Help Please, Fiberglass Flares-How to???? Options

[jwalters]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif) Hi guys. I am moving pretty good on all my rust and bodywork issues--need some info and suggestions.

1.-What is the glue of choice? i.e.: Hysol products, or the regular epoxy stuff?

2. How are ya'll installing these? trimming,,etc....do you grind down and feather edge the edges as installed, or build up glass beyond the bond seam and feather edge that??

I was test fitting mine yesterday, and my left side ones are trimmed along the edges about 1&1/2 inch less of a diameter than my right side ones--I called AA about them and the guy suggested I vacuum bag them and add more material?????? Not the answer I was hoping for--so in the interest of this project moving ahead --I am going to make them work. But as I see it now, the right and left side are going to be different from each other, but thankfully, the same on the whole side respectively.

Thanks in advance!!! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beerchug.gif)

[SpecialK]

QUOTE (jwalters @ Jan 10 2005, 05:22 PM)

Thanks there boost! Just wanted to see how others were doing it. Ury-your method was enlightening, however, I am not into cutting off my fenders and glassing and then welding back on--also, your butt method is too far out there for me..but thank you again for pointing me to your thread! Looks like I will be lapping them in---and using just plain old polyester resin--but I got some good ideas--I think I will bond them in with a four dimension joint. 1. Bond flares to outer body. 2. cut slits into the metal between my screw anchors, this will put a bond into the metal itself. 3. Glass in the backside of the fender where the slits are to make a thru bond. 4. lapp glass from the backside of the fender around the joint lip and then back onto the underside of the flare. I want to make absolutly sure these stay with the vehicle for a loooong time. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beerchug.gif)

Not to sure I'm absolutely clear on your bonding process, but the "slits" thing sounds like a stress crack (in your metal) waiting to happen. If you're dead set on a "through metal" bond for your flares, you'd be better off drilling some 3/8" - 7/16" holes with a Vari Bit (nice clean holes) at the lap-joint. Also keep in mind that unless you lay all of your glass on at one time you'll need to use "peel ply" (preferred), or have to sand the the area prior to laying on consecutive plies, or else you'll have a weak bond.

If I was going to bond glass flares onto the metal of a car, I would literally bond them to the vehicle using a Hysol product called EA934, and attach the FG fender to the car using 3/16" countersunk S/S pop rivets, spaced 2" apart around the periphery, and drilled sub-flush so the bondo will hide them (Use enough of the EA934 so that it "squeezes-out" both sides of the lap joint when the rivets are pulled, and scrape off the excess EA934). It's very similar in color and consistency to JBWeld (Hell, it might even be the same thing). Then you could blend the flares to the body pretty much anyway you wanted, and wouldn't have to worry about cracks developing down the road.

But that's just me. Been workin' on planes so long I overkill the hell out of everything. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wacko.gif)