so after I removed the jute padding from the driver side of my vette I found some damage to the floor. Its about 2 inches long 1/2 inch wide. I cant' see through it but I can see the fiberglass fibers and it feels weak right there. Anybody know how I should go about fixing this? I know its SMC. Could I just use fiberglass cloth and resin to patch??

 

ok now I'm just pist off look at this! This is on the passenger side.

 

I would use a piece of rigid fiberglass mat that already has resin in it, not sure what the official name is but boatbuilding supply companies have it- about 1/8" or so thick. I would clean up the area and use a piece on both sides, attached with epoxy, not polyester, resin. If you can't find that, West Marine sells a PVC product called "starboard", a little thicker, and lots more expensive, but maybe you could use that on the bottom only. You don't want to make a bump on the floor. Stay with epoxy resin, it will stick to either material better and it's somewhat flexible and won't crack.

To fix the hole, as stated, clean the surrounding area down to the substrate and rig a brace from the ground so you can gently press a flat surface (plywood, etc.) under the bottom patch to hold it. Use a piece of waxed paper to keep the resin from adhering to your patch. If you can, do the same on the top, a flat surface to press the patch or the broken pieces in place, separated by waxed paper, with a couple of bricks or suchlike to weight it down. When the resin sets, remove the braces and you can dress up the repair with a belt sander or rotary grinder. It should be as good as new.

After you complete this project, be sure not to let any bubbas near the car with a trolley jack, or you could have another repair to do.

 

okay cool, well in reference to the second pic I took, the damage I found on the passenger side. What should I do about this? I cut a piece off and theres bent metal, and looks like the fuel line is right under it. fuel line looked fine. but the bent part I'm guessing is where the body mounts to the fame. theres a stud and a nut right where its bent.

 

Ok I don't see why my sentences are being broken up, my pic url is pasted in after my sentences.

 

Put it below your last sentence and you'll get this

 

Very common problem with C4's. Ther is no real structural issues here unless you plan to carry anvils (fat chicks should be no problem). Simply grind the areas out abount an inch past damage. Get the fiberglass mat, not the cloth. There is a very expensive SMC resin available, but regular resin should work fine. Paint the repair area with resin (mixed with the hardner). Place the mat piece that you cut out to fit the ground out area,on the area, and saturate it with the resin. Not enough? you can put a second layer of mat/resin on. If you want a smoothfinish you can put clear packing tape or seran wrap on the patch andsmooth it out good removing allair bubbles. If there is damaged areas showing underneath, simply repair the same way making sure to grind off all soils or undercoat. Finish wwith a grinder, and a light coat of undercoating.

 

Well I think I have some resin and mat laying around. I'm sure I'll have this fixed in no time. But that metal piece thats bowed up, should I just hammer it down to straighten out befor I do the fiberglass repair?

 

An amateur would take a hammer and bend it back in place. A pro would take a hammer and reform it to the approxamate correct position.

 

I have this same issue with my '90 Vert.

 

you can use fiberglass or you can go and buy som SMC resin and mix up a batch and use it with a fiberglass pad. either way, let us know how it turns out.

 

Gravity is not your friend when it comes to a flat finish on the bottom. After you follow the good advice to grind the surrounding area, you can place a backer under the car to ensure a flat finish. Any flat surface will work(board, plastic sheet, etc), just be sure to wax it really well(you can also use wax paper or plastic wrap to prevent bonding. You can even use the same jack that caused the issue to hold the backer in place.

Duct tape would probably work as well. Maybe use it to hold a piece of wax paper for a nice finish.

 

Good advice and something I have to do to my 95' as well. Allow me to suggest a different material than wax paper. Nothing sticks to teflon, not even glue. When I fixed the broken windshield screens on the front of the 87', I envisioned some small rectangles of scrap aluminum along with some clamps that would push the bent metal screens back down onto to the black plastic and glue them along the edges.

But how to prevent the aluminum tabs from sticking to the whole mess of screens, glue and black plastic? I looked in the cabinet and used that teflon pipe tape under the tabs, then clamped all along the edges. The industrial glue didn't stick whatsoever to the teflon, not one bit. I picked up some rolls of teflon tape at our salvage sales in 3/4 inch width and even have some 2 inch and four inch rolls!

 

I remember a whole back I did a project with fiberglass and I used aluminum foil as a backing. Worked good came right off of the fiberglass.

 

Man I priced that smc resin it's like $40-$45 for a quart. Man why do I have to be broke all the time??

 

You don't need the SMC resin for this job. The regular stuff should give you plenty of adhesion and strength. Then SMC stuff works a little better when feather edging is important. I have no idea why it's so expensive.

 

I've used Starboard for several projects on my Boston Whaler. It's
nice and machinable, but it sure ain't GLUEable. It would be the
wrong stuff here.

West Marine (and a lot of other chandlers) does carry a line of epoxy
called West System (the name, AFAIK, is no relation to West Marine).
It's GOOD STUFF. If you want to learn about working with epoxy,
google up the manufacturer (Gourgeon Bros. or some such). They have
a bunch of information that's walked me through several boat repairs. Dive
buddies with SCUBA tanks and weight belts are just as dangerous to
a boat as tire monkeys with floor jacks are to a 'vette).


Chuck

 

Chuck,

The "starboard" plastic product is not glueable with polyester resin, as you said. However, I would not use this type of resin on Corvette structural repairs anyway, as the plastic parts of the car are not fiberglass, but SMC, sheet molding compound, a type of PVC and similar to plastic drain piping in plumbing systems. Although I have not experimented with all of these options, I would expect that 3M 5200 and 4200 sealant, PVC pipe cement, and polyurethane construction adhesive would bond to the starboard; of course, as with any glue-up, you would prep the surface by roughing it up and cleaning it.

I do have a fair amount of experience with Gougeon Brothers products, the "West System" you mention. They are excellent, and their tech advice is also first rate. I have done extensive boat repairs and modifications using fiberglass cloth as well as Dynel cloth, in addition to various other applications of West products. BTW, although West Marine sells this stuff, they are by no means the least expensive. My preferred source is Defender Industries, which is local for me and not mail order, however, they ship nationwide.

 

The consensus on continouswave.com (the Boston Whaler equivalent
of Corvette Forum) is that not much, esp. including 5200 and 4200,
will stick to Starboard

 

OK, Chuck- I accept the majority opinion.