First Time working Fiberglass, Need help:

[conoverbandit]

Hey y'all,

I got a air dam on the front of my 87 R-30 dually. It has a few places that's cracked and also one of the front corners is missing a small chunk. I bought a "kit" that has the resin and some kind of cloth? I'm just not sure how it works. Also have 2 cracks in each rear fender I need to fix. They're not bad just like "hairline" cracks. Thanks for the help in advance.


Wayne

 

[ryoken]

grind the cracks to a notch or channel... we prefer channeling... wet the area with activated resin, lay cloth in and saturate. you can also presaturate it before you put it on..

feel free to pm me, i do structural and cosmetic glass work daily..

 

[divorced]

To use fiberglass - mix the resin and catylist (only what you plan to use) and apply to the area needing repair using a disposable paint brush. Cut the cloth to the size you need and put it on the resin right after the resin is applied. Using your paintbrush you will saturate the cloth with resin, and poke (stab) the brush at the cloth/resin to remove the air bubbles and make it conform to the surface below. You can apply another layer of cloth now also, and saturate it as well. Let the resin cure. Now sand down any cloth "hairs" that are sticking out. After it has cured you can apply 1 layer at a time as needed until it is thick enough. Store your painbrush in a can of acetone between applications to prevent the resin from curing in the bristles. Clean any tools or spills with acetone. You don't want any exposed cloth without resin on it because the cloth will "wick" and pull water into it, destroying the fiberglass. You can cut the fiberglass very easily with a utility knife when it is partially cured. This "patch" method works best on the backside of stuff where it can't be seen. Small cracks on exposed fiberglass surfaces can be repaired by grinding a very small v grove in the surface and filling with bondo.

 

[seschev3]

Fiberglass will work, just remeber that it will not flex like the urathane will and will crack again when bent. To properly repair it ,which is more expensive, use 2 part urathane filler. That is what body shops use to repair bumpers. Don't know how important it is to you, but both will work. You may also look into the cost of a new air dam. After parts and time spent repairing, may be cheaper and more worth while to get a new or used one.

 

[conoverbandit]

Thanks for the help,
It was a conversion air dam from factory.I don't know where to find another one. It is made from fiberglass and so is the fenders. Thanks for the help.




Wayne

 

[seschev3]

Figured the parts were urathane. Knowing that they are fiberglass it should be an easy and affordable fix with a patch job.