would you believe -  a chunk of my paint just popped out behind the drivers door. I took it to a body shop and they said who ever painted it used bondo to repair a crack and surrounding area.  They said the C4 body is not really a fiberglass but a type of plastic and that a special repair material is needed.  There are also bubbles on the rear 1/4 panel and around a headlight door so he's  pretty convincing.   Also - it's done up in a white pearl that he says is almost impossible to match.   Another shop told me they wouldn't do a repair - that it should be stripped and totally redone - ouch!  huge money.   If anyone can give me some info or even what a reasonable cost should be it would be greatly appreciated.    

just had mine repaired/repainted. the only part that was stripped was the hood and front bumper as the donor car sat around for a number of years. maybe you can work a deal with the body shop where you can do the stripping of the paint and all the moldings, lights, etc. don't know what kind of plastic they are saying it is as the cracks that were in my hood looked like fiberglass to me.

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the dynamic duo

c3vr life member #97

I about croaked when I scratched my clam shell right in front of trhe passengers door. I can tell you that that part is darn sure fiberglass... No doubt about it. Fixed and repainted without any trouble. I'd check with a body shop that specializes in Vettes.

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Allan Brenneis Nashville Tn. 1990 Polo Green Coupe Saddle Interior Chrome ZR-1 Rims https://www.c4vetteregistry.com/member_uploads/14501_14600/14572/image2014329104347r.jpg

Thanks - I'll do some more checking and see who'd be best - there is a chevy dealer in town so they might be able to advise me.  I'm sure I could remove a lot of the parts if that keeps the price down.  Any idea what a reasonable price for a paint job should be?  Any idea what would make that piece pop out and the bubbling?   Sad part is - I was able to pick up a super nice '86  - so I was going to sell the pearl vette - now I've got to spend some to make it nice again ( I might have to keep it) - wifes not happy - go figure!!   Thanks again - Cheers!

as norm abrahms (my hero) would say...it's all in the preparation. i would say that it was not  prepped right to start with. as far as paint bubbling, it could be the same reason or it was put in an oven to speed the cure. my 75 has a spot on the engine hood that is bubbled and paint popping. was told it was because one of those quick paint jobs and the place that does them uses an oven. it dries the paint too quick not letting it bond the right way to the fiberglass. 

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the dynamic duo

c3vr life member #97

I worked in my dad's body shop for many years when I was a young man. I had the pleasure of being part of a restoration team and we did some very cool collectors cars, Mercedes Gull Wing, 39 Zypher, 61 Jag, a model T, to name a few. I also got to work on a few late 60's and early 70's Vettes. In my experience, bondo can be used (but not my choice) very sparingly as a thin layer and as Eddie (aka Dave) said, the prep has to be right too. The area needs to be ground with a very low grit and all the previous paint and primer must be removed. Also, If there was any kind of hole or serious crack on your car that was filled with bondo, it would never hold up. The body is all fiberglass except for the front and rear bumpers which are a flexible impact rubber, and the gas cover is steel. As for applying the paint, oven baking can and should work well, but is dependant on one major factor... humidity. If there was anything except low humidity before, during or after applying the paint, the baking process will backfire and result in bubbling. This holds true for the primer as well. Bare fiberglass is more porous than steel and is more suspectable to capturing moisture, which can cause bubbling. I could go on forever but as mentioned in an earlier post, find a shop that has experience and a solid reputation. Don't hesiate to ask for references and do your own checking. Correcting someone elses prior work increases the importance of using a knowledgable shop. Hope it goes well for you, Dave

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I just realized my prior post didn't say anything about your biggest question.... cost.

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I took my 1985 to a collision center in Louisville and they told me there would no problem to repair. I was

called 2 weeks later was told it was done. It was not done right so I left car another 2 weeks and was called again.

It was still not done right. I was told they did not they could not do the work And they broke other parts on my

car.  You should always make sure the body people can do the work. I found later they have a F rating for their

work. I will now be taking them to court.