number-1
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| posted on 8/1/23 at 03:30 PM |
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Joining 2 GRP panels?
Right, in my head it works.....but i thought id ask on here just in case......
Imagine a GRP front clam. It has damage to the nearside. I find another clam that has damage to the off side. Can i cut both clams down the middle and
join the together? This is very Locost as new ones are over £2000
If it is do able......what pitfalls will i encounter?
I will try and add an image of what i mean if i can remember how to.....
So....cut along the red line and dispose of the N/S part. Do the same on the other damaged clam but dispose of the O/S part...and fibreglass them
together using some thin bar bent to the right shape?
[Edited on 8/1/23 by number-1]
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jacko
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| posted on 8/1/23 at 04:25 PM |
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Hi the answer is yes Try and make a frame so when you cut the parts they are supported to the right shape
You car super glue the parts to hold them together before fibreglassing the inside
Have you done fibreglassing before
Graham
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Charlie_Zetec
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| posted on 9/1/23 at 12:01 PM |
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In layman's terms, yes - you can join both parts how you've suggested. But in real-world terms, there are better (stronger) ways to do it!
As someone's already said, a buck or brace to hold both parts in the correct position would be ideal, but not essential, so don't panic.
If it were me, I would be looking at avoiding any join lines where there is likely to be any fittings - most notably things like mounting brackets or
bonnet release catch etc..
Secondly, I would be inclined to take a line from about the 11o/c position to 5o/c position, and go in a "zig-zag" pattern from top to
bottom - you will always get a better join and less chance of deformity this way.
Finally, consider bonding in a reinforcing strip of some description on the back side; this could be a thin piece of ali or just additional/thicker
glass mat, perpendicular to the joint line. You'll find epoxy resin will adhere better to the polyester resin used in the original panel build,
but this comes at a cost.
Remember that prep is everything, so have a reasonable supply of acetone and cleaning rags to hand - and suitable mask when cutting/grinding!
Then it's finishing, in either gelcoat or paint....
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity!
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number-1
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| posted on 9/1/23 at 03:56 PM |
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Thanks for the replies chaps. I may go ahead with this as a bit of a project for the spring. The only downside is trying to find a crash damaged clam
with the other side being good.
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HowardB
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| posted on 10/1/23 at 02:27 PM |
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Repair and joining of fibreglass is common in the Marine industry. Might be worth having a look as to how they approach it. Certainly for high
integrity fixes a fixture, feathered edges, pre-cut glass, maybe with a low density core material to add stiffness without weight.
The use of epoxy is a good shout, something like this
linky
The more time spent planning and practice - try it on two bits of damaged clam first the better the result will be.
Howard
Fisher Fury was 2000 Zetec - now a 1600 (it Lives again  and goes zoom)
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computid
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| posted on 10/1/23 at 02:44 PM |
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If I were you, I would do this in the following stages:
1) Pull a rough mould from the existing bonnet covering the area you want to join but not including the damage
2) Cut the bad part out of the bonnet area making sure the cut line is behind the new mould edge and using a a non-linear cut line
3) Cut the opposite part out of the other bonnet
4) Coat the mould with release agent
5) Put the original bonnet in the mould, and add the new bonnet section in
6) Clamp them down and together such that they are perfectly aligned using the mould as the guide
7) Using a small sanding drum create a small valley between the two joint lines
8) Build up a layer of fine chopped strand matting with resin - repeat 3-4 layers
9) Build up thicker chopped strand layers across an increasingly large surface area - repeat 3-4 layers
10) Let the resin set
11) Remove the bonnet from the mould and confirm the alignment is correct
12) Along the join line flat down any raised edges
13) Using a small abrasive rotational cone carefully create a small valley between the two join lines
14) Mixing the appropriately coloured gel coat with wax additive solution, carefully apply a raised layer in the valley
15) When the gel coat hardens, sand it down to flat using reducing grades and then polish
This however will be fairly expensive, not counting the cost of the two clams. It might be better to either try to find a good clam to start with, or
find someone with a clam you can pull a whole or partial mould from. I started by saying if I were you I'd do that list of things, but in reality
I'd find a good clam, pull a mould, and then make a carbon fibre one! 
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computid
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| posted on 10/1/23 at 03:10 PM |
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Or just buy this, it'll be way cheaper:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125370804544
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