Need to let Fiberglass parts Acclimate to climate before install?

[D85James]

I am emabrking on a full fiberglass RSR conversion and have ordered the entire body/pieces in fiberglass. Like hardwood floors, is there a need to open the boxes and let the pieces acclimate to the local weather before installing them?

I guess my question is if I install them immediately upon delivery from Cali, is there a risk they'll shrink or swell after bonding them to the car? Also provide any other helpful tips or advice on what to avoid during the install process.

Thanks in advance Pelicans!

James

[drcoastline]

No there isn't a need to acclimate the parts but they most likely will not fit right out of the box. You are going to need make the parts fit the car.

[porschetub]

Originally Posted by drcoastline

No there isn't a need to acclimate the parts but they most likely will not fit right out of the box. You are going to need make the parts fit the car.

Fiberglass parts will only be a problem if they are released from moulds to early,I have seen "soft" parts taken off a mould that have gone out of shape.
Parts like bonnets,spoilers and the like don't normal have an issue as they are laminated together in sections to make the final part.
You could post-cure the parts in a warm enviroment if you aren;t sure ,that will bring any small impefections to the surface also.
Besides the poor fit of parts there is the issue of how they are made and the materials used,I won't go in to that because there are so many wrong ways to do it,good luck.

[TRE Cup]

Install them as soon as you receive them, but do not complete the finishing process. Better if your can roll the car out in the sun and let it bake for a few days. Almost all molders ship their parts "fresh" from the molds, so there is still curing going on.
Wanna experience the vapors? leave the parts in your closed up garage for a few days !

Almost all 13-15" RSR body work takes a lot to fit correctly. the molds have moved around over the years, and even back in the day; it was get it on and get it done. There is a race to run

[962porsche]

there is never a need to let the composite parts sit before you do the install on a car .
for the most part there are 3 types of resins used for composite meterials they are polyester , vinylester and epoxy resins .
they all are at full cure with in 48 hours after they were in there liquid state .
so it's a real good bet by the time is boxed and shipped to you it's well cured .
because the expansion and contraction rates are not the same between composite and steel parts it never matters if you bake them in the sun or keep them cool . as long as the two different materials are at the same temp when you install them you will be just fine .
why you see cracks starting on the panels were people have installed composite parts on a steel body panel is just from bad install work .
it could be from to many reasons to list so i will not list all the reasons why they will start to crack and delam off steel .
but you want to always use a good quality bonding adhasive that is made for bonding composite to steel .

[porschetub]

Originally Posted by 962porsche

there is never a need to let the composite parts sit before you do the install on a car .
for the most part there are 3 types of resins used for composite meterials they are polyester , vinylester and epoxy resins .
they all are at full cure with in 48 hours after they were in there liquid state .
so it's a real good bet by the time is boxed and shipped to you it's well cured .
because the expansion and contraction rates are not the same between composite and steel parts it never matters if you bake them in the sun or keep them cool . as long as the two different materials are at the same temp when you install them you will be just fine .
why you see cracks starting on the panels were people have installed composite parts on a steel body panel is just from bad install work .
it could be from to many reasons to list so i will not list all the reasons why they will start to crack and delam off steel .
but you want to always use a good quality bonding adhasive that is made for bonding composite to steel .

Not sure about the 48hr cure? worked in polyester for years won't send out a product that green,some of the 911 panels I have seen on this forum make me cry/laugh the way they are made.
The clever guys keep them in the moulds for longer and release them after a full cure.
My comments were made @ the panels and not the final attachment to the car thats just another can of worms as you mentioned

[962porsche]

in the race shop we work on composite panels every day . in the body shop it's pretty much the same we get cars in all the time with composite panels on them .
i would say less than 10% of them will just go right on a car with out any extra work needed to get them, to fit .
what most people fail to realize is composite parts are molded just as a starting point all it does is save you the time of molding them your self .
the molds i have for the 962 to build the nose , doors and clam shell no two will come out of the mold the same way . you would think they would but they don't . you can let a part sit for 24 , 48 or a full week it just makes no differents at all .
the same can be said for even the little parts we have molds for .