The challenge began when the Corvette, purchased in Arizona, arrived at Huntington Beach Bodyworks, where it was unloaded from the transporter and moved into the shop. At first glance it seemed like we may have lucked out and this wasn’t going to be to hard to pull off. However, we all know that what you see is not always what you get. Upon closer inspection it became apparent that we had some late nights coming up.
    This 'vette has all the many bumps and bruises accumulated over 36 years. Like most Corvettes, the body was made of fiberglass, which is great for low weight and speed, but doesn’t hold up as well to the usual bump and grind that every car endures over its lifetime.
    I began by sanding the entire fiberglass body with 150-grit sandpaper and my Chicago Pneumatic DA sanders. After putting down the sanders, I scoured the car and marked every chip and crack in the fiberglass. I then went into every little chip and crack with some 36-grit sandpaper to give the Duraglass a little bite.
    Rich Tip: When mixing up the Duraglass, be sure to follow the instructions, being careful not to add too much catalyst to the mix. If you are new to the process, this is the first place things can go wrong.
    You might think that adding more catalyst than required helps to apply it faster, harden it quicker and get to the sanding sooner. This is, in fact, a mistaken assumption. By adding too much hardener, the Duraglass will never fully harden, and you’ll be left with a big mess.
    After applying the Duraglass, the next step is to grab a long block, some 36-grit sandpaper and start sanding. After the 36-grit, I used 80-grit, and then moved on to the 150-grit.
    At this point the car is basically ready to be painted, but before that it was necessary to  mask off and paint the under carriage and the engine compartment. Now it is time to roll this baby into the booth.
    After putting the car in the booth, I masked off the body and mixed some PCL Polyprimer. When mixing the primer, always mix 2 parts Primer to 1 part catalyst.
    Rich Tip: You never want to spray the primer too heavy or spray the next coat too early. This will keep the primer from hardening.