C2 Bare Fiberglass

[Michael S.]

Just had my 1967 convertible stripped down to the bare fiberglass for a refinishing. The entire vehicle is gray fiberglass. I thought the bare glass was black. My painter said it is the proper color, gray. I do not have a meaningful vehicle history, but it appears to be numbers matching throughout (327/350), straight frame etc.

Do I have a rebodied car ? Lets hope not.

[Tracy C.]

Re: C2 Bare Fiberglass

For the record, ALL fiberglass is white. What changed over the years was the color of the resin system used. Not sure when your car was built but it is generally believed that the resin system changed to a darker hue for 1967. However, this color is really only noticable on an unsanded panel. Because, your car has been painted at least once (from the factory) and possibly other times in it's life, it's safe to assume the surface has been sanded.

Even black will appear grey when sanded. During the sanding process the white fiberglass strands become exposed and the surface takes on a lighter shade. I wouldn't sweat this in the least. I'm sure your car is fine.

If you bodyman knows fiberglass, he also is aware of the need for a good top coat to seal the fiberglass back up before painting. There are some excellant two part urethane primer sealers out there. It is very easy to get better surface with this stuff than the factory ever did. For this reason, some hard core restorers purposely do a lousy job block sanding.

To each his own,
Enjoy...

tc

[Duke W.]

Re: C2 Bare Fiberglass

Sounds like all your panels are original other than any obvious repair damage you may have found.

The two common colors for C2 panels are gray and beige or perhaps the latter could be called "neutral" or "tan" - sort of an off white with a beige tint.

My March '63 production SWC has a combination of both colors.

Duke