Thread: glass bodies

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Well.....I'll say this, if I were to build a drag car with a Deuce body what you have would work fine.

As others have said, it's going to take a lot of work to build and install the inner structure and maintain some semblance of proper fit.

Definitely not a project for impatient people, but as with anything it can be built into a quality piece if you're willing to invest the time and money it will take to make it right. Guess I didn't even know there was anyone out there selling bodies without an inner structure installed. My experience with 'glass has been that the body must be secured in a fixture when the inner structure is installed. I would suggest keeping the body bolted to the frame and inside out of the sun and not subject to temperature extremes until the inner structure is installed------unsupported glass moves around a bunch!!!!!

Good Luck----
Like a dog says RUFF

Actually Deuce, I think the one you found on EBay looks better. Certainly not as rough.

ya know not having built a fiberglass car I was wondering are all these glass cars chopper gun like this one appears to be kind of like bayliner boats just wondering ......ted

Originally Posted by ted dehaan

ya know not having built a fiberglass car I was wondering are all these glass cars chopper gun like this one appears to be kind of like bayliner boats just wondering ......ted

Bayliner boats had both matt and cloth added to them, along with material from a chop gun...... BTW, Bayliner closed last month after many years of doing business in a small Minnesota town where it was the largest employer for quite awhile..... As a kid I worked there (briefly) one summer. It was an interesting experience to say the least....

Originally Posted by Henry Rifle

Nice. I like yellow.



How does the outside look? Is the 'glass fairly flat?

I have no clue on the body manufacturer, though.

hey great infro!! the body does,t seem to be to bad on the outside to me(54 year old eyes) i,m sure others would not agree,but i,m not looking for a show car(don,t have the time or the talent) i guess it will be a 20 mile an hour car! i,m going to put wood inside and post my progress with pics if that can help some one in the future. one more question? i,m taking out the hidden hinges(somebody made them,a little rough but spent some time to make them) and putting exposed ones on,can someone measure where the hinges go on there car. that would be a great help!! thanks all!! pete

hi everyone!! i just read my last post and the beginning did not sound right!! great infro was meant for all the responses ,not being a smart as$ to Henry for not knowing what body manufacture it was,sorry if it sounded as if it was directed to you Henry!! thanks again, pete

Most 'glass cars are hand laid. Gibbon was the exception, but they went under. However, the old man made pretty good bodies, even with a chopper gun. When his kid took over, things did not go as well.

Another way that chopper bodies gain some strength is the use of a product called cormat, look at the floor on the one shown here, it's the creme colored stuff laminated to the floor surface. It's basically a tight woven mat that reinforces large "flat" areas, e.g floor, roof, side panels.....

Just A Thought; Any Inner Structure You Add Should Not Be Bonded To Flat Surfaces Where It Will Show With Temperture Changes Or Future Curing (try To Stick To Corners, Door Edges, Firewall, Etc). And I "would" Set It Out Outside On The Hottest Days Or Get It Into An Oven (enamel Shop), On The Frame As True As Possible. You Want It To Move Now Not After Paint.
Check Out A Wescott Catalog, They Show Their Inner Structure, Might Give You Some Ideas. Good Luck.

Originally Posted by ALLEYCUSTOM

Just A Thought; Any Inner Structure You Add Should Not Be Bonded To Flat Surfaces Where It Will Show With Temperture Changes Or Future Curing (try To Stick To Corners, Door Edges, Firewall, Etc). And I "would" Set It Out Outside On The Hottest Days Or Get It Into An Oven (enamel Shop), On The Frame As True As Possible. You Want It To Move Now Not After Paint.
Check Out A Wescott Catalog, They Show Their Inner Structure, Might Give You Some Ideas. Good Luck.

Outside or baking is a good idea, but AFTER the inner structure has been installed.... An unsupported body will really move around without it when subject to heat.....

No offense taken . . . actually, I went back and read it twice, and couldn't figure out why you think I should have.

Be careful how you bond the wood inside the car. Any wood bonded to flat surfaces will show through the body if you're not very careful. Also, use very dry, hard, straight-grained wood like oak or poplar.

I think you can see some wood installed in bodies on the N&N website.

I can also take some photos of the wood in my Gibbon car this weekend if you want.

Back in the 70's I worked with a friend on a project, we started to build fiberglass 32 Ford bodies, and something we did to eliminate any outside distortion on the body when we glassed support inside the body,...

We rolled up little balls of modeling clay to about 3/16" and put them between the inside of the body and the wood before we glassed it in, as the fiberglass drew in as it cured, the little clay balls would flatten out, the heat generated from curing made the clay very soft, and we never did see any "tattle-tale" marks on the outside of the bodies.

And BTW you can do amazing things with glass bodies that seem rough, you spend some time on that body and it will look fine.