[WLDHRSE]

I don't get it. Maybe it's cuz I haven't seen one of these cars in person, I thought the body was one peice. Where are the seams everybody is complaining about? Also, if the body is not one peice and has seams, wouldn't you be left with separated pieces if you ground out the seams? I can't wait till I get mine next month, but I have no idea what to expect at this point.

Cliff

 

[chmasy]

The body Is a one peice. the seams come form the molds. the molds are multi peices, The molds have to be a multi peice in order to get the body out, the seams come from where the mold peices meet.

 

[Misu]

Cliff:

Do a search on 'seams' and there are quite a number of replies to the 'new seamless' vs. 'body with seams'.

Quote from Richard

 

[Misu]

Too quick on the 'enter' key' on my previuos reply.

the quote was from Richard to Capt Al who just received his FFR # 3772:

You do not have seams. That body is awesome. All you have is a parting line. The panel alignment look great. Seams in the old bodies were much worse, you should feel lucky. Cheers Richard.

alc

 

[Richard Oben]

The body is one peice. What you will find is a parting line where the mold was taken apart. In the old days the molds were laid up in peices and then "wet trimmed" and laid then laid up to make the final one peice. This led to the SEAMS that everyone talks about. What is was is line in the body where the gelcoat went down into the actual body and then printed back through the paint as the body cured if not prepped right. Hope this helps. Cheers Richard.

 

[Aaron Silidker]

Richard I was told that if the body was molded one piece, the resin gets soooo hot from curing that it would warp alot when it was fully cured. Whats the scoop? Also, arouns what ffr # did they go to one piece bodies?

 

[WLDHRSE]

So are all the new bodies seamless? Will I have to do more than just block sand the whole body when I get it?

Thanks,
Cliff

 

[grumpy]

WLDHRSE,
deleted (not a politically correct statement)
grumpy

[ September 13, 2002, 10:21 AM: Message edited by: grumpy ]

 

[Misu]

The 'body seams' continue to be such a controversial topic with all current, past and and future FFR builders, I am surprised that Factory Five has not addressed this issue.

alc

 

[Richard Oben]

MISU, Read my post they have addressed it. The new body does not have a seam and the new molds do have pins. All that is there is a parting line. Knock the line down make sure the panels are as smooth as you want, prime and paint. The new bodies are great. The old ones were not bad just not as good as the new ones. Cheers Richard.

 

[FrankenCobra]

Well I just received my kit body last weekend, and they have NOT solved the problem. I have monster mold lines and chunks of gelcoat missing. My trunk lid was also delaminating. They are replacing the trunk lid, but they say the rough shape of the body is normal. It seems that their $1000 off celebration was nothing more than a tool by which to dump all of their old process bodies on unsuspecting new customers, customers who were expecting bodies from their "new" mold process.

 

[Richard Oben]

YOU GOT THE NEW PROCESS BODY. 10 minutes with a DA and you can start the final prep. If you are so pissed take it back for a refund. Cheers Richard.

 

[vince ffr3209]

i got my kit back in december 01, not gotten to the body prep yet, get north cobras video, ive watched it 3 times and richard makes the body work look extremely simple. so if you have the newer version body it should be alot easier. im the kind of guy , that if i can see it done i can understand it alot better. sometimes when i read these posts and read alot of comments, i expect the worst, some people do things easy while others have nothing but problems. so anyway how difficult can it be? vince

 

[Misu]

--------------------------------------------------
Quote:
i got my kit back in december 01, not gotten to the body prep yet, get north cobras video, ive watched it 3 times and richard makes the body work look extremely simple. so if you have the newer version body it should be alot easier. im the kind of guy , that if i can see it done i can understand it alot better. Vince
--------------------------------------------------
Richard:
Are copies of this video available and what is the cost? Thanks.

alc

 

[Richard Oben]

If you have the newer body the video is not needed. We have stopped producing them as the work is now: remove flash, smooth area with good compatible puddy, sand and paint. I am not a painter, we have it done by a shop locally. They have stated the new body was about 20 hours less. Hope this helps. Cheers Richard.

 

[Roger]

I agree with Richard that the body video is outdated because of new materials and better layups. We sold lots of them and donated all the $$$ to Team Jenny Smith.

My next video project will be made this coming winter while sailing through the Caribbean Islands on my vintage '66 Cal 40 fiberglass racer/cruiser

Roger

 

[MrURL]

Richard,

You, and other posts and FAQ's on body prep mention "DA" - what is this? Sorry to sound like a newbie, but thats what I am.

Peter

 

[mn12]

DA=dual action sander. It's kind of like an orbital with an extra pivot point

 

[FrankenCobra]

I did NOT get a new Mark II body even though I was led to believe that I would. I gave the mold number to FFR and they confirmed that it was an old body. One of the reasons I waited to order the kit was to make sure I got a Mark II with a new process body. I specifically requested it and did not get one anyway. So Richard, it is not just going to be some time with a DA, it is going to be grinding out major voids, cutting out curled fiberglass and laying new fiberglass. And filling areas that have no gelcoat whatsoever on them. Not to mention the delaminating trunk lid where the fiberglass was bowed back and separated from the metal stiffener. I am well aware that sanding and filling are required, I expected that. I am experienced with fiberglass products, and frankly what I see in this body may be normal by your standards, but is definitely sub-par in the boat/plane industry.

Assumptions are a dangerous thing.

 

[Roger]

Yea Richard,

It might take 20 minutes to grind those seams and probe the possible voids. I prefer a makita to a DA. The first fill of those voids may take another 15 minutes.

FrankinCobra,

This 'moron on seams thing' takes more time than doing the work. I have seen some deck lids where the resin did not stick well to the aluminum. Scratch the aluminum, apply some resin and clamp it for an hour or so. The seams are equally easy to do, especially if you are experienced with fiberglass products.

Roger