I'm glad to see that common sense is winning in the poll. Plastic is hands down superior to steel for a daily driver. Where is the only dent on my Firebird? Rear quarter panel of course. Just looking at half the fourth gens you see in parking lots around town, you'll find that the rear quarter panels have at least some dings in them from all the inconsiderate folk that don't care if they mess up your car.

Other than the dent in the steel, the plastic on my car is nto wavy in the least, I don't know what you people are complaining about. Some of the fitment issues shoudl be resolved, but there is no reason to go back to a full steel body.

BTW saying that plastic is heavier than steel because the 3rd gen was lighter than the 4th gen means that you are not using your brain. Older cars may be similar in weight to modern cars, but that has little to do with their construction and more to do with the fact that their options and standard equipment lists are antiquated by todays standards.

 

Less than six months after purchasing my brand new Z-28 with plastic panels, I was parking on the top floor of a parking garage. I purposely parked it away from everyone else to avoid the typical nitwit who cares less and causes parking lot damage. It was an abnormally windy fall morning and as I opened my drivers door to exit the vehicle a gust of wind literally ripped the door from my hand and slammed it into the adjacent masorny block wall. It left minor cracking and a scrape on the edge of the door near the handle.

After a trip to my Chevy dealer's bodyshop to get an estimate, I was informed that because it was a plastic panel, it couldn't be repaired and the entire door would need to be replaced to the tune of ~$1,000.

AND THAT IS WHY I DON'T LIKE PLASTIC PANELS.

 

Some people may be more picky than others.

While you're using your brain......how many pounds, exactly, did those plastic panels save...if anything?

The fact is, no one here has any idea how much...if any...or if they added weight.

 

One thing no one has mentioned is that steel body panels are usually something like 20G, which would probably be only about 0.04 inches thick. How thick are the 4th gen's plastic panels? I'd wager they are quite a bit thicker (maybe even an eighth of an inch?). Because of this, I'm betting they'd be pretty close in weight. Now if they were the same thickness then the steel should be considerably heavier.

 

I can lift my 3rd gen Camaros hood by myself, the 1982-1984 (may
be 1983 I cant remember) Z28's came with fiberglass hoods. I found one in the auto wrecker when I resotred the car, it's actually alot lighter than the steel hood, the hood shocks shoot that thing up really quick.

 

I have never picked up a third gen fender and a 4th gen fender while their next to each other ( never a 4th gen period ) . But I can say that a front fender from a 3rd gen is a flyweight ....its surprisingly really light . From my expirience in the plastics industry ( its my profession ) , a composite front fender absolutely may weigh more than steel or the same as . While yes there are plently of resins that are very lightweight , there are also resins that can be pretty damn heavy . I'm not familiar with the sheet molded compound ( SMA ) used for most of the 4th gen panels so I cant comment directly on it as compared to steel . Just wanted to put the word out that plastic does not always = lighter .

For the guy who commented on the SS/WS6 fiberglass hoods compared to the steel ones ...well , the fiberglass OEM GM hoods are pretty heavy . I switched from a stock steel to a OEM WS6 hood and it really didnt feel lighter than the steel hood at all . I even used the same hood shocks from the steel hood and its not harder to close one bit .

 

...which is probably why most 'plastic' cars have been based on some kind of space frame wherein the sheetmetal is not used to add structural ridgidity - Corvette, Fiero, most saturns, exotics, etc...

I would guess that the parts requiring a lot of sub structure could be a lot lighter in plastic - hoods, decklids, doors for example - but that parts with little required sub structure - front fenders, rear quarters, roof panels for example - would not save much over steel. A thin piece of sheet steel is pretty light weight. I will say this though: My mustang has a composite hood and decklid and they are heavy as hell.

I don't care what they make it out of, as long as it's LIGHT WEIGHT.

 

eleventy billion pounds.

Yes that is the point. It does not logically follow that because the 3rd gen or a 71 Cuda is lighter than a 4th gen that steel panels are lighter than plastic panels.

 

The point is...that it does not logically follow the opposite either.

 

I cracked my fender in half (and it broke off a short time later) running over freeway debris at night. Cost to replace (part alone) was about $500.

Plastic fenders & doors can't be repaired. Crack it or scratch it, and it's done. You can use filler, but soon as the part flexes, you're right back with a trashed surface.

These parts also aren't cheap.

Plastic also DOES NOT save weight. The car structure and components (99% of the car's weight) is still going to be steel. Best case scenario, plastic skins might save 5-10 pounds. Steel skins are very thin high strength steel today. As someone already stated, steel 3rd gen fenders are light. My Camaro fender felt about as light as my 85 Mustang's (also needed replacement).

Corvette's plastic skins are for cost purposes. It's easier & cheaper to produce plastic skins (cheaper machinery and material... a large stamping machine vs. a resin mold). That's why GM chose plastic for the 4th gen Camaro: easier & cheaper to do redesigns (the actual reason).

If you intend to play demolition derby with your car or have a compultion to park near shopping cart returns, then you probally want plastic. If you want light weight, and live in a state where everyone is forced to have insurence, then it doesn't matter which. If you want to be able to actually repair these things instead of having to replace them when they crack, or expect to see these cars in top condition in 30 years, you may want to consider steel.

 

You really should take a look at these articles:
www.plastics-car.com/applications/exterior.html
"plastic parts weigh 50% less than steel"

http://www.ai-online.com/issues/arti...ail.asp?id=116
article about xlr states that composite body is hundreds of pounds lighter than steel or alum.

The tooling costs for plastic panels are a fraction of the cost versus dies used for steel. Helps the Corvette to be a real cash cow for GM.

Here is a good question-Anyone know whether or not any of the zeta cars will/could be built with plastic panels?

 

I doubt it would be made to take plastic panels.

 

I think the chances of cracking a plastic panel are extremely lower then denting a steel one... Just my opinion.

 

Just pop it out with a suction cup.

Best car care invention ever.

 

Ya, I got one of those "Dent King" things for Chrsitmas... haven't had anything to try it on yet, though! (Which is a good thing, I suppose!!)