How to repair inner fiberglass cap?

[mello mike]

Here's a pic of a nasty crack on my fiberglass cap. The rivets have stopped the cracking from getting worse, but how would one go about repairing this? My father who does body work on cars suggested a fiberglass patch. Any thoughts on this technique or any others?

Thanks in advance,
Mike




http://www.airforums.com/photo...php/photo/7270

[nickcrowhurst]

[quote=mello mike]Here's a pic of a nasty crack on my fiberglass cap. The rivets have stopped the cracking from getting worse, but how would one go about repairing this? My father who does body work on cars suggested a fiberglass patch. Any thoughts on this technique or any others?QUOTE]

Mike, glassfiber repairs are quite straightforward, but a patch on the visible side would be obvious. A patch on the back would be elegant, but a lot of work. I would try to work out why the cracking occurred (unbalanced wheels?), and then cover the damage in some way. I can't tell from the photo how high the damage is, but how about a hardwood pad for a speaker or a light fitting, or a shelf? Only you would know! (Oh, and several thousand of us on the forum.) Nick

[fireflyinva]

Dear Mike,

I can't figure out what your "cap" is. It's also not clear where the rivets attach to, since there's no way to tell where the crack is in the trailer.

I had a similar crack in our tub. It wasn't riveted, though. Repairing it took a bit of doing. First we filled the crack in with epoxy putty to provide reinforcement to the patch. Then I put a layer of epoxy, fibercloth and epoxy. I sanded this thing down and realized that I went into the fibercloth. So, did another layer of epoxy, fibercloth and more epoxy. Nick is probably right that it would be more inconspicuous on the back, but this wasn't an option for this repair. I sanded it down smooth, feathering it in with the old finish. Then I painted the whole tub with two layers of epoxy filler paint.

The result? The crack is gone, it is not noticeable at all. I am very pleased with that repair. Then there is rest of the tub--which was crazed with fine cracks. It did not take the epoxy paint well and the result is rather coarse in other parts of the tub. So, I'm going to have to sand it, epoxy the whole darn thing and sand it smooth again, and reapply the epoxy paint. Nevertheless, the whole thing looks nicer in a clean white, even if it's a rough finish in places.

I hope this helps you.

Mary

You might try drilling a1/4" hole at the end of the crack to keep it from running any further, before you patch it.

[fireflyinva]

That's a good idea about drilling! Wish I had thought of it before my own epic!

One other thing I forgot--wear a respirator! It's not comfortable (your breath will make your chin wet), but the temporary discomfort is much better than the permanent results of breathing in fiberglass particles.

TTYL,

Mary

[mello mike]

Originally Posted by fireflyinva

Dear Mike,

I can't figure out what your "cap" is. It's also not clear where the rivets attach to, since there's no way to tell where the crack is in the trailer.
Mary

Mary,
This link has a pic which puts it in perspective.
http://www.airforums.com/photo...00/ppuser/5661
Thanks,
Mike