fibreglass wing preperation

Post by **winger300** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 8:15 pm

I have recently bought a fibreglass wing for my series II from ebay.

Do i need to prime it before applying top coat?

It has no sidelight hole cut in it, so what size of hole cutting saw should i use for the small type sidelight?

Should i cut the sidelight hole before painting?

Do i need to do anything to protect the underside? Will painting it with hammerite hammered finish paint do the job?

How do i now earth the headlight?

What kind of fixings do i need to purchase? Does it just bolt on?

What kind of sealant should i put between the wing and car body? When and where should the sealant be applied?

Thanks in advance

Andy

Post by **rayofleamington** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 10:10 pm

Best thing to do if get the thing completely fitted and all the lights before painting. As you'll have to do some drilling and cutting and general messing you will damage the paint if you do it first.
Once everything fits correctly, you can take it off and paint it (or leave it on and paint it)

I've never painted the inside of fibreglass wings. If you can get a really thick rubberised underseal that will add protection to stones that bounce off the wheels then (not the normal black rubbish) it might be worth doing, but paint won't really help.

To make the earths (eg for the sidelight, you'll need to connect a wire to the backplate. there are various ways but it depends what tools you have. You could just put a ring terminal on the wire and fix it with a small nut and bolt by drilling a hole in the backplate, but bear in mind that the back of the lights get fire-hosed with grimy or salty water everytime you drive through a puddle so whatever you do has to be very well protected from the elements.

Post by **winger300** » Wed Oct 22, 2003 10:09 am

Thanks,

Is it alright to use the existing bolts? or is it best to replace them?

Post by **Kevin** » Wed Oct 22, 2003 11:51 am

You will find that out when you take/attempt to get the old wing off.

Post by **rayofleamington** » Wed Oct 22, 2003 12:56 pm

If the existing bolts are ok, then you will need to add some very big washers. The fibreglass isn't as strong as steel so needs a big washer to make sure the bolts don't pull through.

Post by **winger300** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 9:19 am

Thanks for the tips.

How do i go about preparing the panel for painting?

Do i need to wet sand it all down first, and then prime/paint as usual?

Post by **rayofleamington** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 11:24 am

That's what I've done in the past - this should giove the paint a half decent key, as the gel coat is too glossy.

I have no idea if etch prime is worth using or a bad idea on fibreglass parts, but normal primer worked ok for me.