fiberglass bodies ??!!??

I have come across a couple hotrods with fiberglass bodies....they seem to be less money.... are they frowned upon, what are the draw backs of a fiberglass body other than an inability to put louvers in the bodypanels........NO RUST REPAIR i think would be a plussssss

 

They make a lot of different fiberglass bodies and with that a large range of quality also. Some people, myself included, also hate working with fiberglass.

 

A shit storm cometh this way

 

Not the real thing, and in lots of cases you'll end up with the same amount of money and time invested as the real thing by the time the car is done. The kicker, when it's done it's worth less, because it's not the real thing.

Don't like em.

 

Like it or not..If there wern't any fiberglass cars,this hobby would be much much smaller..why does everyone form opinions ..I may not like your wife,but I don't spout off about it.TO EACH HIS OWN..

 

Step lightly young BEE-rad, for you may look at the yellow jackets but don't touch !

This seems to be a VERY SENSITIVE ISSUE on this site for unknown (to me) reasons.

I personally feel, drive what you want and enjoy the hobby before you can't due to the numerous reasons that afflict us all. We can't all afford to drive $40K plus auto's, but we do all seem to drink soda.

Drive what you want and can afford, the hell with what other people think !

 

I have a real steel '29 CCPU and a fiberglass Zipper Lakester. New project is a fiberglass '31 Deluxe Sedan Delivery powered by a 1.8 SOHC Ford engine. Fiberglass bodies of various types have been available for more than 50 years......considerably longer than the self proclaimed "traditional" experts on this board have been on this planet.

 

Hey BEE-rad, cool truck in your avatar....

 

'glass bodies are traditional.

 

Very well stated!!!!!!!!

 

I have had both, I could care less if its steel or glas as long as I am having fun. New glass body for a 32 3 w $7k, rusted 32 3w body which needs every panel replaced 15k

Enjoy the hobby. They did not make vettes out of glass because it was an inferior product...........

 

get it and have fun and fuck the folks who dont like it, simple

 

Ditto + fiberglass cost less & easier for me to work with.

 

When I started in the hobby, there was no glass, we were in small numbers, along came glass, the hobby grew, soon there was a saying, Glass has class, but Steel is real, I too fell to the allure of glass, FENDERS, they broke just like steel ones, its how you want to do it, I never had a glass body, being from the old school, I went back to steel, (I' also an old body man) now we have the choice ofGlass or repop Steel, non of its is original, but who gives a shit, I have seen this hobby that I hold so dear to my heart grow and ain't that what it is all about!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

OOOOHHHH my! Honestly.....i am impressed with the passion! the common theme i see here is build what u want and can afford, sift through the BS opinions to find an honest well thought out response that will help u with your project and ....be respectful!...thanks

 

thanks man...headed to texas this weekend to pick-up a 312 for it ..its a WIP....but in the mean time i have been looking for a 20's 30's old school hotrod/roadster....maybe..."fiberglass"

 

i own a glass 41 willys. i havent worked on it in awhile but i will get to it. anyway i like glass. no rust issues. i like very fast cars. glass is also very lite.at least lighter than steel.and its also alot cheaper. i looked at steel 41s. damn,i would have had to sell my house to but a rusty peice of shit.momma aint gonna let that happen lol. a steel 41 rysted out quarters and rear fenders rusted top and firewall. there was not a straight non-rusted peice of steel left on that car. nowhere! 25,000.because its the real deal.not in my thinking.so i bought a body the guy didnt want to use after all and i gave 2000.00.its not the best made but i can work with it and make it right.ive heard if it aint steel it aint real 1000 times on here and elsewhere. bullshit. ive also had a couple old timers tell me that if they had glass bodies back in their day thats what they would have used. lighter, no rust and cheaper.i agree.

 

I don't have a problem with fiberglass cars, I just like steel better. There is a big difference between a fiber glass car and a well built fiberglass car. Some of the molds and construction of the bodies are less than great. I've see a couple that it took more work to get the doors to fit, body lines to match and trunk lids to close that it would have to save and find a steel body.

 

wasn't it plowboy who said "I'd rather bleed than itch"?

would the atomic punk been any easier if it were fiberglass?

 

I think Glass cars are OK, =I own one= for a future project myself and would not blink at building it in a "traditional" looking style...
I feel like they are as traditional as anything else discussed on this board- as they have been around for many years.since at least the early '50s...
If skateboards-surf boards and bicycles can be talked about why not cars made of fiberglass?

 

Glass cars illicit a lot of the same arguments four door cars do, they're cool, fuck the haters, drive what you want, etc etc etc.

To me it seems the guys making the arguments are trying to convince themselves one's just as good as the other.

I have a friend with a nice 'glass '32 coupe. He gets MAD every time anyone asks if it's a 'kit car' and even has a sign denouncing the fact. BUT a kit car is EXACTLY what it is. Why get worked up over it?

Like the Isley Brothers said; "It's your thing, do what you wanna do."

I personally have nothing against glass cars (or four doors) but I have no desire to own either.

 

I built a outlaw brand 34 ford 3 window, all glass.
They always smell like fiberglass, even after 6 years.
I had the tail lights filled in because I changed them and I had a 3rd brake light that was filled in and a flip up gas cap etc that was fixed by professionals. When out in the sun you could see the areas that were repaired. Fiberglass does funny things when out in the hot sun.
The fenders were cracking and seemed to chip eaisly. I had the same amount of money into the car when I was done as if I would have built a real one. FACT!
When I sold it a few months back I lost 1/3 of my investment.
I believe real ford cars will not loose money over time. Fiberglass cars will because they are every where and you can order a new one at any time.

I do believe that you should do what you want steel or glass. At least enjoy the hobby!

For me,,,no more glass cars. Real ford steel only.
My wife thinks im a follower,,that's why I went for a real ford. Oh well.

 

There is just an insatiable allure to a genuine 1932 Ford body, no matter how rough it is, how many panels it needs. We are nearly upon 2012- in 20 short years, the original dueces will be a hundred years old. Stop & think about that- who among us wouldn't dearly love to have an actual Ford body built eight decades ago?

But therein lies the problem- just how may gennies are out there? 80 years is a long time for a human, much less a machine. World War II scrap drives alone purged a massive amount of real steel. Finding an original today is the proverbial "needle in the haystack". They are quite simply the most sought after project there is in hot rodding- & those that have them for sale know this, & the '32 is priced accordingly.

So what is one to do? I always see people saying "they're still out there", & they are. But few & far between is an understatement. And a large pocket book is mandatory. So if someone really wants a '32 Ford, you can go repop or wait for a gennie. Myself, I don't really care for the '32s for a personal project- I prefer the Model A's looks by a longshot. But I think anyone who bashes the repop bodies in steel or 'glass just doesn't get what the hobby is all about- having FUN. I imagine anyone with a repop is having just as much fun driving down the road as the lucky few who have the genuine article.

 

Fiberglass kicks ass who who could feel comfortable
driving a $75000 steel duece to The hardware store..I think in the real world glass car are drivers and the owners of the steel cars are the keepers of our heritage... I have had a lot of glass 32 Fords and have driven the wheels off of them
without any remorse...Some of the people that complain about them or say they are not real cars do not understand the financial differences between the two.. I put my kids through college built my buisness and still have some very nice cars...Sorta like having your cake and eating it to!!

 

This one went over pretty well on here
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=464776

 

well gator your right about the 4 drs. i dont want one either.lol but im not trying to convince myself that one is as good as the other. hell yeah id love to own a steel willys but i cannot justify the price difference. when i can get a good body needing very little work compared to a steel body that is almost gonna be all patch panels welded together.besides i just dont have it.but with glass ive got a rust free, really lite body.but it aint no kit car!!! i sometimes wish it were.that way i wouldnt have the headache of trying to fiqure what the hell i need and can use to make this thing go down the road,hell it all be there in a box lol. but your right brother,,its my thang and im gonna do what i want to do,but i do like it when i build a car and people like it. i like the pat on the back sometimes.

 

Get one of each, CASE CLOSED !!

 

I have no problem with glass cars......
They are no different than newer engines in old cars, or re-pop metal parts produced and available now...even complete bodies for many older cars...
Nothing will ever replace totally original, but as mentioned previously, you would need to keep one under glass all the time, and never drive it.
As for quality of the glass bodies....hey, there are a lot of steel cars that look awesome, and when inspecting them closely don't fit right either...
If it is safe, looks like YOU want it to, and moves...it is cool.
Cheers.......

 

It seems that the biggest and most vocal haters of glass bodied cars are always the guys with a roached out car in their avatar.

I spent several hours at the 1998 Pleasanton Goodguys seriously checking out the chopped glass 32 coupe bodies that were offered by the vendors. There were some damned nice ones and there were some suspect ones. I didn't buy one and probably never will but for a lot of us if we want certain body styles and don't have massive amounts of cash stashed away or a car or two to sell to finance buying an original steel body or car glass is the closest to affordable we can do or settle for a steel body that we don't really want or like but build it because it is real steel just to keep the others around us happy.
I've got a friend here in town who has an early Wescot 34 phaeton that he built in the 70's and still brings out on occasion. Although it bears it's 70's build quite loudly it doesn't have the appearance of being a "glass car" when you see it. It just looks like a damned nice 70s rod that never got updated or changed in any way since the day it was built.

 

so i really like louvers....does a steel louvered deck lid or hood stand out like a "soar thumb" on a "glass" car...what if i through "Lake syle" headers on the motor, will the exhaust raise hell on the glass and finish...i will be going for the old school hot road look.......