[75Malibu]

Just purchased a fiberglass cowl hood from a reputable company. Opened it up on delivery and it looked awesome. I let it sit on the driveway in the sun, in the box to cure like the company said to. When I looked at it tonight it had 4 places about 1/4 in round where the fiberglass popped up. Underneath the hood where the pops occurred are clear looking spots. I did not have time to contact the company yet. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

[powerrodsmike]

When you say the "fiberglass popped up". Is it like a bump protruding out from the finished surface? When I refer to "finished surface" I mean the top side or exterior.

There is usually a gel coat finish on the top side. Is there a bubble in the gelcoat?
The clear looking spot is most likely an air bubble trapped in the laminate next to the gelcoat. The heat from the sun expanded the air and the gelcoat bubbled up. If this is the case, you need to grind out the bubble from the top and repair it with filler.
Find and repair all of these that you can, because they will come back later if you don't. Let it heat up in the sun and poke at anything that looks like a little bump. bust out the membrane, "V" it out a little, and fill it. Sand it flush and that's it.

Then prime it with a suitable filling primer to seal it. You can also use a catalyzed spot putty such as evercoat 400. Then prep, prime and paint with the rest of your part.

Hope this helps.
mikey

[75Malibu]

Yes it is popped up on the top side or finished surface. It does look like some kind of air pocket. It seems alittle crazy to buy a $400 hood and then you have to do body work on it to paint it. I will call the company on Monday and find out what they have to say. I will keep you posted.

[5dogsisenuff]

welcome to the wonderful world of fiberglass, i never had that happen, but when I bought my glass hood, it was so wavy it made me wanna go swimming

[powerrodsmike]

Originally Posted by 75Malibu

Yes it is popped up on the top side or finished surface. It does look like some kind of air pocket. It seems alittle crazy to buy a $400 hood and then you have to do body work on it to paint it. I will call the company on Monday and find out what they have to say. I will keep you posted.

Be glad it isn't a showcars unlimited hood.

Here is a scary story. clickhere
mikey

[75Malibu]

This hood is not a showcars unlimited. And this hood really looked good before it started poping. Straight as an arrow. Luckily this company is well known for there fiberglass products. I dont want to mention the name until I have talked to them. That would not be fair for the company involved. We will see how they will handle this and I will pass it on to you guys.

[302 Z28]

Who is the well known fiberglass company? I would be really suprised if it is a Harwood hood. If it were mine I would send it back.

Vince

[75Malibu]

Ok I have contacted the company on Monday morning. They were very nice on the phone. They wanted me to send them detailed pictures of the problem spots and I did. I called them on Tuesday to find out if they got my pictures and they said they did, but would get a hold of me when they make a decision. Lets take bets! Will they get a hold of me or will I have to call them back? And sorry I cant name the company yet because so far they have handled this well so far. My only benefit is that I am not in a real hurry because I am still body working and will have to put the drivetrain together before I will fit the hood, so I have some time on my hands to wait.

[75Malibu]

A good ending! VFN Fiberglass took care of my problems. I will be able to take my hood to a body shop for them to fix the problems and VFN is crediting me back for the amount of the quote to fix.

[302 Z28]

Great, just make sure the place you take it to knows fiberglass.

Vince