Need some advice: matching gel coat
Discussion
Hi, I'm hoping to get some advice on how to sort out some fibreglass damage to my GTM Spyder. The car is GRP with a coloured gel coat (light blue), manufactured 2004, and has some fairly extensive damage to the rear. In getting the damage repaired, I want to ensure a good colour match. Basically, it seems I have three options:
1. repair the fibreglass and fill/cover the repair with more gel coat
2. replace the rear clamshell with a new one, with a matched coloured gel coat (basically the rear third of the car)
3. repair the fibreglass, and respray the whole car
My concern with option 1 is that the join will be quite noticeable. My concern with option 2 is that a new clamshell will never really match the rest of the car, and if the factory don't do a good job it could be a disaster. My concern for option 3 is that paint is less resilient than the gel coat - I have heard water ingress can cause severe bubbling, and will deteriorate quicker in general.
Any comments?
1. repair the fibreglass and fill/cover the repair with more gel coat
2. replace the rear clamshell with a new one, with a matched coloured gel coat (basically the rear third of the car)
3. repair the fibreglass, and respray the whole car
My concern with option 1 is that the join will be quite noticeable. My concern with option 2 is that a new clamshell will never really match the rest of the car, and if the factory don't do a good job it could be a disaster. My concern for option 3 is that paint is less resilient than the gel coat - I have heard water ingress can cause severe bubbling, and will deteriorate quicker in general.
Any comments?
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