While trying to parallel in a very tight little spot on a steep hill, I somehow managed to shift into 3rd instead of reverse and slid right under the bumper of a truck about 1/3 up my hood. :eek:

In an uncharacteristic stroke of dumb luck for me, no damage was done to the other vehicle aside from a little paint under his bumper and spare. I left a note but haven't been contacted, so I'm assuming the owner's not going to pursue any kind of action (I didn't even dent the bumper...just went straight under and lifted it up from underneath :cry )

In another unexpected twist, it doesn't appear that I've done hardly any damage to the fiberglass itself...I took a small chunk (about 1/2") from the front end where it ends before the hood, and it looks like I've got a little fraying on the top of the left front fender where the truck's bumper scraped over it. :( However, the glass is not cracked and there's no telltale sign of any spiderwebbing around the fraying.

My question is this: should I attempt to sand and bondo this small area (it's about 6", right up the top of the fender), or would it be worth my while to have the fender examined and professionally glassed? Strength issues? Does bondo work on fiberglass?

Additionally, if it turns out I don't want the car painted right away, will leaving the minor damage uncared for and the car covered cause more serious problems? Is this the sort of thing I want to get done right away, lest my fender fall off? As I said, nothing is cracked, it just looks frayed, like it caught the sharp edge of the bumper and peeled away.

In any case, I'm way bummed. :(

 

Although I'm no expert, most of what I have read here says stay away from bondo - it isn't strong enough to resist the flexing of fibreglass.
Any patches need to be done right with fibreglass matting and resin.
There are a couple of people with good links - try http://www.corvettefaq.com

If it makes you feel any better, I do love that color...and you've got my rims too.
Can you give me any details? I'm looking for a paint color for my 77.

 

It won't hurt to leave it be until you want to make the full bodyshop investment. Bondo is O.K. to use on fiberglass, but being a polyester filler, it behaves just like it does on steel cars...it tends to shrink over time. As long as it's not applied too thick, it's a better product that its reputation deserves. A better body filler for Corvettes, though, is Kittyhair or something like that.

You would use the fiberglass mat and resin where you were patching a void, which it appears you may in the end have some.

 

What's the cost/ease of application on something like Kittyhair, compared to Bondo? It doesn't appear that the fender has been seriously weakened...it might survive without any filling if I sanded it well. The only part I'm concerned with is the chip between the nose and the hood. If Bondo shrinks, that might not be the best thing to but on there, but on the other hand, it's very out-of-the-way and not structurally crucial.

At this point, should I look into painting the whole car? It looks nice, but I have some complaints. It's obvious the car was not stripped when it was repainted (made even more apparent by the nassau blue underneath whatever slightly darker blue is over the top), there are some cracks in it and some dribbles in places. If the cost is not *too* much more I may consider just stripping it myself, filling whatever needs to be filled and having it done the Right Way.