fibre glass repair

[anubis121]

Just brought this moggy and the front grill plate is damaged..its fibreglass...how can I get this repaired?

[bmcecosse]

Front grill plate in fibreglass?? Post up a picture - - but likely you will need to remove it and lay up new fibreglass matting on the rear face - then fill and sand the front to make the damage 'disappear'.....

[Chipper]

I suspect it's a fibreglass front panel, similar to those sold by JLH:

http://www.jlhmorrisminors.co.uk/store/ ... oductId=94

[bmcecosse]

Indeed! But does it save a significant amount of weight?

[Chipper]

Probably not, at least compared to the thin tinplate Taiwanese effort I bought to replace the dented one on my car!

[TFM150K]

Apologies for hi-jacking anubis121's thread, but I've just looked at the link to JLHs panel - do you have to cut out all the rest of the holes before you fit them? If that is the case, it seems to be taking the word "fettling" to the extreme!

[Chipper]

I would imagine that to be the case. I guess you'd need a Dremel or similar and a hole saw to do that, and it would be tricky to get clean lines...

[alexmcguffie]

To repair it, ideally, you need to 'grind' back the damage on both sides (if thick enough) so as to layer in a new piece of matt and then flatten it back once cured. If done properly you should get away with only needing a very thin skim of filler. The best reference is a book by Miles Wilkins - 'How to Restore Fibreglass Bodywork'. It can be a bit pricey second hand but there's a reason for that!

[Barry Brown]

The "Big Boy" repair kits via ebay are ideal for small/medium repairs. For filling the outside you need the correct filler though as it has chopped strand in it to reduce cracking. To reduce strain (and crazing of gel coat), after prep work refit to car for the laying up of repair. Once cured take it off again to complete repair. To protect front wings from splashing resin cover with cling film where panels meet.

[anubis121]

Cheers lads.

[mmjosh]

i had a front panel from jlh and the holes are already cut out