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Working With Fiberglass Repair.......


LesH

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I bought an older Simplicity tractor with a "plastic" hood---- but the hood has a large piece broken out of it-- and the broken out piece is no where to be found.

Can I repair using a fiberglass repair kit??

Or if anyone has any other ideas. I would rather use the existing hood, that way I will not have to replace the decals.

Any help appreciated!!!

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As a rule fiber glass can not be used like a bond-o patch. The plastic has to much flex and the patch will brake away.

What has a better chance to hold is to get woven glass cloth and coat the entire section ( complete left side, or complete top). Then several coats till smooth. Also where the plastic and fiber glass meet a metal inside support is advised. With all this work you still run a great risk of opening the hood on a cold morning and it brake at the joint like candy.

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Epoxy would be a better bet to use than polyester (fiberglass) resin. A good, fairly easy to find, brand of epoxy is West systems. I think most of the boat marinas should have this on hand. There are two hardeners to use. One cures faster than the other. IMO a slower cure is better but the environmental conditions (temperature) will determine which hardener you use. The West systems is available with pumps to dispense the amount of resin and hardener to get a proper mix. If you don't buy the pumps then you need to have a scale to weigh the product to get the correct ratio. It's not a 1:1 ratio like some of the hardware store brands. It is specifically made for repairs like your want to attempt. Do not give into the temptation to use hardware store epoxy. It will fail miserably in a relatively short amount of time. Mix only what you can use before it starts to set. It will set faster in your mixing container as the larger mass creates more heat and it cures faster with heat.

Rough up the surface with some 80 grit or courser sand paper. Clean well with acetone to remove ANY trace of oil or grease. Put some masking tape over the outside of the hole to support the glass cloth. Do the inside first. Then work the outside to the desired finish with cloth and epoxy. Try not to get to much epoxy in the cloth. You have a weaker final product that way. If you wish, the epoxy can be "post cured" to about 140F for about 12 to 14 hours to further cure and toughen the matrix. Any of the automotive fillers will go over the epoxy and bond well to it.

Ken

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To smooth up low spots after applying the fabric I

take a scissors and snip up some of the fabric in real

small pieces and mix it with the epoxy and smooth it up

as much as posable.after it's set-up sand it down and

whee needed use a glaze or body filler.

Wear A Dust Mask!!!

Good Luck!

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