How do you repair this fiberglass

[0BudgetProductions]

A question for all the fiberglass fraternity....


How do you repair this kind of damage to fiberglass?

[Dale M.]

Sand/grind it down to fresh material, lay a layer (or 2) of resin/glass as filler and sand it out.... What ever you do you need to expose fresh base materiel for repair to stick....

As for hole, feather edge out hole, use masking tape to create platform to hold new materials and lay on a patch of resin/mat till you have create a new build of material equal to or thicker than surrounding material and grind/sand smooth....

Its not a hard repair, just messy to do...

Dale
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"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ...

[0BudgetProductions]

Any particular brands that you can recommend for the filler??

[Dale M.]

[0BudgetProductions]

Dale...that hole is filled...but now I'm wondering how to tackle the "pitting" thats in the body next to it. What would you do?

[Dale M.]

[vwracerdave]

Just to help, The Samba has a dedicated forum "Body/Paint" You need to spend some time reading and learning about basic body work.
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[monomanx]

Ultimately it depends on what you want to do with the car and how much work you are willing to do.

For pits, I would actually recommend Slick Sand or other Polyester primer. To prep, I would sand it down with 150-220, VACUUM it off...do not blow it off as most compressors will blow oil or condensed water (or both) if there is no drier or water trap. At that point, spray the polyester primer and start sanding.

For more damage, (broken glass, spider web cracks etc), you need to grind and get down to good glass as Brian mentioned.

[0BudgetProductions]

Thanks Monomax...

the old chestnut of "grind it down and fiberglass it" only goes so far with me... Cos That's what I've been doing. The "Pitting" is in areas (edges etc) that would require a lot of "sculpting" and quite honestly I am looking for alternative solutions.

I posted another photo of "chunks" of fiberglass that have fallen off the edge of a headlight well...and have left holes that would require a lot of sanding and fiberglassing....all of which I can do...but that would require alot of sculpting of the edges...and that I would need more advise on!

[joescoolcustoms]

[monomanx]

SInce you have started two threads for this, my response was aimed at the pitted/UV riddled body post.

You COULD get away with slick sanding these areas although it will take a few coats.
Regarding the big cracks and chunked out areas, those must be repaired with glass and resin. You cannot primer out huge voids and damage like that.

in viewing the image again of the pits, I actually change my position and would recommend using a mixture of resin and cabosil or microballoons mixed into a paste. YOu can then scree that miture onto the pitted areas with a squeegee. The challenge will be as you scree that in place, the little pits will trap air in them and as you scree the resin/filler mix over the holes, the stuff will kind of pop back out. To avoid this, I take raw resin, and lightly brush/stipple the resin it over the area being repaired. I then take the resin/cabosil mix and scree it on.
Once this is dry, you wll need to sand it.

This is of course my opinion and what I have done. you will likely get as many opinions as there are viewers of this post.

Best of luck.

[joescoolcustoms]

[0BudgetProductions]

Thanks Monomax....thats the kind of info that I was looking...priceless! I will try it...Cheers!

[Dale M.]

Many years ago professional fiberglass man told me about "fumed silica" as a "filler"........ And wouldn't you know I promptly forget what it was.... Been about 8 years and this thread finally kicked brain in gear and now I have the words (product) again...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumed_silica

Also I believe Cabosil is a "brand name" not a product...

Dale
_________________
“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.

"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ...

[monomanx]

Dale,
you are correct...Cabosil is a brand name. I have used other materials as well (Urefil and micro balloons).

One thing to keep in mind..as you mix the fumed silica/cabosil/urefil/micro balloons... really any of the ultra fine powdered filler materials, it wbecomes airborne quickly and is not so nice to your health. Mix slowly and evenly to keep dust down.

[joescoolcustoms]

One of my former customers is a explosive manufacture and they used the micro balloons by the cubic yard, and box trailer full at a time. (a micro balloon is just that, a tiny glass air bubble and when mixed in with a explosive, gives oxygen in the initial reaction helping it happen quicker).

I went to see them about recycling all the used cardboard Gaylord Boxes that formerly contained the micro balloons, (one cubic yard thick cardboard box). We were standing about halfway inside a box trailer full of these empty Gaylord boxes talking and another salesman that was with me dropped one of the folded up boxes. When it slapped the floor, all the spilled micro balloons went airborn all around us.

I ended up in the Hospital for a week with a severe respiratory infection.

The fumed silica works great for what we use it for. But, like Chris states, it can cause physical harm. So, use the same personal protection when mixing the material as when you would be grinding and sanding the fiberglass and filler(s).
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Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[Dale M.]

[monomanx]

One more suggestion re making a putty type material out of the materials and resin...

Mix the resin and coice of filler material in an airtight or sealable container. Let it sit at least overnight once mixed.

You can then pour out or scoop out the amount you will use and mix your hardener in.

This way you can be prepared ahead of time and not be caught with not enough material.