Bare fiberglass hood prep- will epoxy primer do?

[cboss70]

I plan to strip my 67 hood and 69 side ducts (still up in the air about razor blading it off, chemical strip or sanding the hood off mechanically). Years ago when I worked on a corvette everyone applied "gelcoat" over the fiberglass even if most of the factory sealer was intact. I'm guessing that chances are that I'll be exposing some bare fiberglass and want to ensure nothing shows through the paint when its time. My question is do I need to go find gelcoat from a place like Ecklers or will epoxy primer do just as good?  What are people using to seal their hoods, noses, scoops etc?

[shelbydoug]

Use "featherfil" or the equivalent. There are other brands of it.

If you use "aircraft paint stripper" and a pressure washer, the gel coat will stay intact.

Current primers with activators work fine on the original fiberglass. They are actually very similar to the original "Featherfil" in the cured state.

Don't use commercial "wax remover" or even paint thinners. Wash the fiberglass down with dish washing detergent like Downey and pressure wash it again. Let it dry. Should be good to go after that.

[vtgt500]

I recently completed a glass body project with amazing results.  If required, remove old paint very carefully to not damage gelcoat.  Finish surface with 3M 7447 maroon hand pads for an ideal roughness.  If repairs are necessary use, Evercoat Fibreglass 870 Vette Panel Adhesive as a filler.  Has same expansion as body panels and excellent adhesion.  Use an epoxy primer by same manufacturer as top coat product.  I have seen disasters combining primer, BC/CC systems between manufacturers.

[JWH]

vtgt500 - I would be interested to hear details from you and others on how you stripped the paint from the fiberglass? What method and materials did you use to keep the gel coat from damage?
Thanks
Jeff

[vtgt500]

JWH,  Excellent question.  When I did my GT 500 several years ago there was a 2-part stripper sold by the trade name, Acme.  An amazingly effective product that lifted paint with no digging or scraping.  Of late, can find it nowhere.  I believe all that exists now are methylene chloride base products typical of Klean-Strip's Aircraft Paint Remover.  Results are mediocre at best.  Requires near endless applications for multiple layers of old paint.  Resist the urge to use a steel scraper that will gouge the surface.  Go slow using a plastic putty knife and bronze wool.  At least it's washable with water to remove residue.  Critical before moving on to filler and epoxy primer to have surface perfectly clean.  This is my goto choice,  https://www.axalta.com/content/dam/NA/HQ/Public/Cromax/Documents/TDS/CX-TDS-3901S-Eng.pdf

[JWH]

A lot of the "good stuff," we used to use is no longer available.

When stripping the interior fiberglass panels, I used Easy Off Oven Cleaner. It lifted the paint and did not harm the grain or texture of the panel one bit. Has anyone tried this on a fiberglass hood or trunk? My guess is the paint on the exterior of the car takes a stronger chemical to lift the paint?

Vtgt500, thanks for your reply.
Jeff