Fixing fibreglass – any pros on here?

[richp]

I purchased fibreglass bonnet for my pug, I took the risk of it being couriered and it unsurprisingly it arrived slightly damaged.

One of the top corners (nearest the windscreen) has cracked, on close inspection it looks like it has been bent back.

It has not completely broken but you can wiggle it slightly and there is a visible crack on the side and the upper part of the bonnet (only about 2” long) and underneath you can see where the fibres have parted.

I wondered if there is anyone local to me (Essex) that can fix this sort of damage before I attempt it and make things worse!

[adamb]

Look up a company called Autoflock, Raj is a bit of a master with fibreglass/carbon

[richp]

Thanks but they are a bit far for me. I'm in Essex and they are in Wales.

[turbom]

Any restoration places in your area that does kit cars or reliant places??
Or ask a local bodyshop..

[Bozwell]

fibreglass is very easy to work with. give it a go yourself.

Halfords (and other places do kits) that has the resin, hardener and matting as a kit. mix up some resin and using a small brush dab it into the crackd area. it should bleed into the cracks and will hold it together no problem. you will need to make sure that the area is aligned before it sets. practice on some matting before you try the bonnet to get a feel on how the 'glassing works.

it is messy stuff and the brushes are useless once used. i got loads of cheap disposable brushes from America that worked out a lot cheaper than buying just a few small brushes from this country. you will also need disposable gloves.

with fibreglass you can always add layers so don't be too worried about getting it done in one hit. also it is easty to rub down flat so don't be too woried about it being a mess to start with.

this was the first thing i ever fibrglassed



after a quick lesson on the English Wheel i knocked this up






iv'e done loads more since then , it's just so easy to work with. main thing is plenty of rubbing down and don't be afraid to rub down too much as more can be added.

[richp]

Thanks for the advice.

It seems such a shame to have to work on it and rub it down as the bonnet is new and freshly painted!

I'm assuming I can't attack it from the underside only?

[RetroWarwicK]

how about putting up some pics so we can see what the damage is like? otherwise we are all just guessing

[richp]

Fair point! I'll get some when I'm next with the bonnet!

[richp]

Finally got round to taking some pictures..

[Darkspeed]

Get on youtube, plenty of tutorials and will soon let you know if you fancy giving it a go yourself.

[RetroWarwicK]

you'll need to use a bit of scrap metal and a couple of self tappers to hold the broken piece back into the correct position (like a splint).



degrease the rear and roughen the surface with sand paper to key it. then you'll need to get a fibreglass repair kit from halfrauds and lay up a couple of layers of mat on the back over the affected area. once that has cured, you can open up the crack on the top side and filler it. then its just regular prep before paint.

[useless inc]

You could definitely put matting on the back to strengthen it. As said above halfords do a kit that's got the mat, hardener, brushes etc and it's quite easy to use.
I made JDM arches for my old SD1 by chopping up some existing fibre glass ones and re-shaping them using that kit.

The problem you have is the crack, which'll spread. You really need to drill a hole in the end of the crack to stop it spreading but it's not going to do much for your paint work.

[DWDarkWheels]

Well, I'm not a pro.

As RetroWarwick says about shoring it up from the back. When it comes to repairing the front, I'd take out any stress-cracks from the gel-coat - it looks like it has a bit of a spider's web spreading out from the damage. Those will make themselves evident later after you've repaired and painted the thing. The panel doesn't look very thick, but if you can get a layer of matt to repair the topside without it sitting proud, that'll strengthen it nicely. Otherwise you can get a very thin 'tissue' from pro GRP outlets.
Filler as normal for cosmetics.

[richp]

Thanks chaps.

I think I will attempt to add some matting to the back as suggested.

I think I will be able to cover the outer paint damage with touch up paint.

It won't be 100% but good enough for the time being. The paint on the rest of the car is pretty shocking anyway!