Side Cover crack fixing

[nejeff]

I swear to you I searched "crack side cover" but it kept giving me a fatal error.

Doing up a set of covers and one has a minor crack. Looks like previously they had tried maybe JB weld. Is ABS slurry still the advised method or can you use regular epoxy? Thinking it might use a small piece of fiberglass on the back for good measure. I have epoxy on hand

[cowboyup3371]

The slurry worked well for me.

[posplayr]

You need to stop that crack from continuing to propagate. Drilling a hole at the end is the standard procedure no matter what you reinforce/fill it with. Fiber glass cloth (2oz) with some two part epoxy would probably make it very strong.

[wedoo2]

I recently had to have a side cover fixed and took it to a local body shop. They did use some kind of abs filler, but they carved out a groove in the crack first. I didn't feel secure enough to do that myself. Bondo did not work either. I'm pretty sure they finished it up with some plastic specific body filler. It was sanded down and primer was put on when I got it back. Whole deal was under $50. Maybe I could have found one for that, but I was happy I did that way.

[chuck hahn]

Take a Qtip and wipe it from the back with Acetone with the crack lined up as good as you can get it. Hold together for a few minutes and the Acetone will soften the plastic and it will heal itself together. I then back patch the unseen side with Devcon Plastic Weld..let it cure and then sand and fill any imperfections with some more Plastic Weld. Let it cure overnight and finish sand and repaint.

[Texasgs]

There is a fiber called flox that is mixed with glue in the aircraft industry. The fibers in the flox strengthens the glue, it is like adding the fiber to fiberglass. It is cheap, and adds a lot of strength. I highly recommend it for repairs like this.

[nejeff]

Thanks guys for all the thoughts. Will get it done this weekend, maybe with pics

[spyug]

ABS slurry is the only sure way to fix it since what you are using is the same material the cover is made form. When the slurry contacts the plastic, the acetone melts it allowing the ABS in it to bond with the cover's ABS becoming one with it. I have repaired countless pieces with it and am just finishing some repairs to Gatekeeper's FZ bodywork. Here is a repair I did to his fairing:








Sorry for the huge size of the pics but I wanted you to get a good look.

There is no need to get really fancy with it and its not necessary to gouge out a trough to fill in if the top surface is level but it can be used as filler and will sand smooth. Just "butter" both edges of the crack and bring them together and for some added support put a dollop on the backside or add a piece of ABS sheet. When using slurry, the key is to sand the area being fixed down to the plastic as slurry won't bond very well to paint and for missing pieces or larger gaps a piece of filler material like I used with this would be necessary. ABS plastic sheet can be had from plastics distributor and some hobby shops and ABS plastic for the slurry can be had from the plumbing supply stores or even kids Lego blocks.

The slurry can be made to several consistencies form watery to almost solid so what you want for ease of use is a honey texture. Depending on temperature it will set to full hardness in less than 20 minutes and can be helped along by heat. I use a halogen work lamp set about a foot away or sometimes, if I'm in a hurry, a paint stripper gun. Just don't get too close or you will melt or scorch the plastic.

This is easy to do and will make a permanent repair. I should mentioned that the pink material is bondo that a PO had used unsuccessfully and once my repairs were maid I cleaned this out and added more ABS to fill.

give it a try.

[chuck hahn]

Actually Spryg, the Devcon Plastic Weld is a sort of premade slurry and it WILL NOT..... WILL NOT ever let go once its cured. It also acts as a great filler for deep scratches and pitting, can be sanded, and I even use it to rebuild broken off tabs that hang side covers off the frame. Its like a 5 minute epoxy deal. Mix the two parts and apply. Think it says fully cured in 6 hrs or something to that effect.

[nvr2old]

5 minute 2-part epoxy works great. Simple, quick, and it does the job beautifully. V it out on both sides with a Dremel, sand the area around it with at least 80 grit, apply the epoxy, sand smooth with the same 80 grit, a skim coat of plastic filler to fill the sand scratches. Done.

If it works on this massive break, it'll take care of that small one you have.

[wedoo2]

Both of those fixes were incredible. Nice work.

[Gorminrider]

I've used ABS pipe cement from the hardware store...and abs pipe cut/filed into flattishstrips that roughly conform to the cover's surface as strengtheners across the break. These are not long-just enough to cross the crack.
and large-grit sanded before glueing...oh and a small Hole drilled at very end of cracks too per posrider's suggestion.

[nejeff]

Wanted to update and add a few pics. Bought some acetone, fiberglass cloth and the only piece of ABS pipe I could still find at the big box lumber store and went to work. Not done but getting closer. Weather here has gone to total garbage and cold so won't be priming anything for at least a week, maybe longer. The cover was bowed out a little so used a couple of big rubber bands to pull it back together. Fiberglass patch with the abs slurry was an effective combo. Oh, and to who mentioned the whole at the end of the crack, thanks! Forgot you needed to do that!

[gert du prez]

cracked side panel: 'sort of' solution

had it covered with cheap black leather