repairing targa top, in way over my head Options

[mightyohm]

Hi guys - I need some help with fiberglass repair. I have never worked on fiberglass before and I am in way over my head.

I am trying to refinish my Targa top. My top was already smoothed and painted when I bought the car, but the paint was flaking so I decided to refinish it.

I stripped the paint using fiberglass-safe stripper and got down to the gelcoat. That was pretty easy. Then I went over the top with a random orbit sander (100 grit) and got rid of the rest of the paint and got it cleaned up pretty well.

The problem is, the gelcoat has already been sanded through in many places, some of the damage must have been done by the PO and some by me making it worse. There is also a 1/8" divot in the top where the gelcoat is completely gone and it is into the fabric.

I want to prep the top for paint. I am having a professional body shop shoot the top, but I want to prep it as much as possible myself. I want to fill in the divot and low spots and also get the surface smooth. I think the PO used bondo.

Someone told me to use epoxy and a little bit of fiberglass cloth to fill in the divot. Does that sound ok? I have epoxy I bought from TAP plastics but I am not totally sure I know how to use it correctly.

I also think I have to "seal" the exposed fiberglass where the gelcoat has been sanded through. Is that correct? What can I use to seal it? I think if I just use bondo or have the shop prime it then the primer will leech into the fiberglass and cause pinholes.

Help please, I officially have no idea what I am doing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Here are a couple pics:

[SpecialK]

Here's how I do it at the old airplane factory.

Needed:

*Disposable cups (8 oz. or whatever's handy)

*Dust Mask

*Tongue Depressors for stirring/mixing (or whatever's handy)

*(3) 3" paint brushes (get cheap one's, they'll get tossed after each coat)

*Parting film (which you probably don't have, I've used the clear plastic page protectors used for reports with success at home.)

*Rolling Pin (or any smooth, cylindrical object. Depending on the size of the repair, a deep-well socket works well, or a piece of broom handle for larger repairs)

*MEK solvent (but paint thinner should work just as well)

*Assorted sand paper

*Surgical gloves

Wear a dust mask while doing this:

1) In a disposable cup, take some sharp scissors and chop the FG into 1/8" long pieces to make your "flock". Chop up more than you think you'll need because it sucks to have to make another batch of flock if you come up short for your repair.

2) In a separate cup, thoroughly mix a small batch of resin. Pour some of the resin in the cup containing your FG flock and stir it up. Repeat this adding and stirring until your flock mixture is completely saturated with resin, but not too wet (think cat fur-ball), and definitely not runny. Too wet of a mixture, or resin alone in a repair will eventually crack. If you do accidentally pour too much resin in the flock mixture, no biggy, add more chopped FG.

3) Clean the repair area with MEK (or paint thinner) and a clean cloth.

4) After the cleaned area is thoroughly dry, take some of the resin left over from step #2, and lightly wet the area to be repaired, extending about 1" beyond the area to be filled with flock.

5) Apply enough of your flock mixture to fill the repair area slightly high.

6) Lay your parting film (plastic sheet, at least 4" in each direction bigger than the repair area) over the flock mixture, and starting from the center of the repair, roll it out leaving it a little high. If you roll it out too much, you'll have to start over again. Too high, and it's just more to sand later. Leave the film on, and walk away.

At this point we would apply heat lamps to speed the curing process, but that's because we use epoxy resin (EA956) that takes 5 days at room temp. to completely cure.

7) After the resin is completely cured as per the directions that came with the resin you're using, block sand the repair as well as the rest of the roof to the desired contour. Wipe the entire roof clean with solvent and a clean cloth.

8) Mix a large (1/2 - 3/4 cup) batch of resin, and thin with solvent until you get a brushable, self-leveling consistency. Brush on a light coat of the thinned resin mixture, and watch for bristles coming off the brush. Let this coat cure until tacky, repeat the resin coating/cure to tack procedure until you've got 3 coats total (using a new brush and resin mixture each time to prevent contamination). Don't allow any of the coats cure completely, or you'll have to lightly sand the roof prior to laying on another coat of resin.

9) Got the last coat on, looks good, walk away and allow the resin cure completely.

10) Now you've got your resin/gel coat. Lightly block sand (220 grit) the entire roof, being careful not to go through the resin down to the FG. High build prime, sand and paint.


Not real hard, it just takes some patients. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)

Kevin