Ktholin

The forward support frame delaminated from the skin on my 55 hood and there were several cracks evident around right and left mounting plate. I was able to completely remove all of the old bonding material and am ready to begin the repair.

My plan is to route out the crack areas maybe 1/4 inch wide, bevel the edges and fill the gaps with a mixture of cut glass and resin. Then will lay two layers of cloth over the repair areas. Once that has cured, I'll use bonding adhesive to join the frame support to the skin and clamp in place.

1. Does this sound like a reasonable approach for this repair?
2. Is Vette Panel adhesive the appropriate bonding agent?
3. When clamping, I assume it is necessary to leave a small gap, so not to squeeze out most of the adhesive.

When I removed the paint, I discovered previous repairs as evident in the photos.

I appreciate your suggestions.

DUB

IF you find that previous repairs with resin and fiberglass were applied OVER and ON TOP OF paint and primer...grind that crap out of there so you are laminating on CLEAN prepped fiberglass.

YES...Vette Panel Adhesive will work perfectly to bond the understructure to the outer skin...BUT...make sure that BOTH surfaces are PREPPED so the VPA will do its job. AND...YES....once you know where you are going to place your clamps....IF you are concerned that you are going to squeeze out too much of the VPA.....You can make thin shims out of fiberglass and use them as a stop so even if you clamp it hard where the shim is...the areas between you clamps will bond as needed. When I do this my shims are a little bit wider than a wood matchstick.

AS fro you opening up the crack to 1/4" wide...that is up to you and is fine...and tapering them back well is also smart. And...for what it is worth...I would apply one layer of mat and resin over these wide cracks and allow it to set up. That way...the next day..I can come back and grind it and prep it so I can apply MORE resin and mat and thus have the ability NOW to be able to apply pressure to the mat and resin so I get the air bubbles out and get the ratio of fiberglass resin and mat correct. And YES...if you want to apply the woven material...you can. It provides a lot of linear strength...but be careful...it is hard to get it to get completely saturated with resin and can fool you.

DUB

Ktholin

Hi DUB,

Great tip on using fiberglass shims between the understructure and skin! Thanks.

In the photo below there is a crack below the two mounting holes that I'm concerned with. That area receives a lot of stress. If I route that out, will that weaken the area further?

I'm thinking of placing mat over the whole area, using bolts to keep the holes open. That might give me a better cosmetic result as well. Is that a good idea? I don't want to build up the area too much where the hood hinge mounts as it may raise the hood height above the surround.

Thanks again!

DUB

I have to repair hoods like this and many in much worse condition. And all I can add is to make sure your prep is good and you are laminating on good solid fiberglass...and that you take your time and get it right. With this areas being a stressful area...making sue what you are doing is the best it can be is all you can ask for.

AS for the holes where the bolts go in. Often times I will fill them in with some of my modeling clay...laminate right over them... and when I am done. I can take my Dremel tool and open the hole back up.

AND..keep in mind of this. Just becasue they sell once and a half fiberglass mat with thickness of the mat being what it is...does not mean that you have to use it at its fullest thickness. I often times 'filet' it or separate it so it is thinner and allows me to make more complex bends and curves and the lamination will lay down and stay there. It may require more applications of these thin pieces...but the end result is what I want. Think of it like a 1/2" thick piece of plywood will not make a bend around a radius like a 55 gallon barrel....but a numerous layers of a veneer will and you can get the veneer to 1/2" thick if that is what you want.

If you are concerned about the hood being too high when you are done..make a gauge and measure it so you know.

DUB