Fiberglass hood repair/correction question
Hey FABO,
You all may remember the thread I had going about my Stinger Fiberglass hood that arrived damaged. I'm finally getting around to deciding on options for correcting the damage, and mostly what I have questions about is how to go about correcting the incorrect contour of one corner at the cowl end.
The damage to the hood was basically in two areas: chipped corners and the incorrect contour previously mentioned. I feel pretty confident I can fix the chipped corners on my own, and THINK I have a decent plan on how to correct the contour. I wanted to post here just in case someone has some advice and/or if anyone runs across a similar scenario and needs help -- they can use this thread.
Here's the incorrect contour:
It's not off by much, but enough to where it obviously doesn't match the fender line. I've read that you can heat fiberglass and reshape it. My plan was to use a heat gun and slowly heat it until it becomes pliable, then mold it to the correct contour. That section is a little thinner than the rest of the hood, so I was going to add fiberglass resin to bring it to the same thickness.
To fix the chipped corners, my plan is to remove the gel coat, apply some small pieces of fiberglass fabric and finish with polyester resin. The damage on the corners is about 1/4” x 1/4”.
There are some small imperfections that will need addressing (a couple dings and very shallow scuffs), I plan to fill those with body filler.
I watched videos that offered two different philosophies regarding gel coat after a repair: one said you don't need to add gel coat, another said you should. Should I add gel coat after the repair or not?
So, all in all, how does all of this sound? Any advice?
Hey FABO,
You all may remember the thread I had going about my Stinger Fiberglass hood that arrived damaged. I'm finally getting around to deciding on options for correcting the damage, and mostly what I have questions about is how to go about correcting the incorrect contour of one corner at the cowl end.
The damage to the hood was basically in two areas: chipped corners and the incorrect contour previously mentioned. I feel pretty confident I can fix the chipped corners on my own, and THINK I have a decent plan on how to correct the contour. I wanted to post here just in case someone has some advice and/or if anyone runs across a similar scenario and needs help -- they can use this thread.
Here's the incorrect contour:
It's not off by much, but enough to where it obviously doesn't match the fender line. I've read that you can heat fiberglass and reshape it. My plan was to use a heat gun and slowly heat it until it becomes pliable, then mold it to the correct contour. That section is a little thinner than the rest of the hood, so I was going to add fiberglass resin to bring it to the same thickness.
To fix the chipped corners, my plan is to remove the gel coat, apply some small pieces of fiberglass fabric and finish with polyester resin. The damage on the corners is about 1/4” x 1/4”.
There are some small imperfections that will need addressing (a couple dings and very shallow scuffs), I plan to fill those with body filler.
I watched videos that offered two different philosophies regarding gel coat after a repair: one said you don't need to add gel coat, another said you should. Should I add gel coat after the repair or not?
So, all in all, how does all of this sound? Any advice?