Fiberglassing HElp

[Studt's 73]

Alright, I'm restoring a rusted 73 Bay and need some advice with fiberglassing and paint the camper top. My wife is done teaching for the summer and isn't allowed to use power-tools anymore after a recent Bus restoration accident, but that's for another time. She is starting with the front section of the camper top;

We're wanting to close the hole in the center so we can put a solar panel there. If anyone has some advice on how to close the opening, what materials to use, and how to paint it, that would be great.

[towd]

the last thing you want to do is close it up ,,>> IF <<< a solar panel is going there, of course unless you plan on buying a under water solar panel..

[towd]

some real tips on F/G.. The resien, it has a shelf life of 6 mons, after that it take a very long time to set... like weeks compared to hrs. Buying for a store as wal mart so on. You have no idea how old that can might be...

cal around to small local F/G places, the ones that maybe do camper shells, small boat places what ever talk to them, you may find a place that will shoot it.

I have a guy near me, I take a buggy body do all the prep work, fill the really big holes, fad up any form I need, ect,, take the body in they shoot the glass.. They charge by the onuce used, By doing this my time is cut way down , alot less mess at home... sometime I will lay mat over there chopper gun..

something like you want,, I would sand the hell out of the area over the hole, rough it up that gel coat.. use 1/8 plywood/paneling to close up the hole. lay plastic over the wood, then tape that to the rack from the bottom.. They may put release over that,,

from there they can tell you how they would want to do it.. I would want to shoot a layer of glass, lay matt, roll the matt in then one more shot of glass. roll that.. done deal.

I'm sure you won't even want to get into replacing gel coat,, just paint it heavy, and she has that roof top tub.

[Studt's 73]

[busdaddy]

Google repairing a hole in a fiberglass boat, same process.
There's a painting the pop top thread here somewhere as well but the end concensus is boat paint, Google that too.
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[Studt's 73]

Thanks Busdaddy, I think I might have come across that thread late last night. I remember reading about one person using a thinned white bedliner to coat it, and another using this;
http://www.1shop2.com/ace_paint/Valspar-Marine-Topside-Polyurethane-Enamel--3214-QT----4-Pack.html

Let me know what you think.

[babysnakes]

Gel coat is the best choice. If the cracks are very small the gel coat will fill them. If they rather large, there is a powder you mix with the resin to fill the gaps. To adhere the new fiberglass to the old, Give it a quick wipe with acetone,not too much though. Find a local boat supply house.Most have all you will need. I've done a few canoe repairs,small boat transom rebuilds. It's quite easy. Buy a box of latex gloves.

[78Kombi]

[Studt's 73]

You said it yourself, it took you 15 hours because you didn't know what you were doing. I build cedar strip canoes and kayaks and have to do something called "glassing." Glassing is using a sheet of fiberglass material to seal the entire surface at one time, and is pretty easy to learn. A project like this should only take about 2-3 hours, not including the painting. I already have all the materials for it, just not the paint. I was also wondering about using a fiberglass resin to fill the opening once I have a sub-surface to fill on or if I should apply a few sheets of fiberglass to build it up. Usually when people buy a bus that needs to be restored they are fully aware that there will be time and money involved. Plus, why would you want to buy a new one? It's not going to be original, and everyone knows that most of the mass produced parts are not even close to the original quality that came on the buses.

[78Kombi]

[raygreenwood]

Its also worthwhile to buy some proffesional release film with or without the single layer fiberglass matting on it. In this way you can flatten the work by hand with the release fuilm between your hand and glove. Just leave the release film on until it dries them peel it off. You get a much more compact and uniform surface. Ray

[werksberg]

[babysnakes]

[Studt's 73]

[babysnakes]

Thanks for n the link, I'll look it up tonight.I have the material (or most anyway) And the tools to make the strips. I worked in a cabinet shop for a while so I kinda know the ropes. Now to the bus. Don't use marine grade plywood as what it is treated with is not fiberglass friendly. You can use regular ply but sanding ply works best. You have storage space in that area. How about crafting a hinged lid that is flush with the top that the panel rests in. You could store smaller items that don't mind the water. And fiberglass on the bus is no different than fiberglass on a boat. It's just matching the color if that is important to you.

[aliennetwork]

That luggage rack looks way skinny. is that from a westy or something else?
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M-Plate

[werksberg]

[busdaddy]

[aliennetwork]

No, I've been eyeballing your work. Nice, but too pricey for me now.

I was talking about the very first picture. My luggage rack is square, that is a rectangle. Looks way thinner in the opening, mine looks longer.
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M-Plate

[aliennetwork]

thanks, BD.
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M-Plate