If my memory serves me right, Minotti got their start by building the OUTLAW bodies for them. They wanted to have more control of their quality and profit margins, so they started Minotti. I do know they were on the high end of price, so you may have found a bargain on the body.

Again, I know very little when it comes to fiberglass, but Minotti was top quality. You are fortunate if it is indeed a Minotti body. Their should be minimal amount of prep work necessary before paint.

As for TCI, I never bought one of their frames, but I have fell victim to their chassis components and have replaced them with more "sturdy" competitive products. I would recommend studying the frame very well before final assembly, especially the gussets as previously mentioned. From all I have read, TCI once had a solid product. But due to high production output, they seemed to have lowered the quality rather than holding to their original concepts.

If it makes you feel any better, they have sold lots and lots of chassis. So if it were widespread, they would be out of business by now too.

Just take it slow and inspect heavily and you should be good to go.