Fibreglass Help/Advice.

[OzzyElsie]

While I'm waiting for a few things to happen and for parts to arrive, I'm doing little things prep'ing the Rickman, and fibreglass repair and resto is one of them.

Most parts are pretty much all there and straight but have stress fractures in them. Some obviously go right through, others (like the above) are in the gel coat. With this type I was thinking I would dremel a vee along the fault and fill it with arledite and sand. The others that are cracked through I will do the same but patch with glass mat at the back.

Anyone with experience. advice or comment?

All will be spray painted red on completion.

[JonW]

Im not sure what sand add to the mix of your araldite for this repair, but when ive done similar i just used some GRP resin in the V and it worked. The downside is that its a stress fracture and will probably come back with enthusiastic use. Maybe see what the similar resto people use, corvette guys perhaps?

[jools]

Get THIN cyano from local model shop, and 'wick' it into the cracks first. Then groove just a little along the cracks with dremel, then reinforce/repair with resin and cloth, use a mix of resin and microballoons or better, flocking, to make a filler for the grooves underneath the reinforcing cloth. (Araldite would add only minimal strength, forget it). Couple of light layers of cloth on outside, and more (maybe thicker) on the underside. I would use EPOXY resin not polyester, polyester is much less sticky, and more brittle. Thoroughly rough up areas before glassing.

[hybrid]

Not sure I would use sand. Any epoxy should be fine.
How would you sand the sand smooth?

[jools]

Bluudyell, who mentioned "sand"? what's that all about?
Are we talking sanding the fibreglass or what?

[jools]

Orright, just to clarify... That moulding is pretty crap. It looks like a cheapo polyester moulding, with a thickish polyester gelcoat (that's the red colour). Gelcoats like this add weight, but add no strength. They crack up. Polyester is okay for swimming pools and kayaks... it's cheap! But its, weak, brittle. The cracking on that moulding are pretty typical of cheap 'n nasty low-tech glassing. Yes, it WILL crack up. But if it was moulded using epoxy resin with thinner epoxy gelcoat it would be a diff matter altogether.

[hybrid]

I read this completely wrong "and fill it with arledite and sand"

[JonW]

Oh, sanding it... thats not how I read it either!

I know its a glue, but I wouldnt try to araldite GRP, its like the guys who GRP repair plastic panels etc. I would always try to repair something with what it was made from if i can.

[ged]

Hahaha. Sand in the araldite. That's how I read it too.

Jools has made some good points there Ozzy, (that's exactly how I repaired my TZ tank recently - recovering both inside and outside) but, I wouldn't be keen on trying to sand all those external contours on that thing back to life. Every ridge and transition would be a major PITA. I would be more inclined to try and re laminate the rear to build up strength and just treat the topside to repair the surface for refinishing.

Your biggest issue is ensuring adhesion between the old and new layers. I like the cynoacrylate idea in the cracks - to provide a keying surface between the filler and existing crack smegma and the underside would need lots of sanding, wax and grease remover and finally a good acetone clean before laying into it.

The stress fractures in the top seem to mostly be in mount area? You might want to look at laying in some thin steel/ally reinforcement into the underside area to spread it out a little.

Jools, that panel is original late '60s style English fibreglass. It's old school now, but was still quite new technology then and considering what it is, (cheap, chalky poly) has held up pretty bloody well after 40 odd years.

[OzzyElsie]

cynoacrylate, a.k.a. superglue, it is then.

I think I'll try the mixing with bicarb of soda trick. I was thinking of this before I asked the question but I was thinking it would be too hard to smooth and sand.

The photo I showed of the damage is the front guard and in use it would be stressed in the damaged area and even reinforcing might not stop the gel coat damage. But I bought this for originality and static OEM display. I'm thinking for riding I will use the non-OEM, but Rickman, low guard. It is not original to the R/Monty but I like the look.



Other parts like side covers etc I don't feel would be stressed enough to warrant reinforcing.

Thanks for your help guys.