PS,
I forgot to mention that I did look into the possibility of repairing the
acrylic. The process used to make the Bricklin's acrylic body panels is
the same used today to make acrylic skinned fiberglass objects such as hot
tubs, bath tubs and shower stalls. The only difference is that the
manufacturing process has now been refined with much higher yields and with
better quality of finish and structural integrity than Malcom was able to
achieve in the 70's when it was a new and untried technology.
There are people who repair modern acrylic skinned fiberglass bathroom
fixtures when they are cracked or damaged by, say, an impact. I spoke with
a local repair company but they didn't feel that the repairs would hold up
for a car due to the increased vibration and flexing. However, that was
only one opinion and there may be some mileage in the repair process. You
might ask local repairers for their opinion if you have some cracks to
repair and still want to retain the acrylic finish.
George Schiro
----------
> From: George Schiro <gschiro@lni.net>
> To: GLCurley@aol.com; marvmay@ix.netcom.com
> Cc: Bricklin@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: To Paint or Not to Paint?
> Date: Friday, February 26, 1999 11:31 PM
>
> FYI
>
> In my case the car was already painted black when I bought it and
original
> restoration isn't an option. The car (vin 678) was originally white
> acrylic. In addition to stress cracks in the usual places, I also have
> crazing of the acrylic due to reaction with the paint ( see Terry's note
on
> this in the Brickline). Because of this, there is really no way to
restore
> the acrylic.
>
> I have found that ordinary gel paint stripper and a plastic scrub pad
works
> very well for removing both the paint and the acrylic. Gets you down to
> the base (brown) fiberglass quickly and does not appear to damage the
> fiberglass as long as you rinse off the paint stripper once you have
> removed all the acrylic. I stripped a few areas over a year ago and the
> fiberglass has remained sound.
>
> As I have mentioned previously, I want to try putting a layer of carbon
> fiber/epoxy over the fiberglass to add structural strength and preclude
any
> further cracking. Plus, I think the look of carbon fiber is cool and I
> would probably clearcoat it so the carbon fiber is visible. If that
> experiment does not work, I will have to repaint the vehicle after
fixing
> the stress cracks. A local Maaco shop has experience with painting
> fiberglass cars, including Bricklins.
>
> George Schiro
> ----------
> > From: GLCurley@aol.com
> > To: marvmay@ix.netcom.com
> > Cc: Bricklin@autox.team.net
> > Subject: Re: To Paint or Not to Paint?
> > Date: Wednesday, February 24, 1999 12:38 PM
> >
> > Marvin,
> > That is a rough decision. White acrylic parts are scarce. I also have
a
> > white acrylic body that I am trying to keep original. Terry has told
me
> that
> > once the doors and roof are cracked and need replaced, it doesn't make
> sense
> > to replace them with acrylic that will only crack again. Of course the
> > original reason for most of those cracks was the hydraulics putting too
> much
> > stress on the roof. So if you have air doors and don't drive the car a
> lot I
> > wonder if that advice would still hold? Anyway I understand white
paint
> is
> > very difficult to match, so if you are going to paint only partially,
you
> > better find a real expert. Also, what condition is your front
extension,
> > headlight covers, and fenders? I might be interested in them if you
> wanted to
> > replace them with non-virgins before you paint, if they are in good
> shape.
> > George Curley (#220, 489, 670)
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