Technical Alert

To:       FFR customers between April 24 and July 22, 2004

From:   Dave Smith @ Factory Five Racing, Inc.

Date:    July 22, 2004

Subj:    Composite body molding issue

We are writing this letter to inform you that we have found incidents of composite bodies that are not molded according to our current molding procedures.  Please read this letter carefully to make sure that if this affects you, the appropriate action can be taken.

Background:

Two years ago we upgraded our composite molding process.  Prior to this, bodies were laminated with a seam in the first layer of the fiberglass directly below the parting lines left from the molds in the gel-coat.  With these bodies customers were instructed to remove material at the parting lines down until the seam is no longer visible, and then fill the area back in with fiberglass filler.  If this procedure was not followed, there was a chance that the seams could (over time) be seen thru the paint. 

With the advent of the Mark II version kits we changed our molding process to eliminate the seams in the first layer of the fiberglass.  The outward appearance of the new bodies, and the old bodies are identical, but the new bodies are easier to prepare for paint.

Description of Variance:

As a result of a recently received customer report (that an FFR composite body contained “seams”) we conducted a review of our molded parts on our shop floor as well as some at our supplier.  We found that some of our recently made stock bodies (both Mark II and Mark III) were made the old way.

Results of Investigation:

After careful investigation we have concluded that some of the bodies produced between the April 24 and July 21, 2004 may have been manufactured using the old process.  We are sending this letter to customers that received kits within this time period. 

Corrective Action:

While the additional time to correctly prepare these bodies for paint compared to the newer bodies is relatively minor, the consequences of failing to correctly prepare the bodies can result in an imperfect paint job. 

All of the bodies are indeed good and usable product.  Thousands of FFR kits have been built using both the older and newer style laminates.  Although most experienced body shops will already know how to finish either body, bringing this to their attention will ensure a correctly finished body.  This information is mostly a concern to customers painting the body themselves who do not have much body work experience, or are having the paint done by someone else that also may not have the experience to determine upon inspection the proper body work required.  We had changed the process in which we manufactured the bodies specifically to make it easier for the do it yourself customers.   Below is a link to a procedure to follow for correct body preparation.  As long as the body is prepared correctly there is no reason to be concerned. 

Click here for Body Prep/Painting Procedure