Effect of hail on a Corvette

[white02]

Here in Florida it is the season for thunderstorms and hail. What is the effect of hail on a Corvette? I know fiberglass dosen't dent, does it cause cracks, a blemish on the paint? Just curious and hope I never have first hand experience on this.

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

hey everyone,
i have wondered this many times,it cant be good,i cant even keep the rock chips off the front,and that ****es me off,someone once told me that insurance doesnt cover hail damage,i dont know if this is true,but anything is possible.in hawaii huricane insurance does not cover flooding so ya never know.later,Todd.

 

[Karl Snedeger]

The C5 doesn't use fiberglass but has a plastic skin that is a lot more flexable than fiberglass. The paint may be damaged though.

 

[KOPBET]

The C5 doesn't use fiberglass but has a plastic skin that is a lot more flexable than fiberglass. The paint may be damaged though.

Fiberglass-reinforced plastic

 

[tomls1]

hawaii-5-lo,

a few years ago i bought a brand new black dodge ram. after i had it about 3 months, i got stuck in a wicked hail storm. it was covered with tiny dents all over the hood, roof and left side...total bad luck . bottom line, insurance did cover the damage, in fact when i went to get it appraised, there were about 10 other cars there that were in the same hail storm. don't know about hawaii, but in virginia the insurance companies are pretty cool about hail.

on another note, i didn't realize that the c5 was made of a different material than the c4. can anyone elaborate on this...pros, cons etc?

later,

tom:cool

 

[KOPBET]

Someplaces I read that body panels on the C5 are SMC (Sheet Molded Compounds) and others refer to FRP

I believe that SMC is actually a FORM of fiberglass reinforced plastic (polyester).

Your C5 and my C4 and I believe all at least since '81 are all SMC/FRP.

 

[CrazyMagMan]

A couple weeks ago there were very serious hail storms in Smyrna, TN and Maggie(vette) was at my parents house. Both of my parents vehicles had quite a bit of damage, however there was no sign of any damage on Maggie at all.
There were quite a few vehicles nearby with windows broken out of them and unrepairable hail damage....
Just a testament to the strength of the plastic composite body of the Corvette.

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

intresting,

 

[CFour]

It could chip the paint. I have seen hail break windshields so I guess if the stones are that large and heavy the gel coat could be cracked.

 

[Eric]

hawaii-5-lo,

a few years ago i bought a brand new black dodge ram. after i had it about 3 months, i got stuck in a wicked hail storm. it was covered with tiny dents all over the hood, roof and left side...total bad luck . bottom line, insurance did cover the damage, in fact when i went to get it appraised, there were about 10 other cars there that were in the same hail storm. don't know about hawaii, but in virginia the insurance companies are pretty cool about hail.

on another note, i didn't realize that the c5 was made of a different material than the c4. can anyone elaborate on this...pros, cons etc?

later,

tom:cool

I think that was the same storm my wife was caught in driving our Monte and it looked awful but insurance fixed it like new. Same thing for my Z24 last year, well they paid for it but I haven't fixed it yet. As for the effect on fiberglass, my Z24 has the factory fiberglass cowl-induction hood and it handled hail larger than golf balls for nearly 15 minutes without one crack in the paint or the glass. The steel body panels were pulverized and the rubber trim was knocked off of the car. There was a car down the street that lost its sunroof and lots of homes with vinyl siding actually had holes knocked clear through the siding.

I guess it just depends upon the construction and bonding techniques. I do, however, believe that my Z24 hood is more a long the lines of the pre-C4 style of fiberglass, not the newer style.