Paint removal.

[Bruce Crowthorne]

I am a few months ahead of you.
I tried the chisel route, but found it better to use a scraper that uses razor blades! The blades are the single edged ones with the metal back. The trick was finding a good comfotable holder.
I bought mine in "Harbour Freight" in the US. I even bought a spare! I have since seen them in the UK - I think Screwfix Direct keeps some.

My (baby) Elan had been painted six times so it took some scraping!
Thankfully it has now been painted and looks really good.

My technique was to scrape down to the last coat of primer. Then use a big slow electric sander to take it down to the point where I could see about one third of the gel coat and then hand sand the last two third of that coat.

Good luck and just keep going - you will get there!
Regards
Bruce

[stelz]

I've been out of action for a while, but started lurking again and the topic of fibreglass repair is one that has daunted me with my restoration.

One area that I am not sure about is what to do when you come across big areas of filler. Do you remove them suspecting a dodgy repair underneath, or leave as is to keep the body lines which will make the preparation for painting easier.

Ben

[john.houston]

Hi Ben In ny case I had to remove the filler in case it contained any moisture .I was told that the body may have been rubbed down with wet+dry trapping moisture and months and years later it emerged as osmosis .
You will find some horrors but see it as finding out the history of the car the hard way.
With hindsight I could of dried the filler out but now I know any problems later are down to me .Also when you feel the wheel arches they are smooth and thin not cocked up with filler .The body taps well like a bell!! not a piece of paving slab.
Try one part ,see how you go .You can always fill it again .Good luck
John.

[reb53]

Hi Ben

If the paint above the repair was in could shape then I would be inclined to leave well alone. If you dig someone eles filler out you'll just have to turn around and replace it with your own.

I've seen some "repairs" where the filler has been put on by the bucket load and could benefit from being done properly with some clothe and mat. But if old repairs appear sound there doesn't seem alot of point in making work for yourself.

Bear in mind that a bad body repair in a glass car, like the Elan, is unlikely to result in a catastrophic failure in the future as could happen in a conventional car.

I guess an early Elite wuold be the exception though.....

Ralph.

[stelz]

Thanks for that - it sounds like best to remove if I want to ensure all ok, but if it looks ok - maybe just leave (my car has been in warm garage for number of years so I don't think I have a water issue.

Thanks,
Ben

[tower of strength]

Just my two penny worth.

On my car (look in the gallery!!) The previous owner paint strippered the easy easy bits then left the car under a sun port for ten years!!, I bought the car four years or so ago and have finally got to finishing the restoration. I've had to remove the gel coat on the nosecone as it had separated from the grp matt!! I savaged it with a 3M blue grizzly wheel in a drill!! I then generously coated the area with resin and then added a layer of glass tissue, stippled all over with reasin, followed by another layer of tissue and more stippling with resin.o nce dry a light rubb over to remove any high spots with 60 drit in a sanderfollowed by a skim of filler (remember one thin coat can be added to if too thin, a thick coat will take a month to sand down!!!

I've discovered on my car that it has had a new nose(0bvious from the pic in the gallery). the accident must have damaged the chassis as the drivers side was half an inch too low at the bottom!!!(inner wing to chassis area), the nose was only joined by the inner and outer wings where visible, the stress cracks extended to the A posts around the hinge mounts and beyond the joint to the new bit . the nose had further damage to the corners and bumper mounts and even the drivers b post was full of stodge, hiding the damage from the original impact!! All the areas of cracking have been repaired as per above with a couple of layers of tissue.

the splits in the wheel arches(all four, due to heavy handed body lifters a while back plus historic damage) are being repaired by screwing an alloy plate(or more) across the crack from behind, then grinding out the crack nearly to the bottom layer of resin (care needed here) then resin, matgt. resin, matt, resin tissue! when dry , remove ally plate, lightly grind the back side and one layer of matt that also covers the screw holes.
again the repair is agressively sanded with coarse paper then filler applied.

I think my car has been figure of eight banger racing in a former life, as every panel is damaged quite badly(roof, transmission tunnel and boot floor as well as the outer panels!!

Also as an aside, the nose cone is of the later plus2s130 type and only has the mounts for one vac pod and the inner wings under the wheel arch were 1/4" too wide to butt up to my shell!!


I'm into week five of the restoration and I'm about to re unite the body to the chassis, the front end is all repaired and loaded up with high build primer, I/m now working on the roof/ door shuts then its the arse end!!. followed by the doors, boot bonnet ond pods, all need the gel repairing!!

regards Mark.

PS any one fancy helping to re fit the body, we are aiming for Saturday 4Th of November 10.30 to 11!! Dunstable , Beds, free tea or coffee!!

[thor]

After reading all these posts on the work involved and dangers that may lurk beneath I've decided that I love my paint finish, micro blisters here and there notwithstanding..
So I am going for a repaint/or only new clear coat on the silver roof, and Thorough T-cut, machine polish for the rest of the body. No way I'm stripping the paint....

[tower of strength]

Do I hear your bottle rattling Thor??

I dont blame you, My shell is severely stress cracked all over, under the paint!! I'm having to grind into most panels and use tissue and resin to repair. I'm enjoying it though!!

Regards

Mark

[thor]

I'm really just admitting to myself that my paint is A LOT better than most, and very nicely aged after a respray by the PO in the early nineties.
Except the roof (which I'll get fixed professionaly), the rest hasn't got many faults, and I'd just be very very vain to go through all the trouble when it's just got a nice patina today....

[tower of strength]

I wish I could say that Thor!! Mines a lot worse than most!! I've just spent the last week sorting the front end out and its now in primer, and the body/chassis re united (not bad for six weeks!!)
you can have a look at the progress on this link (if it works!) if you are interested. http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p42/ ... firstLogin

regards

Mark

[thor]

Quite. You seem to be making good progress, and a least now you have he shiny refurbished chassis to keep you inspired...

By the way: anyone know the paint code of the late eighties Spyder chassis orange? Need to fix a few nicks on mine..

[bcmc33]

I have been reading these threads since day one and am not encouraged by any of the comments. I had a brilliant body man in one of my best friends and fully intended that he should sort my blister machine this winter but the inconsiderate B*****d has sold-up and retired to Spain. I agree with Thor, it?s amazing how invisible the blisters have become ? or should I say how good the paintwork really is.
As a matter of interest, I was told by a well known Lotus man that there are only three (3) body people in the UK capable of doing a proper job on fibreglass, and the cost for a baby Elan would not be less than 3,000 GBP. Taking into account the time element for preparation mentioned in the threads, maybe this cost is not unreasonable.

Brian Clarke

[stuartgb100]

Brian,

Out of interest, did he happen to mention who these three were?

Regards,
Stuart.

[tower of strength]

I was quoted around 200hours labour to sort my shell ready for painting, even at ?25 per hour i was looking at ?5K+vat and materials!!! Hence I'm having a go myself. Fortunately a friend is a body man who trains kids at a local college, so he is keeping me on the right track.

Its not a hard job, just very dirty and time consuming!! (also smelly!!)

Regards

Mark

[type36lotus]

Six years ago when I was getting ready to paint my Elan I asked a nearby auto paint shop to drop by and give me and estimate. Keep in mind the body was pretty much ready to go, off the chassis, all in separate pieces (doors, boot, bonnet off), not chrome, a very bare body. He quoted $4,000 most likely more when he got it in his shop. I ended up doing it myself. No blisters when it was sold many years later. In the Florida heat they show up quickly.