Working with Fiberglass is HARD!

The first step was to prepare our work area. We laid out the pieces we intended to repair, the Bondo brand fiberglass resin and hardener, and some fiberglass cloth. We then cut some strips of fiberglass cloth to the lengths we needed. After putting on our masks and gloves, we began mixing the resin and hardener. From the directions on the can of resin, we figured about 12 drops of hardener to 1/8 cup of resin. Once mixed, we began dipping the strips of cloth into the resin. Once a piece had been saturated, we placed the strip over the crack on the non-visible side of the body panel. Using a small paint brush, we smoothed out the strip and added or removed resin as necessary. Once the resin/cloth combination set, the repair was hard as a rock.

Wow, that sounded pretty simple, right? Well guess what, it was just about the most frustrating process I’ve ever been a part of. First off, this stuff is messy. The resin gets all over your gloves and will stick to anything you touch. This isn’t too much of a problem, unless you’re trying not to get it on a piece you weren’t intending to paint. “Ugh! It looks like we’re going to need to put a sticker over that piece.”

Another frustration is that it takes just as long for the resin to harden on the piece you’re working with as it takes for the rest of the resin you mixed to become hard as a rock in the container where you mixed it. Don’t even think about working with this stuff if you don’t have a way to hold the cracked body panel in position while you move on to your other pieces. If possible, I would recommend tacking things together using some sort of super glue and then laying the fiber glass over that. This is especially true when trying to fix a price that’s broken completely off. Use the glue to get the piece in place then use the fiberglass to give it some strength and structure.

All in all, I’d call it a successful first try. However, we did learn a few things:
1. Preparation is IMPORTANT. We thought we were prepared, we weren’t.
2. You have to work quickly and efficiently. Plan out every move you’re going to make or the resin will harden before you’re done and you’ll have to mix more.
3. Make sure would work area is big enough. You don’t want this stuff getting on tools, the floor, your work bench, etc…
4. If possible, fix the cracks with some kind of glue first and use the fiberglass to add structure.

Of everything we learned through this experience, this is the most important thing, “Working with fiberglass is not the same as working with glue.” Get your pieces attached first and get your cracks glued together before you even open the can of resin. Trust me; it’ll save you a lot of headache! The happy ending is that the repairs are super strong and are going to hold up really well.

Thanks for reading!
-Jason