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Thread: Best to cure fiberglass in the sun?

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    Best to cure fiberglass in the sun?

    Hello Paint Experts -

    I've been told my Roadster kit is on the way!!! We can't wait and have our body buck and frame dolly ready to go. We had heard that it is best to leave the fiberglass body in the full sun for 6-12 months in the while you are working on the chassis so that it has time to shrink and cure. Can any paint experts confirm this? I live in Scottsdale AZ. I can leave the fiberglass in full sun and it would see a high of about 90, but as we get into "winter" with with a lower case 'w' it would only see a high of 60 and a low 40 during the day. I had heard it is best to leave it outside in the sun and even in the 110 degree heat for as long a possible before paint prep to let the fiberglass cure and shrink. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

    Thank you and please be safe!

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    Senior Member Todd Baumann's Avatar
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    Not sure of the time on hand at FFR but they used to say that by the time you receive it the body is actually cured.
    Personally I would not leave it in the sun like you plan or are asking about doing. A few days maybe but from there I would bring it in or cover it in some way.
    Todd Baumann
    FFR Build School Instructor 16+ Years Mott Community College
    FFR 2086 MKI, 22+ years on the road
    FFR 300 MKI Coupe

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    Senior Member Presto51's Avatar
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    MHO: This is an old wives tale/urban legion.

    With fiberglass once you add the catalyst to the resin you have a certain amount of time/pot life, meaning it's starting to cure when it exceeds that time frame.

    After you release it from the molds it's about as cured as your going to get. If it doesn't reach full cure by then, you got more problems than you expected.

    Ron
    "May you be in heaven a full half hour before the Devil knows you're dead"

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    Seasoned Citizen NAZ's Avatar
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    I let my HR body set outside for a year while I was building the chassis. I would occasionally bring the body in the shop to test fit and back out it went. The body did shrink and move around while setting outside, enough that the trunk lid and doors did not fit the openings they were trimmed for And the doors were so close to the roll cage that they touch when closed and I had left 1/4" gap on each side when I fabricated the cage. So what would have happened if I had completed all the body and paint earlier?
    Dart Little M 406" SBC 800 HP N/A & 1,100 HP on nitrous, 2-spd Powerglide with trans brake, 6,000 RPM stall converter, narrowed Moser 88 3.90:1 spool with 35-spline gun-drilled axles & Torino bearings, custom parallel four-link, custom tube chassis & roll cage NHRA certified for 8.5-sec (only two FFR Hot Rods have this cert).

    33 Hot Rod Super Pro Drag Racer Build: 33 HR NHRA Cert Roll Cage Build

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    Not a waxer Jeff Kleiner's Avatar
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    Won't hurt to do it...won't hurt not to do it.

    Jeff

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