[alittle1]

Does anyone have a line on non-shrinking body putty that would be suitable for filling 1/4 inch rivet depressions on the fiberglass body panel of a '68 Corvette header panel?

The large headed rivets that the factory puts on to fasten the fiberglass body panel down to the steel rad support cradle has been playing havoc with the paint surface of my 'Vette. The temperature under the hood and from the sun will swell the rivets and bubble up the paint surface in the summer and then will dimple the surface in the winter by contracting. There is a definite fight going on between the steel, the fiberglass, and the aluminum rivets and the paint surface, although somewhat pliable, has started to crack and lift. Someone suggested a non-shrinking body putty, but didn't have a name. This is the original paint and body filler over the rivets and I want to make this repair as small as possible as there are 20 rivet heads, 10 in each panel just in front of the hood opening and behind the headlight covers, so appearance is critical.

Thanks for the help.

[Pony]

I have a 1974 Corvette Stingray that i'm glassing a 74 fiberglass nose and an 80 glass tail section to look like the earlier one piece Vette bodies. The fiberglass shop that I'm getting my supplies from gave me a 2.5 lb. can of "Duraglas" fiberglass filled filler for small holes, cracks and things like that. I had heard of this product on a Corvette repair site also. So far I like it but it hasn't been road tested yet.
Cost $12.50

[alittle1]

Thanks for the comeback Pony. I was able to do a search on the Duraglas and may be worth a try on a sample piece before I do the car. I'm still looking but thanks for the effort. Good luck with the '74 'Vette, sounds like a good project.

I enclosed a picture of the area in question to give you an idea of what I am talking about. Photo DSC1379 shows the "pucker" of the filler showing in the center of the picture and just to the left you can see the next rivet with a crack in the paint surface starting to raise up. My first inclination was to take a sanding board and knock the pucker off, and fog in the paint and rub it out. But then what do you when it sinks below the surface? These rivets are tight to the fiberglass and the steel rad cradle below as far as I can see and feel. Photo DSC1384 shows the overall area, when the car is put together, the hood surround is layed down first and then the front nose panel with the headlight surrounds is laid over, there is a depression in both panels where a large head rivet is inserted and drawn down to the steel rad and headlight cradles located underneath. As I said in my prior post, there are two rows across the front as can be seen in the pictures. Thanks for letting me bend your ear.

Please go to the "Gallery" for the photos that I indicated above to view. Hoping this works out!!

[troy-curt]

Duraglas is a good product. I've used a lot of it, never any problems. But I haven't tested it in those extreme temperatures.

Good Luck
Troy
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