This is a read-only archive of the old Madabout Kitcars forum. New posts and replies are no longer possible, but every thread is still here to browse and read.
Looking to fit the front clam on my 275 project on the weekend and thinking of the potential of minimising the time (and the fact the weather is variable and I am limited with indoor/outdoor space to coat it and store it) by fitting it and preparing/coating the underneath surfaces with flowcoat whilst installed on the car.
I am thinking as long as the temperature and the hardener mix is suitable there shouldn’t be an issue with coating horizontal or vertical surfaces but without experience I am canvassing for thoughts. Trip ups or issues that you can think of? Alternatives if not using flowcoat in this setup? Appreciate any thoughts.....cheers!
Alternatives if not using flowcoat in this setup? Appreciate any thoughts.....cheers!
When my Z300S was painted recently, the underside of the bonnet moulding was given a coat of the white two-pack finish to seal it. Obviously it did not smooth the surface in the way that a flowcoat would.
However, this solution would work with the bonnet in any position.
I have just painted the inner faces of bonnet and rear clam on my RS200 replica (MRS200 kit) with them fitted to the car (bonnet raised and propped up). I just went for satin black exterior oil based paint as I wasn’t bothered about too thick a finish as I will be fitting wheel arch liners, nor too smooth a finish.
Worked well and the paint was quite thick so didn’t really run. Needed a few acrobat moves to get inside the clam and under the arch areas, but the paint takes about 18 hours to really dry and set so I didn’t have enough space to take my rear clam off and store overnight along with the car itself.
I've used gelcoat on the inside of the roof and the inside of the vertical bulkhead behind the seats of my Dino. I just smoothed it on with the same spreader I used for filler, if you put enough on to just cover the surface it won't sag.
When it got to the stage of still being tacky I covered it with clingfilm to exclude the air and speed up the drying time as gelcoat drying is air inhibited (which is why they put wax in gelcoat to make flowcoat, the wax floats to the surface and forms a barrier to air)
I tried using flowcoat but was not happy with the finish, it has a dull sheen unlike the shine you get with gelcoat. I suppose I could remove the wax with solvent but it seems like unnecessary extra work to me.
When it got to the stage of still being tacky I covered it with clingfilm to exclude the air and speed up the drying time as gelcoat drying is air inhibited (which is why they put wax in gelcoat to make flowcoat, the wax floats to the surface and forms a barrier to air)
That's the seed of doubt that made me use matt black cellulose under the bonnet of my Quantum..... If the wax floats to the surface, will it work if the panel's upside-down? ie will it float 'down' or does it work by being less dense - like oil on water? I'll have to satisfy my curiosity one day.
Cheers for the inputs fellas, certainly looks as if I have some options based on your feedback.
Still interested in flowcoat for a substantial “bond” to the fibreglass and from what you all suggest etc painting in the installed position.
Looks like I will fit it so I can work out harness routing, studs, clips etc as well as heat blanket fixing and then once all that is sorted quickly remove it, prepare and coat the bracket locations and then re-install it and finish on the car.....cheers
I found that the flow coat gave a really nice finish for very little effort. I changed the colour halfway through the build so just gave the flow coat a good clean with acetone to get rid of the wax and recoated in another colour without any problem.
I found that the flow coat gave a really nice finish ...
I was disappointed that the paint shop I chose "did not use flowcoat" but the final effect of the paint over the underneath of the bonnet is acceptable.
