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You clearly don’t want to have any voids in the repaired area so I would recommend you first grind/sand back to remove all traces of the void. Then, as you have indicated, cut a series of patch pieces of matte that will progressively “fill” the damaged area. Just as you have done with the other crack, you always want to taper down the edges of the repaired area to ensure you have “bridged” the repair, tying into the original panel by at least an inch to one and a half inch.
I am not familiar with the details of the rubber bumper support but I surmise that removing the support would give you what you need to access the backside of the repair area.
Yeah, i had a feeling that would be the response regarding the void between the fender and bonding strip. I think the only way to get rid of it is grind the fender completely back below the bonding strip. I'd probably have to open the hole up another half inch all the way around. That would get rid of the overlay between the fender and strip, and then I'd have to build it back up. That's the only thing i can think of.
that looks like glass mat where the bonding strip should be. so somebody has done damage repair there. ties in with the bondo on your mount strips from new thread. you may have to cut the repair with a cutoff wheel where it overlaps the mount bolt strips that are bondoed in. take all that egg crate stuff off. it is to support urethane cover. unneeded and won't fit under a fiberglass cover. a lot of people take the whole silver piece off in the pic and leave the black
triangular piece in place.
that looks like glass mat where the bonding strip should be. so somebody has done damage repair there. ties in with the bondo on your mount strips from new thread. you may have to cut the repair with a cutoff wheel where it overlaps the mount bolt strips that are bondoed in. take all that egg crate stuff off. it is to support urethane cover. unneeded and won't fit under a fiberglass cover. a lot of people take the whole silver piece off in the pic and leave the black
triangular piece in place.
Looks like you're correct regarding the bondo on the inside. I checked the drivers side and it does have a bit of bondo as well, but not near as much as the passenger side and it's not all covering the bumper retainer. I initially thought it was probably just sloppy manufacturing, but maybe not. I'm not sure why they slopped the bondo all over between that vertical fiberglass panel and the fender. It doesn't appear that there is damage in that area. Maybe the manufacturing adhesive had come loose and they added the bondo when doing an initial repair at the front end. I guess I'll have to start chipping that all out. As far as the bonding strap. This is the pic from the inside of the fender. It looks like it's complete, just popped a bit of the adhesive along the bottom away.
Unfortunately, with the gap between the fender glass and the bonding strap on the front side (from the previous pics), I think I'm going to have to either try to get some VPA in the crevice to rejoin the panel and bonding strip, or continue grinding and enlarging the repair area until the overlap between the strap and fender is gone, then work on applying new glass around the bonding strip in the back, and then subsequently the front of the fender as well.
Using the VPA should be fine as long as you thoroughly clean the void so the adhesive bonds correctly. That said, if any doubt with obtaining a clean surface, replace with new matte. I know this may appear tedious but you are approaching it the right way - thinking it through before you carry out the work. Doing it right will avoid any regrets down the road!
I'm finally to the point that I need to repair some fiberglass cracking on my '80. I've never done fiberglass repair so I've been watching endless YouTube videos. I'd still like to get some thoughts from those of you that have experience with this. I have some stress cracks in the front fender and front of the car where the bumper attaches. I also have some minor cracking in the rear, where the rear bumper attaches. I'll probably tackle the front fender stress cracks first, as they seem like they'd be the most straightforward to get started on. See the pics. Front fender
So here are my thoughts, based on what I've learned.
-I've verified the cracks go all the way though the fender. So with that said, I believe I need to open up the crack with a grinder, or burr tool. I don't know how big to open it up, 1/4 inch? Then I need to apply fiberglass matting to the back side of the fender for sure. My question is on the front side. Do I apply new glass there as well. And then top it with Vette Panel Adhesive? I've also seen people just glass the back side of a crack, and then apply the Panel Adhesive only to the front side. Anyone with experience have ideas? I figure if I can get these cracks worked out, I'll be able to tackle the worse front cracks (see pics).Do I apply new glass there as well. And then top it with Vette Panel Adhesive? I've also seen people just glass the back side of a crack, and then apply the Panel Adhesive only to the front side. For additional guidance, you can also check the best JustAnswer phone number. Anyone with experience have ideas? I figure if I can get these cracks worked out, I'll be able to tackle the worse front cracks (see pics).
Finally on the back, there is some very minor cracking starting to show up where the bumper attaches. What's the easiest way to fix these? I don't believe they go all the way though. Do I just grind them with a burr tool and then fill them with the Vette Panel Adhesive again? Or do i burr them and apply more glass and then adhesive?
For the front fender cracks that go all the way through, grind a V-shaped groove about 1/8 to 1/4 inch along the crack. Apply fiberglass matting to the backside for strength, and it’s usually best to also apply a thin layer of fiberglass on the front, then finish with Vette Panel Adhesive. For the minor rear cracks that don’t go all the way through, you can lightly burr them and fill with Vette Panel Adhesive. If they start to deepen, add a small patch of fiberglass behind the crack first, then apply adhesive on top. Let each layer cure fully before sanding or adding the next.
