Fiberglass!!!!

[BenMinnor]

.

[SUE482]

Do you want a good safe job, if you do dont use it, cut the metal back to sound material and weld in new.

[simmitc]

I can't work out if this is a serious topic GRP (glass reinforced plastic) is an extremely strong material when used correctly. In the hands of an expert, it can be used top build boats, aircraft, and car bodies (plus many other things). It is most certainly NOT suitable to use as a kind of coating for weak steel in a car where the sills and floor pan are important structural items. You need to cut out rusted areas and weld in correct replacement panels. You would not weld near GRP - it burns with toxic fumes. By all means fit GRP wings to prevent rust, or use the raw materials to bridge holes in non-structural areas. Don't put it anywhere near important structural areas. Given that GRP will not rust, why would you want to paint it with POR 15?

[bmcecosse]

The MOT will NOT accept fibreglass. It's a waste of time and money....don't do it.

[BenMinnor]

http://www.por15.com/POWER-MESH-REINFOR ... _p_75.html

Have a look at this.

[les]

You're going back to the days when people sat in the road outside their homes at weekends, filling their cars with chicken wire and the likes. Replace the rust with new metal instead of covering it up----it won't go away!

[panky]

Ha ha ha that takes me back to my first attempts at body repairs, then I bought a camper that had the floor made out of the stuff - what goes around comes around
When you do use it make sure you use good quality newspaper as a base, wouldn't want to do an inferior repair

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

I have an old AA 'Book of the Car' and it shows car body repairs with chicken wire to bridge gaps in sills, a serious book from the early seventies.

I bought a minor were the previous owner must have been some kind of sculptor/ artist as his efforts with fibre glass and the body coloured paint even fooled me to the extent that when I went to weld a little repair at the bottom of the wheelarch the entire edge went on fire and left me with a rotten rusty mess.

Perhaps its another April fool a day early..........

[Ieuan]

One of the first things I did when I bought my Minor was investigate a dodgy looking bit of paint on the passenger side wing. This turned out to be an approximately 8" slab of fibreglass that was holding together the bottom of the front wing, the inner wheelarch and the passenger footwell... Not at all what you want and certainly not safe.

As many people have said already, do not use fibreglass where "the steel is a bit weak and pealing rust". You must cut it out and weld in nice new metal, not only for the MOT's sake, but for anyone you have as a passenger in your car's sake.

[67-2door]

Just wondering if anyone has used fiberglass much and what are their experiences with it?

I have ordered some from frost and going to paint over it with Por 15 rust protection. Want to use it for the underbody where the steel is a bit week and pealing rust. I also want to use it inside in the footwells just to make the car strong and bomb proof.

Looking for peoples thoughts as well as if anyone know what its like it stuff has to be welded around it?

Thanks

If you'd posted this 12 hours later I'd have sworn it was an April fools joke

[Redmoggy]

All joking aside, I am astonished that a company with the reputation of POR15 would recomend such a repair process.

Ben, I understand that you are likely looking for a quick easy fix. However this is not the way to go about it. Steel is Steel and Fiberglass is not. The Minor uses it's floors to form a good part of it's structual strength and this needs to be repaired properly or you face further and possible catastrophic problems. Find a good welder or take some night classes.

All the best
Rod

[chesney]

I think you've missed that the website is an American one, and therefore presumably the poster could be American themselves.
In which case, this sort of thing is quite common, their cars do not have to follow the same rules/regulations as we do.
Whether it's a good idea or not, well it isn't really, but deemed more acceptable in the US I suppose where they are not as 'stringent'. Which could explain the above post.

[Sparticus]

LOLOLOLOL

Please be an April fool...

[BenMinnor]

[frame][/frame]

[BenMinnor]

Well that escalated quickly ha ha ha ha lol

[simmitc]

Well, I'm glad that you think that it was funny. The sad thing is that there are people who will read your idea and the link that you posted, and then think that it's an acceptable solution, which it is not. If it was supposed to be an April Fool joke, then more fool you for posting on the wrong day.

If it was a serious question, then I hope that you have got an answer that will convince you of the folly of the idea - using paint to stick it together

I think that most of us can appreciate a good joke, but would rather spend our time helping genuine enquirers.

[les]

I don't think the poster was joking, as the link appeared genuine. I suspect he now wishes he had been! Again if he Is new to dealing with structural stuff and the like, perhaps he should be cut some slack.

[aupickup]

i had a reliant 3 wheeler that i repaired with metal

[panky]

You butcher

[les]

i had a reliant 3 wheeler that i repaired with metal

Did you weld it to sound fibreglass?