Nose replacement and joint marks

[chris52]

I wonder if anyone can help me. I recentley bought a griffith that had the nose replaced some 7 years earlier and although the job was done at a very reputable TVR body specialist you can still see the join marks adove the wheel arch. Anyway I was going have the front end repainted next winter to get rid of the marks, but I am now wondering if they will just come back. The reason I am thinking about this now is I was at chatsworth today and the amount of cars I noticed with exactley the same joint marks was incredible. Dont get me wrong the marks are not that noticeable you have to get it at a certain angle with the sun shinning on it and then you still have to be looking for them to see them, but they are there and I would like to get rid of them permenantley. So is this possible or will they just come back???
If you have a TVR thats had its nose replaced can you see the joins or if you have had a TVR that has had the joints repainted did the marks come back. I realy dont want to waste the best part of a £1k having a repair that only ends up looking exactley the same as it did before.

Many Thanks for your help
Chris

[Yellabelly]

Chris,
Looking at your photo you have had the Webb's rear light conversion, has the front lights been done as well? My Griff has had the Webb's front/rear light conversion and it has the same joint marks as you describe, coincidence?
YB

[chris52]

yes the job was done at webs although not at the same time.The front and rear lights were done some 3 years later at the last owners expense.

Chris

[heightswitch]

Chris the marks you describe are sinkage marks in the fibreglass which have appeared because the job has not been done properly In bonding fibreglass a good bodyshop will laminate from behind then grind back the top surface over the joint to laminate. If sinkage marks are present it is because the bodyshop have laminated from behind then just used something like P40 to fill the but joint on the surface which them minimises filling and prep prior to painting.

N.

[chris52]

heightswitch said:

Chris the marks you describe are sinkage marks in the fibreglass which have appeared because the job has not been done properly In bonding fibreglass a good bodyshop will laminate from behind then grind back the top surface over the joint to laminate. If sinkage marks are present it is because the bodyshop have laminated from behind then just used something like P40 to fill the but joint on the surface which them minimises filling and prep prior to painting.

N.

Can this now be rectified? and is it a massive and expensive task?

Cheers Chris

[heightswitch]

chris52 said:

heightswitch said:

Chris the marks you describe are sinkage marks in the fibreglass which have appeared because the job has not been done properly In bonding fibreglass a good bodyshop will laminate from behind then grind back the top surface over the joint to laminate. If sinkage marks are present it is because the bodyshop have laminated from behind then just used something like P40 to fill the but joint on the surface which them minimises filling and prep prior to painting.

N.

Can this now be rectified? and is it a massive and expensive task?

Cheers Chris

Chris the bond if laminated from behind will be OK its just whether you can live with the joint mark on the top surface. The correct repair will involve grinding back approx 3/4" back on each side of the joint to a depth of about 1mm to allow some fibreglass Tissue to be laminated over the joint but below the surface. this will then need a full fill and re-spray.

As long as you can live with it i would leave it until you have the next front end re-spray done.

N

[chris52]

Thanks for your help

Chris

[plasticman]

Hi Chris , the information above is not correct . 95% of my joins are glassed inside and out and fully feathered and they will still move . The fresh fibreglass will always move you just have to make sure it has finished moving before you paint it especially on a dark car . If the repair has been carried out correctly in the first place you can flat it down and it should not come back when it has been resprayed . If you grind it out and glass/fill it you will be back to where you started and it could sink again , David

[heightswitch]

plasticman said:

Hi Chris , the information above is not correct . 95% of my joins are glassed inside and out and fully feathered and they will still move . The fresh fibreglass will always move you just have to make sure it has finished moving before you paint it especially on a dark car . If the repair has been carried out correctly in the first place you can flat it down and it should not come back when it has been resprayed . If you grind it out and glass/fill it you will be back to where you started and it could sink again , David

I shall bow to Plastic mans depth of knowledge on this. The point I was making though was that your repair appears not to have been laminated and feathered on the top surface hence the sinkage.

I would assume though that if the top has not been feathered there will always be the risk of that joint sinking.

others on here play with the messy stuff more than me though.

N.

[chris52]

Thanks plasticman you have put the grin back on my face, I guess after 7 years it should have stopped moving now. I did manage to get rid of the majority of the marks by flatting with 1200 and repolishing but it seems that some of it is below the laquer. there are no cracks or or anything just a very slight distortion within the paintwork

Chris