C1-Curt

I have a few spots on my 1960 C1 where the bonding adhesive has poped or is weak and I have seen a few different bonding adhesives available.

For fiberglass repairs I am using the West System (www.westsystem.com). West has an Epoxy adhesive called Six10 and when I called them they told me it is basically their epoxy resin 105 with some filler and 205 hardener. They claim their epoxy resin will be a stronger bond than the fiberglass.

My question is what is the advantage to using bonding adhesive over an epoxy resin adhesive?

These are the areas I need to work on. I was planning on just grinding them out and re-bonding them.

rogman16

I'm sure some of the real experts will chime in, but I'm ginding all my adhesive out and putting West System resin and mat in its place... I would guess that bonding adhesive is probably easier to work with and may sand/form a little easier... I would be willing to bet the Six10 is a much stronger product, but may require a little more time to grind and sand to perfection...

Anyway, that's my $.02...

Rogman

porchdog

there is no better bond than epoxy . the west system is one of the best in my opinion but i use the evercoat 870 for a bonding adhesive and also as a filler. i use no polyester or urethane on corvettes.

John S 1961

remember that the 3M product is designed for a commercial body shop, meaning put it on, grab a cup of cofee, then get to finishing (or go to lunch, or sand on something for an hour). For us guys who can be more patient the epoxy system will likely be stronger

DansYellow66

I remember that one of the "alleged" benefits of bonding adhesive was that it had some slight degree of flexibility and would take movement and shock better than an epoxy adhesive. Not sure about that theory
however, since most old Corvettes have some popped lose bonding strips here and there.

beekppr

I'm in a similar position with my 64 convertible and I get lots of differing advice so it's all confusing to a newbee like me. I keep hearing that many of the epoxy products will react badly with polyester fillers. I picked up a product called Lord Fusor 127 EZ which was recommended. I then found out they do not advise using it with polyester products. I have done some repairs and the resin I used is polyester based so I will not be taking any chances there.

The more I research, the more I am convinced the safest way to go for me is to use all polyester based products from start to finish. I ordered up some "Vette Panel adhesive" by Evercoat. They claim it has no shrinkage. It may not be as strong as some of the epoxy stuff out there but I'll take my chances. I don't abuse my cars anyway so it will probably be fine for many years to come.

I have a feeling the most important variable is getting the two parts ground down to bare and making sure they are perfectly clean when bonding them together.

I'm hoping to start bonding panels back together in a week or two so I'll post the results if you like.

markids77

Hey Porchdog...I like epoxy as well for glass to glass but in Curt's last photo it appears he needs to rebond the cage to the rocker panel... a glass to steel situation. Is epoxy preferred here as well or should another material be considered? Thanks!

porchdog

i would use 870 there also. dig out the area that has come loose then refill the area with the 870 . epoxy would work just as good most likely but i like the 870.

beekppr

Isn't the 870 (Evercoat Vette Panel Adhesive) a polyester based product?

porchdog

yes it is. evercoat has some new epoxy bonding agents out but i have not used it yet. the 870 has little to no shrinkage .

C1-Curt

The picture may be a bit deceiving, all of the bonds I am working on are glass to glass, no metal.

Curt

porchdog

there is very little metal in a c1 . only bolt plates.

beekppr

I just bonded in a bonding strip yesterday with the 870 and noticed it is quite runny. Should it be used in colder weather? I also found it sets really fast. This being my first time, I was disappointed. Does it get easy to use this product with more experience?

porchdog

it acts like a filling glaze. it is somewhat thin .it will act like any filler will. depending on temp and mix it will set fast. the new panel bond 45 looks like it may be a good product. extended working time.
when you need the filler in a place it will tend to run out of , use some 2 in tape to make a dam .

beekppr

Thanks porchdog. I'll try that. When I do the quarter, I think I will try a thicker product.