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So, the other week, this happened... Now, we already have some splits on the bumper mounting points which I'd intended to reinforce with fibreglass but what's the chances of doing this as well? Given how much I'll need to fork out on a new one, I figured I may as well give it a go. Let me know if this sounds stupid: I carefully duct tape the hole up from the front, keeping to the original shape as much as possible. Then put more duct tape on the inside of the hole, face up, as I'm led to believe that the resin won't stick to this. Start with fine mat and build up to course. Allow to dry, remove tape, fill and paint. The others are just cracks and can be done from behind. Does this sound feasible? I've never really used glass before so am I talking out of my arris? Thanks for any ideas
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Last Edit: May 29, 2016 5:37:27 GMT by georgeb
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George, loving the letters from Manila keep it coming.
With regard to the repair consider using some thin aluminium and beat a mould to glass up. I recall many years ago you got a very fine mesh with Isopon glass fibre repair kits which could be used to form shapes as well as being a reinforcing material.
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Needs a bigger hammer mate.......
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Your about right George Just a few points as it's so out ouf shape screw through the top and put a bit of wood from the corner to the middle basically it needs keeping in shape while the resin goes off Don't put tape on the inside of the bumper it will stop the glass sticking Use masking tape don't use parcel tape and duct tape tends to melt well the adhesive in tape will and leave a mess that is awfull to clean You need to give the inside a good key with rough sandpaper for the glass to bond to I would glass the whole inside of the bumper tape up all holes You will get drips but they just sand off when done
Filler you will proby need a good dollop on that so for the bulk of it use fibre fill it moves with the plastic that much standard filler will crack you then get this in to rough shape it's rough stuff and give a skim of standard filler
Gary
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Caravans are cool
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You don't need aluminium of mesh plain old matting will do the job Use 3 or 4 layers of mat where the hole is 1 or 2 everywhere else
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Caravans are cool
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May 29, 2016 10:57:33 GMT
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ive not found fibre glass to stick to plastics very well , i would countersink screw or rivet some shaped ally behind it to hold it all together and create a backing then use a 2 part bumper glue and some decent filler
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91 golf g60, 89 golf 16v , 88 polo breadvan
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May 29, 2016 11:06:10 GMT
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There's no fundamental reason why fibreglass won't stick to plastic it won't stick to any smooth surface it needs a good key with rough sandpaper and it will stick fine
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Caravans are cool
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May 29, 2016 17:15:24 GMT
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Just use acid-etch 1st. Get it from any fibreglass supplier. Wipe it on with a cloth, it eats into the plastic and roughs it up. I used to use it on round plastic pipes that were going underground. 3 layers of Matt on them and they were virtually indestructible!! Roughing up with paper 1st will work to a point but using the etch will take away any doubts completely!
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May 29, 2016 21:22:51 GMT
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Thanks for all the replies folks. Please bear in mind that I have no access to a workshop so all this will be being done either in my apartment (on the balcony!) or down in the car park, so I need to minimise mess. I've also looked for the acid-etch, but no-one mentions it. I'll keep looking, but suppliers are thin on the ground here. I've also never seen flexible filler either, but again, I'll keep looking. We don't get Isopon kits, or kits of any sort and it took an age to source the resin and matting I have, via a mate. Okay, so this is the new plan of attack taking the points you guys have made. A baton of some sort to straighten and support the bumper before we start - good tip that Gary! Get roughing up, unless some acid-etch mysteriously appears. I'm going to use aluminium mosquito mesh (which I can get here!) shaped and glassed in from behind rather than tape, so I can get most of the contours and support what's left of the bumper. I'm not confident without something to start from. Build up layers until near as dammit Use minimum filler possible, mainly from a mess perspective. It is my intention to glass up as much of the whole bumper as possible, with a little extra where it cracked around the original supports. I may do the same with the cracks, i.e., dig out them out a bit and fill with flexible epoxy glue, as recommended by vitesseefi in my P38 thread, thanks Nick. I'll definitely be using it on the rear where I have a small star shaped divot caused by an errant sidecar. I'm planning on a couple of days; one to glass, the next to fill, primer and paint. Is this reasonable? Once again, thanks and please dive in with anything I've missed? Now comes the hunt for plastic primer/paint. Experience tells me I can probably get them, but it'll be from two different shops, one each end of Manila!
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May 29, 2016 23:56:10 GMT
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Hi, I think it might be an idea to start off by mixing up small quantities because with the heat out your way it may go off rather quickly, at least until you know how long you've got per pot. Good luck.
Colin
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Hi, I think it might be an idea to start off by mixing up small quantities because with the heat out your way it may go off rather quickly, at least until you know how long you've got per pot. Good luck. Colin Excellent point. Thanks, Colin.
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FibreglassDeleted
@Deleted
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Don't over catalyse your mix. Or maybe I should say, do....when you are finished and have a bit left over. It smokes,it steams, it cracks and turns green. Sure the locals will be well impressed that the crazy train man knows how to make kryptonite......
A good trick I learnt from a guy that built kitcar bodies in South Africa on a commercial scale. You don't need acetone for cleaning up. Do you get washing powder there? SA you used to get surf super blue or omo. Pour the granules straight from the box onto the brush or hands,whatever you need to clean. Add water to make a paste and rub it in. Takes resin and matting off like magic. And a lot less smelly than Acetone...Most likely better for your skin too.....
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turbom
Part of things
Posts: 393
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I use to do a lot of fibreglass repairs and a little tip i have is to cut the paint brush bristles down in legnth so its eaiser to stipple it to get the air bubbles out.
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froggy
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,099
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Aluminium tape seems to refuse to stick to resin , I use it to cover bits up and take moulds off and it releases perfectly .
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sb
Part of things
Posts: 725
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May 30, 2016 18:05:03 GMT
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With any cracks drill through the end so it doesnt spread then add a groove as you said.
I find the easiest way to get a solid fibreglass finish is to lay down three layers as quick as you can. don't be afraid to really go for it with the resin and stipple it into the weave, brushing will just cause a mess.
Three good thick weave layers is still fairly thin but will take a beating. You can then go at it with a sander until you get the right shape but be warned EVERYTHING will be coated in dust and a lot of it. Wear a mask, wear some goggles or you will be coughing it up.
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May 30, 2016 18:34:43 GMT
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What I'm thinking is surely there are body shops there that will sort this for you for very little money it's like a 5 hour job to someone who knows what there doing it can be repaired permenently
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Caravans are cool
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May 30, 2016 19:21:43 GMT
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Or a surf shop that makes their own boards should be able to make a good job of the basics
Just checked out magicseaweed and there are a fair few surf reports for the Philipeans but knowing nothing of the geography I've got no idea if you are close to any of them. Still it's a good reason for a trip out ending near a beach.
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Once again, thanks for the input. With any cracks drill through the end so it doesnt spread then add a groove as you said. I find the easiest way to get a solid fibreglass finish is to lay down three layers as quick as you can. don't be afraid to really go for it with the resin and stipple it into the weave, brushing will just cause a mess. Three good thick weave layers is still fairly thin but will take a beating. You can then go at it with a sander until you get the right shape but be warned EVERYTHING will be coated in dust and a lot of it. Wear a mask, wear some goggles or you will be coughing it up. Thanks for the tips. It's the mess that concerns me most with not really having anywhere suitable to work. I can live without negative Brownie Points from either the apartment management or Madam! What I'm thinking is surely there are body shops there that will sort this for you for very little money it's like a 5 hour job to someone who knows what there doing it can be repaired permanently This would be the ideal answer as labour charges are pennies here. It's finding that elusive "...someone who knows what they're doing" that can often prove the challenge! The problem here is that there's a few places a good distance away but finding someone you can trust to leave your vehicle with is the issue, bits have a habit of going missing. When Madam had some bodywork done last year, we had three of her cousins on shifts keeping an eye on it for three days! So we're looking for someone local, who knows what they are doing and can turn it around in a day. I was actually given a name yesterday, so will follow it up. I don't mind doing the painting afterwards. Or a surf shop that makes their own boards should be able to make a good job of the basics Just checked out magicseaweed and there are a fair few surf reports for the Philipeans but knowing nothing of the geography I've got no idea if you are close to any of them. Still it's a good reason for a trip out ending near a beach. Seem to remember we considered this a while back when it was just cracks. However, they are all bleedin' miles away! Presumably because Manila has no surf.
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It won't get done in a day 3 or 4 days maybe
It just sounds like a nightmare laying up fibreglass on your balcony I recon if you did it in your parking garage you'd be evicted it's stinky and dusty and itchy just nasty
It is a good fun thing to play with tho very blue peter
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Caravans are cool
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Don't over catalyse your mix. Or maybe I should say, do....when you are finished and have a bit left over. It smokes,it steams, it cracks and turns green. Sure the locals will be well impressed that the crazy train man knows how to make kryptonite...... A good trick I learnt from a guy that built kitcar bodies in South Africa on a commercial scale. You don't need acetone for cleaning up. Do you get washing powder there? SA you used to get surf super blue or omo. Pour the granules straight from the box onto the brush or hands,whatever you need to clean. Add water to make a paste and rub it in. Takes resin and matting off like magic. And a lot less smelly than Acetone...Most likely better for your skin too..... Washing powder is quite a strong alkali. It will take a few layers of skin off if left on too long. I found out the hard way cleaning out the washing machine powder drawer a while back, my fingers looked like the singing detective.
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FibreglassDeleted
@Deleted
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It doesn't take long to loosen the resin. No longer than it would take to wash your hands normally. Can't see it being any more harmful to your skin than acetone. Don't know if it's just me,but I always manage to get a bit of resin on my paws when I take my gloves off. Just enough to leave you with sticky fingers....
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