Fiberglass Body Panels

[Steven Hood]

I know this was brought up in the old forum, but let's get a thread going here.

What do you guys think of fiberglass body panels? With the problems that develop with splitting on rear fender tops, and the rust-through that develops at the fender brace on front fenders, wouldn't it make some sense to go with fiberglass? I personally like the idea of all steel on my truck, but finding the parts, and with the costs going up, I don't know. Fiberglass starts looking pretty good.

What companies do a good job in making parts? I see Bruce Horkey (http://www.horkeyswoodandparts.com/IntroPage.htm), and Be-Bops (http://www.bebops-glassworks.com/) have the parts, buy has anybody seen them close up? Any thoughts?

Steve

[Dale Uhrich]

I purchased fiberglass rear fenders from bebops. They look great and fit very well. I did notice that if you look closely you can see where to drill mounting holes in them. Also they were a little longer in the back than my old steel ones , which I think looks better

[Reg Evans]

There is a similar thread on the other forum regarding what paint to use on fiberglass fenders. Can the same paint be used on the fenders as on the other steel body parts?

[Steven Hood]

I believe you can, but I am by no means an authority. All my experience with painting parts is on fiberglass. My folks had Corvettes when I was growing up, and I worked in a friends fiberglass shop when I was 15. I've never painted a steel body part in my life, just fiberglass. And then it was always set up for me. I can paint, I just don't know how to set up.

[Ken_Hart]

Yes, same paint can be used on fiberglass as metal, thou there is some prep that may different (talk with manufacture of the paint to get their recommendations) to get proper adhesion. you may want to add some flex agent to it depending on how much it moves around in the wind.

[Bob_Koch]

Dale, glad you shared about the fiberglass fenders. didn't know whether to recommend them or not. Now, I know - "and knowing is half the battle."

[hotsy1968]

has anyone purchased the front fenders for the pilothouse trucks ,iam interested in buying a set but would like input on how they look and fit before i purchase also say a place called pros pick was selling some too,not sure if they manufacture thier or from another supplier,any input would be appreciated...thanks

[jamesadams]

I put a pair of bebops (ordered them from LMC,they were shipped from bebops)

on my 64 c10 almost 12 years ago. They fit fairly well,required some finishing,more than i thought they should.They have held up well and i am pleased with them. We painted them with the same paint as the metal,cannot remember about primer.

[48Dodger]

Its generally excepted that fiberglass is the lesser of ABS, Urethane, and Duraflex body parts. Fiberglass always needs a little work and shaping to fit. Duraflex is competeing with fiberglass and Urethane as a hybrid...best of both worlds kinda thing. I had the worst time with Durflex which seemed to be more fiberglass than anything else. It was full of filling defects, spider lines, and warping.

As far as the rear fenders go, I can see where fiberglass could help in the weight dept. Steel fenders definately pull and strecth the bed sides.

Flex additives "help" in any stituation where a body panel...well..flexes. The effectiveness of flex additives is always debated and you'll find alot of labels say its intent is for flexable panels that are painted off of the vehicle and help against cracking when installed.

My prep for fiberglass is the same as for steel. Plastic is more involved.

48D