TVR Fibreglass Repair

[samastonlongley]

Hi there,

I'm new to TVR owner ship and having wanting one for years and years I have just bourght a damaged T350C. Some of you may of seen the car on eBay, it has damage to the door and the front end. The car arrives in the next coming weeks and Ive bourght a repair panel for the front end included in the sale, but I still have some damage on the door to repair. Does anyone have any recommendations for the best Fibreglass and Resin to use when repairing the body work of a TVR. And also any hints and tips! I've never done any fibre glass repairs before but I'm enlisting the help of my dad who has worked with it a bit in the past on old lotus'

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[gruffalo]

You could try getting hold of Dave aka Plasticman here on PH.

Alternatively surface and design in Blackpool will return it to as new for you.

[phillpot]

When I set out to do some repairs to mine I came across this article, old but most is still relevant.......... how to repair fibreglass


As for buying the materials I was fortunate enough to have a stockist "just round the corner" from where I worked at the time .... Fibreglass supplies

These guys really knew what they were talking about and offered a wealth of advice on matting grades, resin types etc. and much cheaper than silly little tins of resin and packs of matting from your average bodyshop supplier

[magpies]

also see if you can have a word with Alan Whitaker (on the TVR S forum) he is located not far from Leeds Bradford airport and is building a rather special car.

[Plan B]

From reading your opening message you seem to be considering tackling the job yourself. My advice is DON'T attempt to do this yourself if you don't have major prior GRP repair experience. There's plenty of deep experienced repair skills out there - you have no real choice but to use them. Your car is way too valuable to risk a well intentioned but bodged DIY fix of this nature.
I'll tackle any mechanical job - but GRP body grafting and painting ... err no thanks.
Sorry if that sounds negative but I can't not mention it. 😊

[phillpot]

Nah, have a go, what's the worst that can happen? You balls it up and end up taking it to a professional

[cartoons]

I am reasonably experienced with bodywork and fibreglass and trust me, an enthusiastic amateur can repair this . Just look through a few guides online or buy a book and get stuck in. Fibreglass suppliers will sell you the proper stuff and advise you too. If it goes a bit wrong, grind it out and start again! The only thing I'd stress is wear decent protective clothing, ( mask, gloves,suit etc) and be ready to make a mess of your garage!

[samastonlongley]

Fortunately or unfortunately I'm the type of person who likes to give things a go! I've done a CAT D car before and still own it to this day. I'll be consulting my body shop guy to work to his requirements and if I make a mess of it I can always sand it back and start again or failing that take it to the professionals. If I never give it a go I'll never know if I can do it! To me the damage doesn't look too bad, I'm fairly sure with enough time in the garage and patience I'll get there! Thanks for your comments though. I am quite fusy so if it's not right I'll get it sorted! Thankyou for the names and the guides people have suggest on here I'll be having a read and speaking to people to get some tips!

Thanks
Sam

[Colin RedGriff]

Don't know the history of the car but I would recommend that you make sure that the chassis and suspension components are not damaged.

[samastonlongley]

There is only damage to the suspension, the track rod end, arms and shock absorbers are odd on the front so I'll be rebuilding the front suspension and then checking over the entire suspension before getting a suspension geometry check done. There is a small dent on the tubular section of chassis behind the front wheel but it's not worth replacing I don't think (I'll find out when I get the suspension geomatry checked) however the car is a keeper so I'd like to get the body off at some stage and get the chassis all powder coated, just because it looks so good all painted white!!

[caduceus]

I bought my fibreglass matt, resin, etc from East Coast Fibreglass. I did my homework and these guys seemed the best in terms of price and recommendation.
Don't listen to people who say it can't be done, you have no experience, blaah blaah blaah. If you're hands on and a competent DIY mech, it's doable. And as others have said, if you f**k it up, grind it out and start again. It's only glass fibre. Just make sure the prep is right before you commit to spraying.
Plenty of tutorials on YouTube. 'Gunman' (Aussie chap) is good for spraying tips and prep too. 'Swrnc' also quite informative, albeit a little nuts.
It helps if you know from the start what paint you are going to be using, so you can find out what products are best suited to the paint and GRP.
Don't hesitate to mail if you have any queries. I've already started down the route you are about to take, so happy to impart some knowledge.

If you haven't already got some, you may want to invest in some decent flexible sanding blocks http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dura-Block-7-Piece-Sandi...

[coco79]

If this is the 'TVR Glen' salvage car I would budget more for the repairs, if you have bought the car unseen...

Edited by coco79 on Monday 18th September 14:18

[samastonlongley]

coco79 said:

If this is the 'TVR Glen' salvage car I would budget more for the repairs, if you have bought the car unseen...

Edited by coco79 on Monday 18th September 14:18

It is a TVR Glen car and I have bourght from him before I've just finished doing a 2006 Aston Martin Vantage so I kinda know what the salvage market is like, not everything is as simple as it seems but I've been to view it and had a good look round it and at present it seems okay but time will tell as I start to work on it...