiar with working on these types of bodies. I would not have even tried to do the body work without a friend who has been working on Factory Fives for 12 years. Doors and trunk were big issues on mine. I am not using the hood or side panels so those issues were off the table for me.

[68GT500MAN]

Strength wise the only additional thing to mention is if you go with the full fenders there needs to be support added under the running boards (in my opinion).
Doug

[myjones]

Strength wise the only additional thing to mention is if you go with the full fenders there needs to be support added under the running boards (in my opinion).
Doug

I fully agree on the running boards. Even if you are lucky enough that they never get stepped on even by a small child I think they will flutter enough at highway speed to eventually crack at the ends. The chassis is a work of art, the bolt on components are almost as good in most cases. The body mold is not symmetrical at all. The firewall lip on the body should be a J shape so the firewall tucks up into a groove for a much cleaner transition. I don't regret my purchase or the bang for the buck but the 33 doesn't seem to get the same support as far as improving the product as the rest of their lines do.
DB
Hemi33

[snappytravis]

Thanks for the replies, I have been beating on cars for the past 25 years, I don't mind making the panels fit. My main concern is how I will do it, If they are undersized, I need to add material, Oversized , Start sanding. I have a 69 Camaro that I actually cut the trunk edge and moved in to make the gap narrower, Major pain..Thanks for the input and I hope ff works on improving some of the weaker points in there bodies.