Slammed the trunk too hard...thank the Lord it's not done and Painted..... what do you do on the crack...Parts Place Thanks, Mart
Doesn't surprise me one bit on TPP's spoiler... Mine arrived with a crack and a chink missing on the end; It was missing BEFORE it was primed at TPP...Their (AHEM) customer service SUCKS. They wanted ME to pay shipping back to them both ways for a replacement. (A total of THREE shippings...WTF? for another problem on that ONE item (hardware wrong, gaskets didn't fit anywhere near right, and cracked/ defective main part, pedestals not near right... And you think I'm going to buy ANYTHING else from them?)
I'll drill holes on each end to keep it from splitting more for now. Has anyone used Bondo FG Resin Jelly? Thanks
A) DO NOT USE BONDO as a repair. Bondo contains talc and will absorb water, swell, and break the paint film. Thats the "bubble" type blisters you see on previous body work. Drilling a hole on each end is good, it does however have to be at the VERY end of the crack. Id use a 3/16" drill bit. Next, to make a good solid repair is to V out the junk and then feather that out with a 4 inch grinder. The general rule of thumb is 4:1 on the feathering. In other words, if the base is 1/4" thick youll need to feather it out one inch. Wipe it clean of debris with some acetone on a clean, lint free rag. For the next step, Id mask off the work area with some 2" wide blue masking tape. I would be easier off the car as you can imagine. The next phase will probably take 2-3 apps. Get some glass cloth (finely chopped matting works the best) and mince it really fine with some scissors. I mean fine as in whiskers in the sink fine LOL. Mix your polyester resin and apply a film with a cheap bristle brush. WORK rapidly. The more you mix the faster it gets hot and "goes off". I prefer to work with small batches. Its easier to mix more than to waste the product. In a steel coffee can, mix up a few shot glasses of resin and IMMEDIATELY add the choppings and apply. Mix it as thick as possible; the matting needs to be saturated 100%. Anything less is an air bubble. Poly resin will kick over in about 10 minutes so dont go get coffee after its mixed LOL. Apply with a putty knife or a plastic spoon or bondo spreader as far as the mix will go. You may have to mix more to finish the run, STAY WITHIN the blue tape line. You may get lucky and have enough filler in place, but expect to repeat this stuff at least 2-3 times. It needs to finish higher than the base. You can simplify the above steps, Your choice, YMMV, by using a poly-ester paste with "KittyHair" but the edge ADHESION is harder to attain and may show cracking with flex/age. I'd rather go the "wet" route. So now its all built up and its time for the finesse work. Get a #150 disc for that hand grinder and in broad sweeping motions, touch the top of the mound all the way across. Repeat this until you are at about 80% to the blue tape. If youre good with an R/O sander the rest is finish work, up to and including filling the last vestiges of sand paper scratching up to and including wet sanding before the paint. The caveat: this is a dusty job and I would do it in another room where you wont be painting. Also, is there more hints of the gel-coat cracking in a U shaped pattern around the one leg? ALL blems need to be addressed before any painting. This is about a 2-3 hour repair IMB. Enjoy the fumes! Ummmm Ummm Good! ws
Thanks Bob and Hugger. 431 RJ Kit came Wed. Mart I'm going to attempt to get matting behind the crack using a pin or needle after sanding, so resin has a backing to adhere to. Thanks Again....say a Prayer that I don't ruin it...lol MERRY JESUS' BIRTHDAY
i have a cracked one too..right out of the box..and TTP gave me so much grief i gave up..ebay sided with them too..
Just in case anyone needs advice, these are the go-to guys for glass stuff along with a good "How to" mpg. Hope this heps! ws http://www.totalboat.com/2018/12/28...tm_content=Boatbuilding+with+Boatworks+Today+
