Painting a C4-How to get the paint to stick.

[tboo]

My dad & I are ready to work on a 94 coupe we bought that needs some paint/body work. After checking around town with some of our autobody contacts,all have told us that they have had problems getting the paint to stick on the c4s they were doing work on. I bought the "Painting your Corvette" book from Mid-America, but that turned out to be a painting 101 book & doesnt address the specifics with working on corvettes. Anybody have any input? I, as well as our contacts, would like to know.

Thanks

 

[Ken]

When I had my stripes done, the painter mentioned tha same thing. He had to wipe and start over at least once.

_ken

 

[paintdaddy]

Ive never had this problem or even heard of it.There are problems with new rubber bumpers but not the fiberglass.I dont know if these "contacts" were friends or friends of friends but most of the time a typical body shop dont want to paint overalls,so they will give you any excuse that they can come up with.
I have had a few problems with cars that had been washed with Zip wax or something simalar but it was not a Corvette specific problem.

 

[tboo]

If youve never heard of it then I guess I have nothing to worry about. The people who have told me they have had problems with vets are autobody/repair shops that deal strictly with rebuilders/repairables. I think the problem they are talking about is not a general overall paint job, but in areas where bodywork has been done. I thought I read somewhere that SMC has to be sealed properly or the paint wont stick to it-or am I wrong?

 

[paintdaddy]

Yeah,you did hear that right but when they say smc it usually means plastic car parts.For example,saturns,4th gen camaros,lumina minivans and alot more late model cars and vans.I have heard of bad problems with those.I dont work on anything new so I dont know first hand but I think it has something to do with the mold release agent that they use in the manufacturing process.

 

[tboo]

I thought corvette bodies from the late 70s on were made from SMC?

 

[paintdaddy]

alot of people get the termonology mixed up,SMC is sheet molded compound and Corvettes are FRP which is fiberglass reinforced plastic.There is also a 3rd term for the C4 fiberglass which I cant remember but its basically a different fiberglass.

 

[Sibexpress]

Had mine taken down to the fiberglass. Paint guy had no complaints....at least none he shared with me.