How do you preserve fiberglass?

"ImmoralMinority" (araimondo) 08/06/2016 at 15:13 • Filed to: None

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The Sunchaser has a B pillar wrapped in fiberglass as a roll bar. Small cracks are developing. Any advice?

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > ImmoralMinority 08/06/2016 at 16:22

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Well in boats they use resin to fill spots and gelcoat.

FunkyHatch > ImmoralMinority 08/06/2016 at 16:59

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If it’s a stress related crack, I would grind a V into the area and fill it with thickened epoxy or thickened polyester or vinyl ester resin. The V allows for more material to be used to make a stronger bond. They now sell premixed tubes of epoxy at places like West Marine which you apply with a normal caulk gun. That might be a good option for a an easy fix.

Whatever you do, you will need to sand off the finish on the existing glass to get the new material to adhere. You will then need to sand it smooth and coat it with whatever finish you decide on. Fiberglass will absorb water. It’s actually pretty easy, just a bit messy and time consuming. It’s hard to ruin though, since you can just sand off any mistakes and start over.

jimz > ImmoralMinority 08/06/2016 at 17:34

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assuming the matrix is polyester and not epoxy, you could just card a thin coat of Bondo on it (which is just polyester resin with a powdered filler) sand it, and repaint it. But in any case, fiberglass parts use a thermoset resin so once cracks are there, they’re there.