Guest Anonymous Posted July 21, 2000 Share Posted July 21, 2000 I have a fiberglass bumper/airdam that has a couple of cracks on the lower lip. I want to touch it up structurally so when I take the car in to get some paint chips touched up they can paint that spot too. Also, I want to make sure the cracks don't expand over time. What can I use to fill these cracks in? They go all the way through the lip, and aren't just on the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYRON Posted July 21, 2000 Share Posted July 21, 2000 you may want to get some fiberglass mat and resin from your local auto parts store, then lay some on the back side. Make sure the surface is clean and roughed up before you apply the stuff. You may want to do the same on the front with a much finer grade of fiberglass cloth. If your airdam has a thick layer of gelcoat then you want to grind the crack open(make it a little deeper and wider) then use some fiberglass filler to fill it in.... Myron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 22, 2000 Share Posted July 22, 2000 Thanks for the info. Keeping in mind that the crack does not have a gap / both sides of the crack are touching still, is it possible that there is some kind of epoxy I could use to glue the crack shut, then lightly sand off the excess, and then do some touch-up painting? Just trying to avoid steps that actually require skill, of which I have none when it comes to body work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 23, 2000 Share Posted July 23, 2000 Hey Dew The first thing you want to do is drill a small hole at each end of the crack to stop it from running, if you dont it will just keep getting longer. Then before you lay any cloth on it , you must grind a valley in it equal to the thickness of the cloth plus a little extra, then soak a small nice fitting piece of cloth in your resin and apply it to the spot, making sure it is smooth and level or below the surface of the rest of the part, then the final coat should be a good body putty and block sand it in and your all set. If you do these steps it will solve your problem. there may be other ways to fix it , but I KNOW THIS WORKS FIRST HAND!! I restore older vettes and fix a lot of these stress cracks. but dont forget , how ever you fix it, be sure to drill the holes to stop the crack from getting longer. Tony ------------------ 74 260, sbc 350, 700r4, and a few little HP Mods.just gettin started good. www.speedtechcoatings.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 23, 2000 Share Posted July 23, 2000 Cool. That sounds doable. Although I need to check how thick the fiberglass piece is. A couple of questions: Are we talking like a 1/4-1/2" wide strip of cloth to fill this in? Or bigger? What method should I use to grind into the fiberglass? Are we talking a sanding disc or actually (very carefully) using a handheld grinder? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 25, 2000 Share Posted July 25, 2000 well I think I would go about 1" past the crack all the way around. And as far as grinding , I use a small die grinder on the little stuff and a 4"angle grinder on the larger repairs. Try not to grind all the way through. You only need to go slightly deeper than the thickness of the cloth .You can by cloth and resin in small quantities at Pep Boys,, get the fine cloth. Just take your time, and be sure you mix your resin right, and let it dry compleatly, sometimes a few days is better before you start sanding. good luck , you will do fine!! Tony ------------------ 74 260, sbc 350, 700r4, and a few little HP Mods.just gettin started good. www.speedtechcoatings.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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