| Author |
Message |
danfromsyr
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2004
Posts: 15141
Location: Syracuse, NY
|
 Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:15 am Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later |
 |
|
great work steaming forward.
there's some vanagon peeps in the Syracuse and Rochester areas.
there will be a VW gathering @ Watkins Glen state park in September.
I'll try to get you the info. even if just to day visit and meet/greet other van owners.
_________________
| Abscate wrote: |
| These are the reasons we have words like “wanker” |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Steve M.
Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2013
Posts: 6814
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fl.
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:15 am Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later and fixing cracked pop to |
|
|
| Miche11e wrote: |
So I know this has morphed more into questions about the crack fix. When sanding in prep for the glass, I understand the front maybe should have a v groove but it might challenging because it looks like someone tried to fix it before with zipper like drilling and filling. Not sure if we should v those too. Also, how far do you drill through to stop the crack? And does the back still need to be sanded down into a groove too, or can it just be roughed up and then fabric or mat added for strength? We won't be able to get a grinder in that inside corner, maybe a Dremel but I don't think that will be visible after the canvas is back on anyways.
My husband did load the top on our truck and take it to a boat repair shop for a quote. They thought it was plastic and wouldn't touch it. |
Sorry for the late reply.
The hole needs to be drilled all the way through the top. This not a big deal as the repair will cover the and seal the hole
If you are thinking if the hole is going to be covered and sealed anyway why does it need to be drilled in the first place? The answer is because you have to stop the crack from getting longer.
If you were to just repair the damaged area the crack is still there and the forces that helped to create the crack are still there to act upon the area.
Though this looks like it may have been caused by impact damage it is a corner and there is a lot of stress in corners so you want to do everything you can to stay ahead of it.
The back side does not need to be "v - grooved" as it is out of site and can be rough compared the the side you want looking good.
Regarding the "v - groove". It something that I personally do just to get fiberglass cloth into the area because the fibers of the cloth give it strength.
Many other people do no do this at all and you do have to sand it all down to get that smooth look that shows it was never repaired. Trouble is that they usually sand off the layer of cloth from the face leaving the backside as the major part of the repairs strength. This
method gets some cloth down below the surface so that when it is sanded smooth it is not sanded away.
Don't mind the heavy handed replies about fixing it. It is a very simple fix and a 12 yr. old can do it with supervision the first time. 
_________________
This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.
There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DuncanS
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 8:57 am Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later |
|
|
Drilling a hole won't do anything by itself unless the hole is pretty good sized. The glass strands are ruptured even beyond the end of the crack and so unless you get into sound material, it will continue beyond a small hole. This is not metal and behaves very differently.
Fiberglass resins break down over time and so 30 year old material is not as strong as when it was new. Since this is a stress point to begin with, the repair must be at least as strong as it was when new and spread the loads out over a large area of the still good, but weakened material.
The crude drawing shows what I mentioned in a previous post. Note both sides have been repaired. Ideally, say in a dinghy bottom which takes stress when landing and people step on the bottom when it's on the ground, I would grind back both sides as much as possible. The joint has to have as much area as is reasonable or the still good material will then crack around the repair. A single side repair won't be as strong as putting cloth on both sides.
Remember when driving at speed this addition is not part of the welded body shell and will try to flap in the hurricane force wind you are subjecting it to. If you are going 70 down a hill with a headwind, the top could "see" a wind of 85 MPH. It will flex and the support areas will need all the strength they can get.
Good luck. Post photos showing what you've accomplished.
Duncan |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Steve M.
Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2013
Posts: 6814
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fl.
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:36 am Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later |
|
|
^^^ Good drawing to explain what needs to be done.
A lot of people just do the one side and a "mild" effort on the other side.
_________________
This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.
There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Miche11e
Samba Member
Joined: June 17, 2021
Posts: 14
Location: Finger Lakes, New York
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 11:36 am Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later |
|
|
| That drawing looks like what we did. The corner is looking great. It did seem fairly simple once we got the right supplies and info. Hopefully this thread can help someone else. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DuncanS
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:02 pm Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later |
|
|
| Happy to hear it all worked out OK. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Steve M.
Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2013
Posts: 6814
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fl.
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:17 pm Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later |
|
|
| Miche11e wrote: |
| That drawing looks like what we did. The corner is looking great. It did seem fairly simple once we got the right supplies and info. Hopefully this thread can help someone else. |
Great!
_________________
This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.
There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Miche11e
Samba Member
Joined: June 17, 2021
Posts: 14
Location: Finger Lakes, New York
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2022 1:53 pm Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later |
|
|
Here's a follow up post to the pop top fix. The corner looks wonderful now. Unfortunately we have been waiting for our cover we ordered last June but it seems to be holding up just fine. Thanks for all the help!
_________________
87 Westy 2wd 4speed |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
VicVan
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2015
Posts: 1837
Location: Vancouver Island, BC
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2022 1:59 pm Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later |
|
|
Updates are the best! Especially when they confirm your technical choices. Thanks and well done!
_________________
'90 Little Blue Truck, 2WD auto, FAS GenV 2.0 NA (AVH) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DuncanS
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2022 2:54 pm Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later |
|
|
Looks great, but what's the story about the corner of the garage or whatever it was?
Duncan |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Love My Westy
Samba Member
Joined: August 08, 2007
Posts: 1837
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2022 6:53 pm Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later |
|
|
Back in the day we did all the repairs on our fiberglass whitewater kayaks just like this. Usually a roll of ducktape would keep us on the water until we found time to repair them. I started each season with a new roll and it would last through the season.
Not sure how one breaks thier poptop.
Your repair looks good |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Love My Westy
Samba Member
Joined: August 08, 2007
Posts: 1837
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2022 7:09 pm Post subject: Re: The painted pop top ...years later |
|
|
Back in the day we did all the repairs on our fiberglass whitewater kayaks just like this. Usually a roll of ducktape would keep us on the water until we found time to repair them. I started each season with a new roll and it would last through the season.
Not sure how one breaks thier poptop.
Your repair looks good |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
