tgtexas02

Not a professional bodyman but have done some real major repairs on my 58, 72, 84 and 88. What I am saying is that after doing many repairs you develope the ability to know exactly what to expect throughout the repair process. Think it through and innovate methods to help construct and/or support areas as you repair. I don't really see any difference on which side is the front or backside if you want both sides to look good. For an example or maybe some helpful hints, make sure you sandout, cut and/or grind out the area of the repair. A 36-grit will rough up the area best. On the initial repair side, cut or tear the matte in pieces that fit the repair area shape. On most of my repairs, I have used matte of 3 to 4 layers on each side of the repair. But, I complete the first side and allow it to harden up before I finish the remaining side. If the repair area doesn't have any complex shapes and is prodominately flat, use a flat piece of wood to support the patch on the opposite side. Does two things: makes it easy to lay in a saturated patch and compress to remove air pockets and after the patch is hard and you remove the wood backing you don't have a mess on the other side. In fact, as you go to the other side you now have natural SMC which can be worked the same way--another 3-4 layer patch which can be compress or rolled to remove air. After all is hardened, I usually hand sand with a course grit like "36 or 80" until the repair starts shaping up. You don't have to use medium or fine grit papers as they can make repair areas too smooth. Use your judgement. Also, you can staturate all the matte pieces and build them up on a separate flat surface and pick it up and lay it into the repair area--saturate the roughened repair area with resin befor you lay it in too. Just remember to always rough up areas as saturated matte doesn't like smooth surfaces very much! Just one last thought, since I wanted the repair to be nearly undetectable, I added a very small amount of an epoxy based black paint to my epoxy resin (very, very, very little--like drops) so that I didn't have to paint the repair. It was close enough. Don't know if I am helping or hindering you guys but my intentions honest. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

worldsaway

I need to repair my floors in my '87. I've done alot of boat repairs, and there is a product called west-system epoxy. It is available in qt or gallon, and fast or slow hardeners. It's easier to use than polyester resin because pumps screw onto the tops of the containers, and it's a one pumpresin to one pump hardener, no guessing on the mixing. No fumes, and if you let it harden between layers you only have to scotchbrite between coats. They even make fillers so it can it can be mixed up to be like bondo, only you control the consistency, anything from syruppy to peanut-butter.

eguyett1985

I've always heard good things about the West-Systems product too. I need to do some floor repairs on my 85 and would like to see exactly how this product is used for this application.

worldsaway

The pump system to mix resin/hardener wakes it foolproof, the only negative is the initial exspense. Once you start using west-system products, you'll never use bondo, or any other polyester based system. With the high-density filler, you mix powder with resin/hardener and it can be used anywhere you need a strong repair. West-system also makes a low density for fairing that sands like a dream. Working on boats, I'd been told that older, cured f/g doesn't fully bond to polyester based repair, but epoxy will. I don't have any scientific evidence to back that up, only satisfactory results.