Repairing cracked fiberglass top

[fun in dirt]

The weather has gotten cool & rainy enough where I need to start thinking about repairing my junky hard top laying in the back yard. I just finished reading "Basics of Basics" Fiberglass repair by Brian Martin from an old post to get an idea of what all is involved. But I have 2 questions:
1.) How long do you let each layer of resin & mat set up before applying the next?
2.) How do you get a good starting foundation when you can't get to the backside to make a "mold"? I have a single wall top, but some of the cracks are in the corner where it is kind of double walled Does this make any since?
Okay, maybe 3 questions...Is there a post that shows picture steps of a repair? I've searched but don't see anything.

[red71cheyenne]

Wish I had an answer for you, but I'll be watching to see if maybe someone else has one. I've got to do the same thing to mine, only its a double wall. Maybe someone will chime in with some insight here.

[71jimmy]

You can sand and apply additional layers as soon as the first layer is hardened and not sticky any longer.

The only way to layer, when you can't get to it from underneath, is to flair the edge about an inch out all around the repair area, so that it is really thin at the repair site, and then build it back up one layer at a time, each layer being a bit smaller than the prior layer.

Hope this helps.

[red71cheyenne]

What if, like mine, the repairs need to be done on the edges where it bolts to the bed? I have an idea to lay a 2x4 inside with pre-drilled holes for the bolts to run up into. It will fasten to the inside with screws. Then start laying layers of fiberglass on that(leaving the bolts holes open) until it is back to the nearly original thickness. I'm not worried about the stock weather stripping under it, I was going to use some aftermarket stripping like for garage doors instead. Does this sound insane? I can't think of any other way to replace the metal bolt strip than this. Mine is rusted beyond repair.

[fun in dirt]

Originally Posted by red71cheyenne

What if, like mine, the repairs need to be done on the edges where it bolts to the bed? I have an idea to lay a 2x4 inside with pre-drilled holes for the bolts to run up into. It will fasten to the inside with screws. Then start laying layers of fiberglass on that(leaving the bolts holes open) until it is back to the nearly original thickness. I'm not worried about the stock weather stripping under it, I was going to use some aftermarket stripping like for garage doors instead. Does this sound insane? I can't think of any other way to replace the metal bolt strip than this. Mine is rusted beyond repair.

My flanges that bolt down onto the beside are totally busted up too. What worries me is that's what seems to be where most of the weight of the top would be directed. I'm not sure how to do all this stuff, so think I 'll just go buy some mat & resin & get started doing something. I can't mess it up any more than it is now...I hope!!!

Maybe I 'll take alot of pics during this attempt. And if it turns out descent, post them for other to be totally confused by

[red71cheyenne]

The little bit of fiberglass I have done, I noticed he's right. You can lay one layer right over the other as soon as its dry. It just took a long time for mine to dry. Not so sure how well I did measuring the hardener though. I'd pay attention to that if nothing else. And I agree, you can't mess up something thats already broke!! Good luck!!

[fun in dirt]

Great tips.. THANKS!

[red71cheyenne]

Thanks for the tips! Hopefully, I'll get to use some of them in about 2 years!

[Critter]

I'm about to try some of this stuff myself. I have read through most of the FAQ posts on here concerning fiberglass and I am fairly confident in myself...confident that I can undo anything that I screw up at least!

[old man jimmy]

Thought this would be a good place to re-post about the tops. Might save some of you from having to repaire them. About double wall tops.. When you got one new the dealers gave instructions on how to remove the tops. They said it was imparitive to unbolt it, slide it back on the bed rails far enough to get at the last bolt on each side. Them make a brace to go across the two holes, and drill it out and put the last two bolts back in, to keep it from folding in the middle when you picked it up from the sides. I made mine from old bed frame angle iron. I think very few of us left out their who ordered theirs new. So think these instructions have mostly been forgotten.

[Shock_Me]

old man jimmy, that's a good tip. I assume it applies to single wall tops as well?

Pete

[BigRed Beast]

Based on the truck pics that post for each of your signatures, I can't imagine having too much trouble with glassing--I mean, you obviously know how to wrench a bit and you wouldn't own one of these trucks unless you had a pretty large set! Be nice if all you had was minor league repairs to practice on, but Fun in the Dirt's going right to the big leagues based on his pics.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that it is a process, and the materials really won't let you skip steps or go too fast. You'll see bubbles or sags as soon as it catalyzes. You can pay dearly for trying to shortcut a step in the sense that you'll get to start all over, but that's about it.

Fun in the Dirt: fiberglass adheres to about anything, so clean up the nasty gram that the PO left you, stuff something solid in there and maybe put a few screws into the repair from the inside and outside of the top to hold everything in place. For that matter, you could fit a piece of wood to fit inside the bottom lid of the hatch, stick some epoxy/ JB Weld on the inside of the repair and stuff the wood in the hole. Regardless of how you hold it place, it then just becomes cosmetic repair. Multiple layers and larger and larger mats.

As far as strength, this'll either reassure you or just make you roll you eyes: one of my shop specialties was was putting old surfboards back together...as in, they were busted completely in half. This was for older boards, ones with sentimental value where additional weight wasn't any big deal. We would put make 5-6 holes on each half of the foam part of the board by pushing a pencil in the foam. We'd mix up a batch of resin with a fiberglass base to form a paste, stuff it in the holes and along the entire surface of the exposed foam. We'd push the two halves together and clamp it as best we could and let it go off. We'd cut a mat for the top of the board to cover the repair and then some, glass it, flip the board, glass the bottom of the repair, mat and glass the sides of the repair. The key was overlapping the various mats and extending them well beyond the actual repair. We'd sand the edges of the repair, gloss coat it and sand and polish that.

There are guys still using boards we repaired years ago. I can't see a top repair having more strain than a surfboard--unless you're upside down, a whole different issue!

I'll probably tackle my top this weekend--I have to glass a bunch of baseball bats for the local sporting goods store, so I might as well make up a big batch and get after everything at once.

I think I'll glass the cat as well

[fun in dirt]

I got tired of working on the hatch, so started on the top. I think I'm through with the major cracked/missing areas so it's time to start sanding now. The fiberglassing was actually kind of fun...at least the learning something new part. I've gone through lots of disposable gloves the last few weeks!
I had some tread plate left over from making my sidepanels, so cut two strips off. I will use these over the lip of the top (to sandwich the fiberglass between the truck & plate. Figured this would spread out the stress instead of it being so much pressure around each hole and as a plus it'll match the panels!
Gonna try to get through this weekend so it can be at the body shop to get covered with bedliner early next week. Maybe the next pics will be completed & installed.

[old man jimmy]

to Shock Me... I don't know about single wall. I got mine early in the 72 run, so they were still using up the double walls. The doubles are seamed down the middle, so probably more important with them. Singles came out in 72 but they used up all their left over doubles before going to them. I personally like the doubles better, I think they look a little cleaner. But then again I don't take mine off.

[red71cheyenne]

Jimmy, was the support for the seam running down the middle in the double wall? My top seems to be plenty strong, but I don't move it around much either. Its either on or off. And its been off for about 2 years now, sitting on 4X4's.

[old man jimmy]

Originally Posted by red71cheyenne

Jimmy, was the support for the seam running down the middle in the double wall? My top seems to be plenty strong, but I don't move it around much either. Its either on or off. And its been off for about 2 years now, sitting on 4X4's.

Not sure what you mean. Doubles don't seem to have any support down the middle. It's like they made them in left & right halfs and glued them together. Is yours a single? Haven't seen inside a single for many years. But from what I remember they have like a bunch of squares inside. Which may be a stronger set up for picking them up.

[red71cheyenne]

Right, mine's a double wall. There is a seam on the inside, in the middle. I meant was putting the bolts thru the ends with a wood or metal support supposed to keep it from breaking? Sorry, wasn't very clear. I just meant that my double wall seemed plenty strong even without putting the supports under it while installing or removing it.

[Yukon Jack]

Looks good! The cage does look cool.

[red71cheyenne]

That does look good! How about some close up shots of the repairs?

[gmclonghorn]

Anybody know who does nice restorations of tops in southern california thanks
Posted via Mobile Device

[Truckman73]

Longhorn, I talked to a boat repair guy here in Temecula that does some pretty good work on fiberglass/smc. If you do a google search for "Doc Dings" he should pop up. The down side was he is pricey...I bought a can of epoxy and just started my own top this week...
Posted via Mobile Device

[SamMargritz00]

don't you need to be using SMC resin?

[Truckman73]

Yes...do the research and get the resin/epoxy that is compatible with the SMC, I bought the Evercoat brand. If you use the incorrect stuff it has a tendancy to expand and contract at different rates than the rest of the top. Also be sure to prep the areas properly, the boat repair guy told me that was a key, as well as ratio of hardner and resin.
Posted via Mobile Device