FiberGlass canopy repair.

[Trex Pilot]

Dos anyone know how to reapair cracks and or chiped paint on a FG canopy :confused: i have a few Fg canopys i want to repair but not sure what i need to do this, i know it can be done but what do i need to buy and where can i buy it?

[Trex Pilot]

Noone has repaired a canopy before??

[toro]

Alright.... here it is.... Its all about prep, and finish... Its just that easy... Seriously, though this isnt that tough. First you need to find out what kind of resin was used to build this thing. Most likely its polyester, especially if it was gel coated. You can use epoxy, but it most likely wont bind well with poly, and will react over time. IF your fixing a canopy, though, I imagine you'd probably keep it as a beater. Maybe not though.... Bottom line is you need to restore rigidity while maintaining shape. This can be done with some heavy/medium glass laid into the wound of the canopy from the inside. Get it so you have at least 1/4-1/2" of overlay over the edges of the damage. I like to use 3M super 77 to spray on the back of the cloth, and press it in so it stays over the damage area without me having to hold it. Again this is from the inside. Get yourself the resin, and mix a "SLOW" batch. Dont overuse catalyst as it will cause a quick cook, and you will lose strength. If your using polyester resin, this is usually pretty low in viscosity so you wont have to thin it out. Epoxy works well if you thin it with DENATURED alcohol. The alcohol really lowers the viscosity, and allows permeation throughout the fibers. As typically the case more glue doesnt equal more strength. You want just enough resin to "WET" out the fibers of the cloth so they turn transparent. After this dries, you can repeat the same steps over if you like to build a layered patch. IF you do this make sure you overlap your edges by 1/4 to 1/2". After you complete that, and it is FULLY cured (2 days) is what I usually wait for. You can begin paint prep. BONDO is your friend... just not to much. Smear that stuff on to get a rough shape. Sand, Fill, repeat as necessary. Make sure when you use bondo, I over lap the edges about 3/4" to more depending on the size of the wound. THis allows you to feather in the bondo, and make it look so there is no transistion from repair to clean glass. Let the bondo cure, final sand, and than high pressure air/vacuum off the dust. Spray some primer on it, and look for pin holes. These you can fill model magic, micro balloons, or whatever you have on stock.... Personally it sounds crazy but for pin holes, I smear a layer of drywall spackle on it. way easy to sand and quick drying. IT all gets covered by paint, and clear anyways. Thats how to do it in a nutshell.... Make sure all surfaces are super clean when you do this.... Alcohol, Alcohol, ALcohol for cleaning nitro grime off areas....

[Trex Pilot]

so basicly it is just like doing a car :)

[toro]

yep... patch, fill, paint, clear

[CSpaced]

What Toro said :) I just did the exact same thing to some wheel pants for my Katana, now they look good as new!

[Trex Pilot]

ok Kool i can do that, my dad owns and restores antque cars :P

[toro]

ok Kool i can do that, my dad owns and restores antque cars :P



Your hooked up than.... This should be a breeze compared to fixing a 65 corvette...

[Trex Pilot]

OH TORO, Thank you so very much for taking your time to write all those words, i really do appreceate that you took the time to do so. Thanks, Jay :)

[Trex Pilot]

Your hooked up than.... This should be a breeze compared to fixing a 65 corvette...
try welding 2 porches together, now that was a pain in the ass!!

[CSpaced]

try welding 2 porches together, now that was a pain in the ass!!

I'm having visions of the F-82 but with Porches.... :D

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/F82_twin_mustang.jpg/300px-F82_twin_mustang.jpg

[Trex Pilot]

yea, i hate welding upside down it sucks :(