hail

First off, I'm NOT a vette owner but having just gone thru a hail storm yesterday in Texas, I wondered if the hail (pea size) would hurt (make pock marks) in the newer corvette bodies if parked in an open area? Are vettes still fiberglass bodies?

Obviously one shouldn't park outside if you know it's going to hail but in Texas, you don't always know.

Reply to
Jerry
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Jerry

I should think that if it was indeed "TEXAS" sized hail, there would be nothing left of the car but a pile of smoldering rubble.

'Vette's are just as susceptible to hail damage as any other car, perhaps even more so. There is no such thing as a "dent" in fiberglass, and yes, new Vettes are still being made of fiberglass.

TomC '90 ZR1

Reply to
Tom Crabtree

My guess is that the Vette wouldn't show the damage immediately like a sheet metal car, which would show dents; rather I might expect the Corvette to develop tiny spiderweb-shaped patterns of cracks in the paint, or perhaps small bubbles, after a few months or years.

Reply to
WayneC

Reply to
rob

Sorry rob, but you need to read up.

"Since its debut in 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette has sported a body made of lightweight panels of fibreglass-reinforced sheet molding compound [SMC].

Today, most of these SMC body panels are made > I use my c5 convert as a daily driver. I've been in several hail storms

Reply to
Bob I

Straight from the dictionary:

fiberglass: n : a covering material made of glass fibers in resins [syn: fibreglass]

TomC '90 ZR1

Reply to
Tom Crabtree

Wasn't the formulation changed in the last decade or two? Seems they changed to a different compound that used initials as the name - like "RPG composite" or somesuch. I seem to recall some bodyshop education efforts about repairing the new material.

Here's waving to ya - \||||

Owen ___

'67BB & '72BB

-- not affiliated with JLA forum in any way -- alt.autos.corvette is original posting -- ___

"To know the world intimately is the beginning of caring." -- Ann Hayman Zwinger

Reply to
Barking Rats

Two things-

As someone else pointed out, that was a light shower. I remember in 95 the Ft. Worth (I worked there then) storm with 6" hail. Pea size, most cars will weather that just fine.

Also, you need to fix the NOT part. Life's too short to NOT have fun.

For my one car that is not in the garage I have a plan for work and a plan for home where I can get it to a place where it will be safe from hail. But you need to have an early warning system (weather alerts) and the ability to cut and run.

When I lived in Colleyville, TX (near Ft. Worth) the place was Baylor Hospital lot

-GeorgeC

92 Red/Red LT-1
Reply to
GeorgeC

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