Should I be worried?

Black Mamba · #1 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 10:45 AM

This is a recent acquisition so who ever says "whatever you do don't buy it" is already too late.

The kit is a Contemporary Motors built in '95. I'm just going through it and trying to figure what I can resolve and what needs to be done by a shop and one thing that has me remotely concerned is this bit of waver in the paint / glass just below the doors on both sides. On the drivers side it looks much more pronounced then it really is due to reflection. My guess it's from the heat coming off the pipes from this car being tracked on hot days but if any of you have insight or have seen this before please chime in. I'm really not sure if I should be worried and still undecided if I'm gonna do a repaint. If I don't paint then chances are I'll enjoy driving the car more and not worry about every little rock chip, new scratch, or door ding due to living in the land of the inconsiderate butt head, Los Angeles.

Anybody got any ideas?

Ron61 · #2 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 10:54 AM

The first picture looks really bad but that is most likely the camera angle. Is the blue paint actually running like it seems or was that a part of the flash?
I never had any problem with my side pipes causing any paint or body change and they were stainless and got plenty hot. The waver could have been there before because of it not being prepped well. But if you think your side pipes are doing it, to have it painted again would be a waste of time because they will just do it again. Can you move them out and inch or so, or try putting a heat shield around them to see if that helps?

Ron

mr bruce · #3 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 10:56 AM

"he who seeks perfection will never find it". Paint is a consumable part of the car , drive the crap out of it. Why save it for the next guy. If you don't want road rash on your car, give the money to your wife to buy furniture instead.

Black Mamba · #4 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron61

The first picture looks really bad but that is most likely the camera angle. Is the blue paint actually running like it seems or was that a part of the flash?
I never had any problem with my side pipes causing any paint or body change and they were stainless and got plenty hot. The waver could have been there before because of it not being prepped well. But if you think your side pipes are doing it, to have it painted again would be a waste of time because they will just do it again. Can you move them out and inch or so, or try putting a heat shield around them to see if that helps?

Ron

The blue is a reflection of my recycling bin. Both side are pretty much like the shot of the passenger side so not as severe as it looks. As far as IF it was done by the pipes is what I'd like to know. I doubt it was body flex but again, I'm looking to see if anyone here has encountered this before.

tcrist · #5 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 11:27 AM

Looks like it might be delamination in the fiberglass. I do not know about the Contemporary cars but on a Cr that is not a structural area.

If it was raced a lot those side pipe temps could get fairly high. That could be the cause.

You could move the side pipes away from the body a bit and repaint. Should be fine for normal driving.

Black Mamba · #6 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 11:40 AM

So if it is a de-lamination problem should I be worried of continued deterioration or should I run it to a shop and let them do whatever is necessary to stabilize the glass?

Oh, the pipes are Jet Hot coated so they're supposed to run cooler.

mdross1 · #7 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr bruce

"he who seeks perfection will never find it". Paint is a consumable part of the car , drive the crap out of it. Why save it for the next guy. If you don't want road rash on your car, give the money to your wife to buy furniture instead.

Exactly what I would do as well.If in the end this the car you want to keep then dig into it.

Ron61 · #8 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdross1

Exactly what I would do as well.If in the end this the car you want to keep then dig into it.

I agree with them about driving it and seeing how you like it. If it is delamination, that can be fixed but you will need to be sure of the cause. I think I would make a mark or have some way to know just where it is now and then drive it and watch for any farther deterioration. As I said above, I had stainless steel pipes on mine and I raced it and they got hotter than all get out but never showed a place on the cut outs of down the side for the 10 years that I owned it.

Ron

Tom Cimino · #9 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 11:59 AM

It could be that the release agent used in the mold when the body was laid up was not properly cleaned from the body surface before painting. The paint would feel "loose" if that's the case. Purely cosmetic, but will need to be stripped and repainted to be repaired correctly. I would bet there are other areas on the body but don't show, due to the fact that they are not exposed to the sidepipe heat.

Black Mamba · #10 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 12:27 PM

Thanks. Seems like the consensus is drive it, enjoy it, and keep an eye on these areas for further deterioration and if it continues then deal with it.

MaSnaka · #11 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 01:34 PM

I have the ceramic coating on my side pipes too. They get plenty hot. I can't imagine what the temps would be without it. I have not seen any deterioration in the glass caused by them though. I would think the stainless steel like Ron mentioned would be even hotter. I doubt your problem is heat related unless it was a one time incident where your pipes got red hot which seems unlikely.

John

Paul F · #12 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 03:48 PM

The pattern looks more like body flex. It doesn't look like it is distorted along the full length of the pipe, but only at the curve of the door.

Drive it and forget it. You can muck with it later if you figure out what it is and it still bugs you.

Double Venom · #13 (**permalink**) 01-24-2010, 05:36 PM

FROM one so called expert-Body flex is out of the question. If there was that much body flex it would simply crack-period. If it was "heat" it would have blisters and the paint would be discolored at least. It would also fall off or a finger nail would/could pull it of easily.

Release agent: The paint would have numerous "fisheye's" in the rippled area and would have peeled years ago.

Last "Double Venom" - (V-10) Sidepipes ran "Normally" at 1125, Auto Crossing or Drag racing at 1200 degrees. Most Cobras, even BB's will run less than 1,000 degrees. Never had heat damage. Pipes were less than an inch from the body.

My guess, assuming it has been that way for some period of time is body flaw, or improperly prepared for paint.

DV's 2-cents worth.

boxhead · #14 (**permalink**) 01-25-2010, 06:00 AM

My guess is it was there before painting, drive it, enjoy it and watch if it gets worse.

Bryan Wilson · #15 (**permalink**) 01-25-2010, 08:50 AM

I have ripples behin the side pipes (not as bad as yours) that were caused by the pipes getting to hot. I use to see the pipes glowing red at night. I cured the excessivly hot pipes by running more advance in the timing. With the advance to far retarded there is unburnt fuel getting into the pipes and burning in the pipes.I also found that having the explosion hapening inside the engine instead of in the pipes makes the pipes quieter and cooler and also a noticable increase in horsepower.
Cheers,
Bryan

carmine · #16 (**permalink**) 01-25-2010, 09:22 AM

My rule of thumb or should i say finger for distance between pipe and body.
You should be able get at least two fingers width or about 1 1/4 inch anywear between the body and the closest part of the pipes.

Black Mamba · #17 (**permalink**) 01-25-2010, 09:50 AM

Well, lot's of good answers and I'm hoping it's the least advancing of the bunch, improper paint prep.

For now I'll keep and eye on it and just enjoy the car as is and maybe further down the line have it all taken down and re-shot.

Clois Harlan · #18 (**permalink**) 01-25-2010, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Cimino

It could be that the release agent used in the mold when the body was laid up was not properly cleaned from the body surface before painting. The paint would feel "loose" if that's the case. Purely cosmetic, but will need to be stripped and repainted to be repaired correctly. I would bet there are other areas on the body but don't show, due to the fact that they are not exposed to the sidepipe heat.

Just a guess here but if the primer coat was not a urethane based catalyzed primer that could be the cause of the problem. I would enjoy the car for the summer and maybe look at repainting it next winter.

Clois