[FrankenCobra]

Hi Folks,

Bear with me I'm new to the group here and just received my kit last weekend. The body as delivered has chunks of gelcoat missing and and trunk lid was delaminating. FFR is replacing the trunk lid, but says the body stuff is normal. I understand that mold lines are normal, but some of the stuff on this body is a bit ridiculous. Anyone else have this happen? Is this normal? Should I be screaming or sanding til the cows come home?

 

[2FAST4U]

My understanding is, the FFR bodies use a fast curing catalyst. That causes bubbles and voids in the fiberglass.

A huge void popped open when I was grinding one of the seams. Just have to fill it.

Most people are using a flashlight under the body to highlight the voids. When you find one, mark it, and then grind and fill.

Keith

 

[KobraKurt]

Got mine last week (#3758) and no delamination problem. I'm not too happy with the rear section fit where the molds go together (driver's side rear on the top of the car). Seems misaligned to me - but I expect that a body shop can fill it.

 

[Faststang]

IT appears , sadly, that is normal. FFR has promised to get better. Still no luck yet.

 

[DV]

M0000000.............
DV

 

[Richard Oben]

Thats it, take it back, or sell it on E-bay, this is too much for you. Geez, just lighten up. All you have is a parting line, 10 minutes with a good DA and it is gone.

YOU GOT A KIT CAR. Did you expect to do no work at all. I have replied to a lot of body posts recently and all of them are not needed. The bodies are better than ever. DON'T PANIC, it is just a parting line.

Sorry for the rant, I don't mean it personally, I am just getting a little tired of everyone freaking out for almost no reason. The problem is one post and 10,000 people read it. This means 10,000 people get the wrong idea.

The bodies were not really good for a long time. They were not bad either. Now they are much better. I have seen a lot of other manufacturers out there and their raw bodies are not much different. Their delivered bodies are nicer but like I said 10 minutes with a DA and the parting line (not a seam) is gone.

Hope this helps and again this is nothing personal.

Cheers Richard.

 

[KobraKurt]

I agree with Richard - and don't get me wrong. If I can find anything to complain about on my kit it would be. . . . . . it would be. . . . . it would be. . . . .

Quite frankly, I can't think of anything to complain about yet. Like I said earlier, I expect that a body shop will fix the only flaw I've found in the body. If I'd wanted a car that didn't require work I would have bought something that was already built.

 

[grumpy]

FrankenCOBRA,
deleted (not a politically correct statement)
grumpy

[ September 13, 2002, 10:18 AM: Message edited by: grumpy ]

 

[John F]

I have to agree with Richard! It's a KIT. If you don't want or can't do the body work, there are plenty of body shops that will completely do the body up to show quality paint. I have a car with seams and with all the good info here am having no problems getting it ready to paint. Hell, there's 2000 of these cars out there finished. I'm sure they all didn't hand them off to a body man.

 

[cobra9268]

i totally agree with richard and all you guys need to stop bitching about factory five s bodies, just go buy a superformance and know nothing about it..

 

[menace]

[ September 13, 2002, 08:56 PM: Message edited by: menace ]

 

[rlogan]

"Group hug...!"

[ September 13, 2002, 05:27 PM: Message edited by: rlogan ]

 

[DragonSnake]

Geeze guys, lighten up! FrankenCobra is a new member around here. He asked a legitimate question in a nice manner. Just because there have been a lot of posts lately about seams, don't take it out on this guy.

FrankenCobra, if you could post some pictures of your body (ok, your car's body) we could tell you if it is normal or not.

-Joe

 

[Erik W. Treves]

hmm....my body was perfect and painted just the color I wanted

....No actually it really LOOKED like a ton of work. My kit was delivered back in 99. I had some huge misaligned areas in the back corners and some delamination in the doors and the trunk. Mind you up to this point I had never even put an engine in a car or even operated a paint gun. Yes it took me two weeks to teach myself how to do the body work, but I DID IT!! I've seen some of the "new" bodyies on the Mark II and they are TONS better. Just dig in. Take your time on it though because it really finishes off the kit!
take care and good luck

[ September 13, 2002, 01:23 PM: Message edited by: Erik W. Treves ]

 

[DTorresBrothers]

OK I normally don't post on these controversial issues, but I don't think that you should not keep quiet if you get a junky body. I think the issue here is variation from body to body within a short production run. If you get a body with very poor alignment or lots of big voids that means additional work or cost. In my case we had to pay $600 in additional body work to get the car painted because of bad areas that had to be ground out and filled. I'm not talking about the seams these were areas where the body didn't cure properly. These problems were not on other cars that I had see and another that was painted at the same shop. Most of us probably don't do our own body work so this is a real problem with a real costs.

By the way, I holding out on ordering the second kit until the seamless bodies become the standard.

Donny

 

[FrankenCobra]

My issue wasn't with the mold lines or seams. My body has some major voids and areas that flat out have NO gelcoat. There are also edges that are going to have to be cut and have new fiberglass laid because they are curled back with very little fiberglass left in the right place. FFR has agreed to replace my delaminating trunk lid.

I marvel at the audacity of some of you folks to presume my level of competence or the state of my kit body. Some of you are truly omniscient.

For those of you who responded in a reasonable manner, thank you. For the rest....

I will try and post some pics as soon as I figure out how. Oh, btw FFR admitted that the body I was shipped was an "old" mold.

Phil

 

[rlogan]

I apologize, yes, we get defensive sometimes because we hear the same crap over and over and over and over so we get a bit skeptical after a while. Yes FFR screws up, we'llbe the first to admit it, but sometimes it gets blown out of proportion. Yes, be heard, otherwise nothing ever gets fixed...I have no idea what your body is like so I have no business speaking.

[ September 13, 2002, 05:31 PM: Message edited by: rlogan ]

 

[rlogan]

Remember people...."Veggie" is the word of the day! Don't forget it...

Veggie! Veggie! Veggie! I do not know everything...I do not know everything...repeat after me...!

 

[GregR]

Frakencobra,

First of all, welcome to the board. The people here are some of the nicest you'll find on any forum.

I understand what you're saying about the body. On mine the seam between the front fenders was misaligned and also the seams down the sides of both rear fenders. I didn't have any big voids, but several smaller ones. I had never done bodywork before and frankly the task scared me. Due to budget restraints sending it out to have it done was not an option. So I started asking questions, "What do I use" and "How do I do it". Once I found a method that I felt comfortable with I proceded with the work. The only way you can screw up one of these bodies is to use non-compatible matterials. You could break the body in half and fix it. While grinding my first seam I ground a hole in the body, and then fixed it. If you fill something wrong you just grind it out and re-do it. I spent a total of about 100-120 hours doing my bodywork and paint, like I said, I had never done this before. The body looks great and it's the part of the car that makes me feel the best, the rest of the build was a walk in the park.

Step back, take some pictures, and ask questions. Someone here has delt with what you are looking at and they'll tell you how they fixed it. If it truely is messed up they will let you know and they will tell you who to talk to.

Good luck and enjoy your build.

Greg

 

[Faststang]

Come on guys I wish people would quit telling everone that the body work is no big deal. It is a big deal. Good Body guys are artists. There are good body guys and bad body guys. Then there's the rest of us. The guy has a legitimate grip. You start with bad it's that much harder to fix. Post some pictures so we can see how bad it is. It's it's really bad and out of the norm to the guys here , maybe FFR will replace the whole body.

I've seen some of the cars where guys said the body work was no big deal. It showed in the fashion of seam lines, flat spots, misaligned panels, dust in the clear coat and pin holes. At the car show this week there were 5 cobras. 4 showed seams.

Find yourself a good body man and show him what you got. Then ask for a price according to the level of finish you want.