Fiberglass better than Poly?!! I think not!

[enjoirsx]

I have had some problems with fiberglass, so this thread is just to let everyone who is deciding between polyurethane and fiberglass hear an argument in polyurethane's favor or at least learn something about fiberglass to use themselves...

I really have had a hell of a time prepping fiberglass... for my RSX I have done an INGS full body kit, a C-West front end, and Henshin X-1 fenders... I spent 10-15 hours or more per panel prepping and spraying on primer only to still be very disapponted with the turn-out and overall performance of fiberglass... I came across countless issues on the fiberglass parts I got from all of the different companies... from large cracks, bubbles, and fitment issues, to pin holes that absolutely wouldn't fill, even with the thickest primer...

I would, however, say that prepping doesn't have to be as hard as I made it... if you want to do it RIGHT then it will take at least 5-10 hours, per panel, grinding out bubbles and fixing existing cracks that could possibly get worse... but you could just primer over the panel and then paint... in which case there will probably be some raised areas where you can see bubbles in the fiberglass underneath and these areas could be issues down the road...

When working with fiberglass it is all about how well you want it to come out... if you don't have the means to do the work yourself, body work is pretty expensive and it might be smarter to just have them paint it without grinding out bubbles... I have seen jobs like this turn out well and look OK, but it could cause problems in the future and who knows how bubbly the fiberglass is underneath the poly coating that the company has put over it...

I would say: just look over the fiberglass panels before starting anything on them... if they look like they are quality parts and have minimal issues (cracks/bubbles) then it might be safe to just do a quick job on them which would certainly save money or time if you are doing the work yourself.

The other option is polyurethane... Polyurethane is lighter, more durable, pliable like OEM, more cooperative with flex agents, and just an overall better fit. There is little to no prep time involved with polyurethane and a brand new poly panel should require very little or even no body work whatsoever... it should be as easy as clean - primer - paint

[ewoodrsx1]

no offense buddy but i have never heard anyone say fiberglass is better than polyurethane.

[enjoirsx]

Maybe so, but I heard it at the last RSX meet I was at... and I havn't seen a post on this in a while... so let this one be for those who don't know

[ewoodrsx1]

ok.

[Razathorn]

In the paint shop world, you treat fiberglass as raw metal. You seal it with some epoxy sealer. Then you sand it to remove the orange peel, then use a spray surfacer (high build primer), wet sand that level and clean, then seal /sand again. It is now prepped for color and clear.

I've never done fiberglass pieces, but I've done plenty of steel, and that process makes for a orange peel free black mirror without polishing (just from clear application) when I did my NBP test panels.

Wayne

[Lightning]

enjoirsx, you get what you pay for... If you go with a cheap fiberglass kit, your most likely going to get pin holes, scratches and bubbles. I have bought 2 different INGS replica kits. The first time i was looking i wanted the cheapest, my thinking was they could always sand it/fill it and slap some paint on. The guy that does my body work took one look at it and said he wasn't comfortable to even work on it. I just droped the car off today with the Initial-D kit(2nd kit bought), he was very impressed with the quality of the kit, as well as myself. Paying the extra $$$ was well worth it. 1 tiny scratch, no pin holes, no bubbles, came with its own grill, gel coated, no cracks, just great quality! So you just really have to know what your getting yourself into with fiberglass. I haven't seen anyone have the same problem as you. But in my experiance its all about the quality of the kit from the manufacture when it comes to fiberglass.

[enjoirsx]

Originally Posted by Razathorn

In the paint shop world, you treat fiberglass as raw metal. You seal it with some epoxy sealer. Then you sand it to remove the orange peel, then use a spray surfacer (high build primer), wet sand that level and clean, then seal /sand again. It is now prepped for color and clear.

I've never done fiberglass pieces, but I've done plenty of steel, and that process makes for a orange peel free black mirror without polishing (just from clear application) when I did my NBP test panels.

Wayne

Good method if the panels are high enough quality...

Some of the aftermarket pieces that pass through the periphery of CRSX come with cracks and bubbles that need more attention though...

[enjoirsx]

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[enjoirsx]

Originally Posted by Lightning

enjoirsx, you get what you pay for... If you go with a cheap fiberglass kit, your most likely going to get pin holes, scratches and bubbles. I have...

You can't always tell what you are getting into with fiberglass... the INGS kit was very inexpensive but the Henshin fenders I bought were $225.00 before shipping and the company boasted:

- OEM Fitment
- Hand-Laid Fiberglass
- White Gel-Coat

These pieces still had issues... not as bad as the INGS kit, but they were by no means perfect...

With fiberglass you just never know what you're going to get... the above post was just meant for those who don't know... and to show the opinion that polyurethane is a safer bet

[Razathorn]

Originally Posted by enjoirsx

Good method if the panels are high enough quality...

Some of the aftermarket pieces that pass through the periphery of CRSX come with cracks and bubbles that need more attention though...

That's why you prep with a surfacer and a water hose

Obviously you sand out surface stuff before the first primer/sealer, but once you have that all done, and you go back with the surfacer, you should be leveling anything to near perfection. If that isn't the case, I think the part should be sent back, or if you want to salvage it, you can try some glazing putty/sand/seal operation.

I never put color down until I can run water over the part and see no inperfections since the water will flow just like the very thin paint and clear coats will and it shows you where you need more attention.

On a side note -- fiberglass is so cheap -- if I got a kit, it would be fiberglass. It's lighter than plastic, it preps like metal, and it's generally on the parts you're going to tear up the most -- so I'm not for spending money for something I'm going to tear up and need to replace before the actual substrait needs attention.

I think that you will find more cheap fiberglass parts of low quality than their plastic counterparts however. There seems to be a vast market of crap fiberglass.

Wayne

[enjoirsx]

Originally Posted by Razathorn

That's why you prep with a surfacer and a water hose

Obviously you sand out...

On a side note -- fiberglass is so cheap -- if I got a kit, it would be fiberglass. It's lighter than plastic, it preps like metal, and it's generally on the parts you're going to tear up the most -- so I'm not for spending money for something I'm going to tear up and need to replace before the actual substrait needs attention.

I think that you will find more cheap fiberglass parts of low quality than their plastic counterparts however. There seems to be a vast market of crap fiberglass.

Wayne

I agree

Fiberglass is readily available and most RSX kits don't even come in poly... but you really don't know what you're going to get...

I would feel more comforatable with plastic in the areas that are more prone to damage as it tolerates more abuse and resists cracking better than fiberglass... but I definitely see not wanting to spend the extra money on a plastic piece if it is just going to get torn up...

From what I've experienced though, fiberglass is heavier than plastic... I still have my INGS replica rear and I also have an OEM rear so I can weigh them both and post the results...

[Razathorn]

Originally Posted by enjoirsx

From what I've experienced though, fiberglass is heavier than plastic... I still have my INGS replica rear and I also have an OEM rear so I can weigh them both and post the results...

I think it really depends on the part, and what plastic. There are multiple types of plastic out there that kits come in. The oem bumper is just amazingly heavy when I was reparing mine. I'm not really sure what plastic it's made from.