I H8 huggin trees!

[FLYINGLOW]

I f'n H8 trees! Well I was out on a trail called Fungi and shouldn't have had my roof on... I was on a bypass and got slammed against a tree... Well my roof sliders on the side of the hard top saved the glass but a stub of a branch poked throught the fiberglass right above the gutter and I couldn't drive out of it (unfortuntatly I tried), I now have about a 16" gash.

I want to do a quick and dirty hack job repair of the top to keep the rain out, a few steps up from duct tap. The top is pretty trashed already and its not worth finding another one to trash too.

I searched 40 tech section but could only find restoration and gel coat info. Does somebody know what kind of resin to use for the repair? I was gonna use some fiberglass mat. Seapotato do you have any experience with fiberglassing these tops?

I'll get post some pics later...

 

[yotawheeler]

mmm i think you could probably just use a 2 part epoxy for resin, no? how was the black flag supporter run? i saw one of the trucks last night at a buddies place....looked like hell on wheels haha

 

[FLYINGLOW]

i saw one of the trucks last night at a buddies place....looked like hell on wheels haha

That about sums it up... about what you'd expect out of those guys!

I'm not sure if I should go epoxy or poly-something resin. One of them will prolly melt the foam.

 

[seapotato]

I joined two tops using polyester. The lids themselves are polyester resin, epoxy's always been waaay more expensive. the foam should be ok with poly.


Thing to do is grind it down a bit so the hole is all dished a bit around the edges, if there's some missing , tape up a piece of cardboard or doorskin ( so it doesnt' become a permanent part of your roof) and jam it up underneath tight to the hole with a stick or something. best if you can get it as close to tight to the contours as you can.

then glass away. cheapo paintbrush, some decent rubber gloves ( no latex, it melts...) and away you go.

and whatever you do, don't get the MEK catalyst in your eye...baaaaad s***.

I might have enough s*** around here to patch it. I'll have to check,not sure I have any mat, it's the best for this sorta thing, you don't need much strength, and rovings lumpy as hell.

Not sure how many layers youd need, half dozen or so I'd think, cut one to the shape of the outside edges of where you've ground, and then a bunch that are a half inch smaller all around until it seems like it'll fill up level.

pretty easy stuff to work with really, can just get a bit messy

 

[FLYINGLOW]

I joined two tops using polyester. The lids themselves are polyester resin, epoxy's always been waaay more expensive. the foam should be ok with poly.


Thing to do is grind it down a bit so the hole is all dished a bit around the edges, if there's some missing , tape up a piece of cardboard or doorskin ( so it doesnt' become a permanent part of your roof) and jam it up underneath tight to the hole with a stick or something. best if you can get it as close to tight to the contours as you can.

then glass away. cheapo paintbrush, some decent rubber gloves ( no latex, it melts...) and away you go.

and whatever you do, don't get the MEK catalyst in your eye...baaaaad s***.

I might have enough s*** around here to patch it. I'll have to check,not sure I have any mat, it's the best for this sorta thing, you don't need much strength, and rovings lumpy as hell.

Not sure how many layers youd need, half dozen or so I'd think, cut one to the shape of the outside edges of where you've ground, and then a bunch that are a half inch smaller all around until it seems like it'll fill up level.

pretty easy stuff to work with really, can just get a bit messy

Thanks Ryan, I'll post some pics tomorrow. I think its bigger than you are thinking... It doesn't have to be pretty though, just keep water out.

MEK is awsome!

 

[seapotato]

even if it's really big, big enough to stick your head out of, the same idea works, jam something under to act as a temporary mould and glass away....

( I've fixed rather large holes in boats this way....)

and yeah, mek is somethin'....great way to start a garbage can fire on a hot day...

 

[FLYINGLOW]

Heres the pics...

 

[jinzuke]

holy speed hole batman

 

[seapotato]

Nice work.

You could cut it to a decent shape and bolt on a piece of plexi...then maybe you'd SEE the fawking tree next time and not run into it...

 

[FLYINGLOW]

Nice work.

You could cut it to a decent shape and bolt on a piece of plexi...then maybe you'd SEE the fawking tree next time and not run into it...

I should get a window like the rovers have!

I could handle the tree, just not the stub of a branch that made the whole.