Original Fiberglass Panel Bonding Agent

[Graham]

Hi

I was asked by a body/paint friend about Avanti bodies. He has done work on Corvette bodies and explained that in those cars the joints in the fiberglass all tend to show through the finish after a few years. However, he has seen Avantis and has noticed that that is not a problem with them.

He asked me to check into what Studebaker used to bond the fiberglass panels on the Avantis.

I have no idea what was originally used to bond the fiberglass panels together. Does anyone know or can anyone direct me to someone who might just know?

Thanks

[Gunslinger]

Corvette bodies at the time were made by Molded FiberGlass, the same as the Avanti bodies. Chevrolet later had several sources for Corvette bodies but Avanti Motors stayed with MFG. I don't know if Studebaker specified a different bonding agent for Avanti bodies, but I would suspect they left that up to MFG since they allegedly had the expertise in that area. It's quite possible, and maybe even probable, that Chevrolet received the body panels from MFG and assembled the bodies themselves and would have used whatever bonding agent they could buy from any number of suppliers. They probably used the same brand at all times..."Low Bid" brand. I do remember reading that a major reason for early Avanti body fit problems were traced to MFG's not having experience at actually assembling bodies, so that could support the idea of Chevrolet assembling Vette bodies themselves.

There were contemporary accounts in car magazines when the Avanti was new that mentioned a superior body finish to the Avanti compared to Corvettes. Corvettes also used larger and fewer panels than on the Avanti. The Avanti, when assembled, has a one-piece body. The Corvette doesn't depending on which generation you're discussing.

Another potential explanation is all the handwork that went into the Avanti body. It probably has far more man-hours in assembly and finishing than a Vette which by comparison, is a high production volume car. Corvettes (again, depending on generation) also have specific problems that after time and lack of care, makes for body problems that can be mistaken for joint problems.