Interior Exterior
Q:
Be sure to place tape as tightly as possible on the gelcoat side of the damage to prevent the epoxy from leaking through and draining the strength from the cloth patch before you do the initial application of epoxy. Those are some big holes, but if you follow my instructions, you will have no problems. I have been fixing fiberglass boats and wooden boats with the same methods for over thirty years. Trust me, it works.
Jim
A:
If you go on the DIY site they have a show that was
devoted to a major fiberglass repair done on an older
Corvette. I see the actual show repeated regularly on
my cable.
A:
Okay, phase one is over. I had no problems cutting the cloth, and followed the instructions. I laid a layer of mixed gel/hardener on wax paper, laid the fiberglass fabric on it and layered another coat of mixture on that. This stuff hardens in like 10 minutes so I had to work fast. I then crawled under the car (jack stands, underpanel removed). There's quite a bit of room to work with, surprisingly. I laid it in place and pressed it in, monitoring visually from the front. I pushed it in until I could see it entering the hole.
In the cold (my garage with heater is only about 50 degrees) It took more than an hour to harden. The leftover stuff hardened on my kitchen table in 10 minutes. I mixed another batch of the stuff and did the other hole. Note also that upon inspection, I had a split from the left edge of the clam's front square all the way back! I laid a piece of fibreglass over the top of that, too, from to back, to strengthen it.
Finally, I mixed a third batch of resin/gel and applied from the front, smoothing with cling wrap. It'll be ready for sanding and painting today.
Errors for you guys following my lead:
1) I put the resin mixture on too thick. I made the fiberglass cloth disappear in the stuff. This means I may have problems down the road and might have to "do over" because it would have been a lot stronger if I layered multiple pieces of fiberglass as opposed to one thick piece.
2) I cut too big a piece for my hole, making it very difficult to maneuver in place. I got resin on tubing and other things in there, and did the best I could to clean it (and my hands) up. Use smaller pieces and do it multiple times to make it easier.
3) Doing it in the warm would make it quicker to set up. Not an option in the NE in the winter.
4) Take extra care to mix it really good. After I was done I noticed a bit of inconsistency in color, indicating I will not have even strength, and as mentioned before, may have a "do over" down the road.
It looks a bit like a hack job right now, but should look better once sanded and painted. However, even in the current state, with brown/dark green filler, it looks better than the gaping holes that were there. I will post pics once complete. This not a hard project if your expectations aren't high, perhaps a lot more difficult to do a bodyshop quality job. To do a repair on "hands and knees to see the damage" areas, you really don't need bodyshop quality.
A:
Okay, sanded medium, fine, xfine, and painted. 5 light coats. I'm very pleased. It's not bodyshop good, and next time I'll use some plastic finishing filler. But it looks terrific! Keep in mind the flash brings out every little imperfection. From 10 feet it looks brand new perfect.
Before and afters. Pictures two & three-you can see some cone scrape on the starshield above the repair. Pictures four & five-passenger side. You can see the edges of starshield above the repair. What do y'all think?
A:
LOOKS GREAT!!!
A:
Nice job Jer!! I love it when people take a chance and DIY. It shows initiative and guts. Good work!
Jim
A:
Thanks, guys! I couldn't have done it without your help. I really appreciate it. The repairs feel sold, too. It seems as strong as the clam around it, so unless (until ) I scrape it again, I don't anticipate further problems.
A:
brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Now that its fresh and newly clean, you can use some thin teflon sheet from mcmaster to form a mold for any future damage. instead of using saran wrap (i havent had much luck with the saran, as it seems to stick too well to the glass) as a relase agent, i would use the teflon or UHMW/HDPE polyethelene as a backer. its cheap and slick (not as much bondo). as for cleanup, acetone while the epoxy is wet will clean it. you can also use micro-baloons as a filler for the larger cracks. sorry the info is a little late. your repair looks great!!
A:
good ideas. Thanks!
A:
Are you saying to make a reverse mold of what the two "splitters" should look like? So perhaps Jer could have gotten an unmolested Elise, made the molds and then have his 100% accurate? I'd imagine finishing would be tons easier.
Now that its fresh and newly clean, you can use some thin teflon sheet from mcmaster to form a mold for any future damage. instead of using saran wrap (i havent had much luck with the saran, as it seems to stick too well to the glass) as a relase agent, i would use the teflon or UHMW/HDPE polyethelene as a backer. its cheap and slick (not as much bondo). as for cleanup, acetone while the epoxy is wet will clean it. you can also use micro-baloons as a filler for the larger cracks. sorry the info is a little late. your repair looks great!!
A:
exactly, make a mold out of brushable urathane/silicone/... then if you need to make a repair it would be as easy as feathering the edge of the damaged area and laying up the area again. if there is someone in torrance that would like to donate their front bumper as a mold i could make a repair panel
A:
Very nice Jer...BTW it was my first Lotus...A Europa...that got me into DIY car stuff. Cuz "Necessity is the Mother of Invention"!
Now that you have done the deed...it was pretty simple after all wasn't it? And next time it will be even easier.
The hesitation / unfamiliarity / learning curve is part of why body shops tend to quote so high for something like a clam swap.
Hmmm...man Jer..this car has really taught you quite a bit hasn't it, and in different areas? Look how much you have learned about driving too. What other car could do that?
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In retrospect it was one of the easiest things I've done to the car. And if I have to do it again, it'll be much easier and I'll do a lot better job. Having color match paint really helps-look how close the paint matches! (thanks Stan!)
The Elise has enriched my life in so many ways it's unbelievable. From mechanical stuff to driving/racing to bodywork to new friends, wow---what a car. I've only had the car to Rothrock twice for mechanical in 20K, once for the 1000 mile checkup, and once for the shifter. The rest was done in my garage-swaybar, coilovers, brakes, exhaust, shims for camber, harness bar, harnesses, oil changes, and now-bodywork. Nice list for an accountant with no experience.
Next up: replacing rotors in a few months, and learning to tune adjustable shocks (after I get and install them).