Gel Coat Question

[crzrlou]

I have a trike body on order and it will be coming with just a gel coat. Can anyone tell me what I need to do to it before I paint and clear coat it??

[TriLs]

PAT!!! You out there???

Where's Pat???

[SVD999]

depending on the qaulity of the piece it can be as little as sanding with anywhere from 220 to 400 gritt and priming. if its wavy or has pinholes or other nasty looking crap it can be corrected with a good poly.

[route66paul]

Many places can put the color right into the gel coats, this is the best way, paint has a hard time sticking as well(or so my indy tells me).

[kustom_flames]

Originally Posted by TriLs

PAT!!! You out there???

Where's Pat???

Ooooops, must have been snoooooozin...

As stated, a good sanding beforehand would probably be sufficient. You could also apply some 'bulldog' which is an adhesion promoter. I use it b4 I lay down primer on ABS parts, but is used to promote adhesion on other surfaces as well. I would use a high build primer on it, shoot 3-4 coats. Then it wouldn't hurt to lay down a guide coat (mist on some black paint) and then when you wetsand you will see if there are any 'low' spots...

[Traakon]

Just be cautious not to sand away the gel coat, it is what keeps the fiberglass stable. If you sand it through completely the fiberglass can "move" and cause the paint/top coat to crack or wrinkle.