Quote:
Originally Posted by bigbcraig
I'm actually suprised there aren't more cars that so use GRP for bodywork - for all the reasons you mentioned. If you're intelligent about the exact material you use its cheap and sheet metal is so thin nowadays, it'd probably feel just as stiff as metal. (my 2008 subaru is scary to lean on  )
Not to mention repair would be cheaper - for little stuff, it would just bounce back; for some things, it could be patched, and if there is a lot of damage, you'd just swap out panels (they wouldnt be welded into the unibody)
But, of course, that would require making cars with well-engineered, stiff frames as mounting points for everything, instead of having stressed-everything unibodys... 
I guess that kind of logic is stuck for the 'archaic' (IMHO best modern application of old school engineering - so much of that car makes sense) Corvette |
Problems with plastics, including fiberglass, I think is how much it expands and contracts with temperature. This means they need bigger (bad-fitting looking) panel gaps.
Another problem is manufacturing cost. Fabric (as opposed to poor performing chop-gun like boats) based fiberglass/other composites is the labour-intensive process of manufacturing.
More steel in the FT86, means more weight that can be taken out later, hopefully.