Gelcoat crazing [from another Newbie]

[sandhurst]

PRE WESTIE BACKGROUND:

Having visited "Caterham" in the early 60's, I came home with lots of catalogues and good intentions only to hear my wife say "were going to have a child". Family and work commitments put kitcars on hold until two years ago when I retired. I went to Westfield's Factory and was well impressed but then, for some reason, bought a Tiger Super Six! After a year I felt that I could not live with a number of features [including a seat which did not readily accomodate my width!] and I changed it for a 2.1 NG TF.

CURRENT THOUGHTS:

I am now thinking of getting a Westie [at last I hear you say] and looked at a 3.9L V8 the other day. It may seem a small thing to be a deal breaker but I was concerned with cracking/crazing in the fibreglass by the boot-lid hinges and also at the top of the rear wheel arches where the join the bodywork. I was informed that this always happened in areas of stress but feel slightly disappointed with the "fault" especially as the asking price was some 16K [it may be a bargain but it's still quite a lot of money].

My question is "is this normal, will it get worse and can it be rectified at a reasonable cost?".

Many thanks,

Dave [Morris]

[pistonbroke]

Hello , glad to here you finally developed  good taste and learned sense at last !

Very briefly

GRP (Glass Re- enforced Plastic ) construction is made a fiberglass latice mat, bonded together by polyester resin . It is very strong (for its wieght ) and flexible.

A finish coat (gelcoat or flocoat ) of clear or pigmented  resin is used to protect and enhance the sub strata

The finish coat is more brittle than the sub strata and can lead to cracks under conditions of stress .  or cracks caused by impact (also can cause de lamination of the grp lattice.

Either can be repaired easily and succesfully , The skill required to make an invisible repair is pretty considerable, the job would depend upon matching the color of new gel coat to the existing finish .

A major factor in cost would be the area damaged and the amount of profiling to be done, a flat surface being easier to "fix" than a curved one .

From your discription the type of damage seems cosmetic more than structural .

I would not let it stop me from buying the car if the price is right and you like it .

possibly get a quote for repair  

hope this helps      

[neilwillis]

In my experience, the crazing doesn't grow much once it's settled down.   I have some around the bolt heads on the cycle wings, and around the windscreen pillar fixings.   They appeared quite soon after the car was on the road, and since the initial appearance I've had no more.

Depending on the age of the car, you can get matching gel coat from Westfields, and it's not difficult given a little time and trouble to produce a good repair.   A search will give you all the info you need to do the work.

[perksy]

but feel slightly disappointed with the "fault" especially as the asking price was some 16K [it may be a bargain but it's still quite a lot of money].

My question is "is this normal, will it get worse and can it be rectified at a reasonable cost?".

Many thanks,

Dave [Morris]

Think if i was going to spend 16k on a Westy, it wouldn't be on anything that needed Gel coat work  

[Mark B]

Me too, I'd at least be knocking a few hundred quid off. My car's 6 years old, and the only minore cracks in the gel coat are around one bonnet lock, even that is hard to see.

That doesn't say the car you're looking at is a bad one though, just make sure you get a deal that you are happy with & enjoy the car!

[sandhurst]

Thanks guys for the comments you kindly posted - it all helps to focus one's mind.

pistonbroke

I hope that I have learned sense at last - I suspect my first purchase [the T...r S...r S.x] was a bit impulsive as I was spending far too much money on magazines [also a "senior moment" might have crept in].

Thanks also for your run-down on GRP.

neilwillis

I can understand that the crazing does not continue to grow but wonder if it re-appears after any repair work has been carried out?

If any car I buy has this cosmetic fault maybe an "easy on the eye" [and on the wallet] fix would be to stick a couple of matching transfers over the crazing "ban the bomb", Vote "X" or "Wallace & Grommit", etc.

perksy & Mark B

I entirely agree with your comments.

My main reason for considering the particular car was the fact that the engine [with ancilleries] and gearbox were virtually brand new. At my advanced years [66] I want to drive the thing not tinker with it anymore than necessary. In years gone by I have seen "engine rebuilds" that owed most of the work to Gunk! Having said that, I am sure that most Westie owners have built their cars to the highest standard they can afford and, at the build stage, are not thinking about having to sell them on.

My NG TC is being sorted as we speak [failed it's MOT on steering bushes] and I have no room for two fun cars. As and when things change, I'll update the forum.

Many thanks,

Dave [Morris]

[pistonbroke]

Well done dave! nice to hear from an Old timer who can still enjoy life  

Get the car drive it fast and carefully and have FUN just like us young uns !