I just had my body shop / paint crew look over the body shell for my 20 th Anniv. Roadster.
They commented on how much time it is going to take prep'g the fiberglass shell due especially to the verrry hard bonding stuff (gelcoat?) used to join panels to one another. When they looked and felt the underside of the shell a question was raised as to why the underside of the shell has such smooth seam joints while the exterior is rough and raised in many areas. In talking to the tech guys at FFR I learned that since the body panels are laid up in the forms upside down when the adjacent panels are joned gravity causes the gelcoat to flow down through the joints and this results in the rough hardened result on the exterior surface of the shell.
These joints will take a lot of careful smoothing and this will of course take time. I'm interested in learning from the guys who have been down this road before about any methods/tips they may have which ease the prep effort and shorten the time required to get a good smooth finish ready for paint. I am a novice on this subject and am learning as I go.
Thanks for any and all comments.