Busted Fairing

[Bill + Karen]

In chasing down an electrical gremlin on "The G" I have started taking my Vetter fairing off. It has many cracks and just is generally busted up. It seems to be made out of black plastic and I was wondering if anybody has had any success repairing this stuff. Can I get fibreglass to stick to it or do I need to buy something else. HELP! I really like this fairing and I would like to salvage it. Thanks, Bill

[Anonymous]

If I'm not mistaken, doesn't a web site by Craig Vetter sell repair "kits" for his old fairings? Somewhere, in the past, there was a post with a link to his site. Had something to do about wiring diagrams I believe. I can't imagine why fiberglass wouldn't stick to the fairing as long as you prepped the surface. I wonder if bondo would work? Good luck and let us know how things turn out. I'm always telling myself one of these days I'll fix my Windjammer up.

[argonsagas]

The fairing is made of ABS plastic.

Gerryy sent me some instant glue that worked OK on a small crack.

I read a while back that there is a good product by Oatey. They make a yellow glue and a black one.

According to what I read, you want the black one for both filler and adhesion.

I could only find the yellow plumbing one, so I don't know what the difference is.

I put the glue in place in the crack, then used a rope clamp to hold it together while I spread a strip of aluminum strapping across the split area and rivetted it into place against a layer of glue.

[earlfor]

Re: Busted Fairing

Bill
If the fairing is solid black plastic and shows no interior fibers when broken, then it is very likely ABS. If it is ABS, neither polyester nor epoxy fiberglass will adhere to it. Bondo and almost all other automotive type body fillers are polyester based and will not stick to it either. Nor will wood glues, acrylic resin glues or any kind of caulk. I occasionally repair swimming pool steps and those sometimes are ABS. I dissolve ABS pellets in methly ethyl ketone solvent to make a paste to repair cracks.
There could be a difference in the types of ABS between what is used in a cycle fairing and what is used in a pool step. I have a small ABS cycle fairing and can do a test patch on what I have to determine compatibility and will send you a packet of pellets it the compound will adhere. Unfortunately, the pellets I have are light grey. That may or may not be of concern. :-)

Earl

In chasing down an electrical gremlin on "The G" I have started taking my Vetter fairing off. It has many cracks and just is generally busted up. It seems to be made out of black plastic and I was wondering if anybody has had any success repairing this stuff. Can I get fibreglass to stick to it or do I need to buy something else. HELP! I really like this fairing and I would like to salvage it. Thanks, Bill

[SqDancerLynn1]

You need to get some Hotch glue available from Craig Vetter web site

[Anonymous]

I think our Square Dancer hit the nail on the head. Good one for remembering that.

[argonsagas]

You need to get some Hotch glue available from Craig Vetter web site

That is definitely a good idea, but last time I checked their site (November) the stuff was only sold as part of a repair kit that includes the chrome fairing strips. It's very expensive if the only thing you need is the glue..

The fairing is definitely ABS...I got that info from Vetter.

The Oatey ABS glue works, but I would recommend using a metal strap across the inside to reinforce the repair.

[Anonymous]

This might sound weird but plastic can be "sewn" Iv come up with an experimental procedure to do it..Iv had success with this in the past and I used it on my fairing where it was cracked, 1) drill a series of small holes running parralel to the crack, one set on each side of the crack. 2) cut small channels connecting the holes,in a stitch like pattern these are to conceal the wire you will "sew" with, They need only be deep enough so the the wire is ressesed, in this analogy the wire would be your thread 3) you take and thread the wire from one hole on one side of the crack to a hole on the other side,using the channels you cut earlier, make sure the wire is tight, hobby wrapping wire is good. picture lacing shoes here. 4) once that is done I used bondo marine epoxy and pressed it into the holes around the wire, and into the channels that the wire lays in. Realy pack it in there, and let cure, then sand it down flush 5) paint over the area that was repaired with a color to match the plastic. this method, while a bit complex, if used makes a REALY strong joint if done right. I would reccomend you experiment on a scrap peice of plastic close to the thickness and with the same chemicle composition of the fairing before actually trying this on the fairing to get a feel for it. hope I explained that good enough :roll: aslo If bondo woln't stick (my repair was fiberglass) then you perhaps could use those pellets Earlfor mentioned in place of the bondo. the wire does most of the work of holding the crack together, the rest is basicly filler

[vincat]

Busted fairing

I used nail glue to repair the fairing on my GS1100GK with success. I was told about it, but wouldn't believe untill I tried. It had to work, or no more fairing. Did it last year, no more rattles. Just keep parts together untill the glue is fixed, which is really fast.

[Bill + Karen]

Thanks Guys for the replies. Thank you Earl for offer of the pellets, I had kinda the same idea using black ABS pipe and the plain glue for the same. Will MEK dissolve the pipe too? Most of the cracks are on the bottom where they don't show, but there is also damage around the turn signal stems. The wire tieing idea also sounds great because there isn't any way to clamp the cracks back together. I also thought about using metal window screen, or fibreglass cloth glued to the back side for reinforcing. Any further ideas or help is greatly apprieciated. Thanks and Safe Riding, Bill

[jpaul]

Try this link to get what appears to be a decent product to work with.

http://www.electricalconnection.com/non-electrical/abs_repair_kit.htm

I would also put a layer of fiberglass clothover the area being repaired as a reinforcment. If you do it properly, ther should be no need to try the sewing method. While that also sounds like it will do the job, I think there is a greater chance to inadvertantly screw something up. I feel that the repair kit shown in the link above, along with the Oateys ABS cement, and some fiberglass cloth, will give a strong, long-lasting repair at a reasonable cost.
As to your question about the MEK, yes it will dissolve the pipe if you have enough solvent and enough time. MEK is used to solvent-weld some plastics. By applying MEK to both surfaces to be joined, enough of the material is dissovled, allowing the material to join together in a liquid state. When the solvent evaporates, you are left with one piece of plastic.

[Gary Lich]

Re: Busted fairing

I used nail glue to repair the fairing on my GS1100GK with success. I was told about it, but wouldn't believe untill I tried. It had to work, or no more fairing. Did it last year, no more rattles. Just keep parts together untill the glue is fixed, which is really fast.

Nailglue ??? do you mean the 'liquid nails" stuff that goes in a caulking gun or is this something else ???

[earlfor]

BIll, the MEK solvent (not the same as MEK catalyst) does dissolve the ABS I have used it on and I THINK it would dissolve the ABS pipe you intended to use. The pellets I have are about 1/8" square and it takes soaking them in MEK solvent for 30-45 minutes for them to dissolve. I keep adding pellets to the mix until I get the consistancy I need. The "fly in the ointment" is that there are about a thousand different types of ABS and some of them are compounded with other plastics, so the solvents for them are not universal. I would buy a can of MEK solvent and put a small amount in a jar with some of your ABS shavings in it and let it sit overnight. If theyre not dissolved, the MEK will not work as a bonding agent. I tried checking on the Vetter site, but apparently was unable to find the correct Vetter site, so I havent any idea what the formulation of the Vetter adhesive is. If anyone out there does know, it sure would be helpful as it is most likely available at any plastic speciality supplier. Here is a URL for plastics adhesives. http://www.ridoutplastics.com/adandcem.html
They only show a list of primary adhesives, and that is quite a few. :-) With the right adhesive, there is no reason why you cannot make a repair to your fairing that is as good as the factory could have made. You could also email these people and see what they suggest. It is likely that a Vetter fairing is one of the high impact varieties of ABS and consequently, the choice of adhesives is narrowed. Hang on to that fairing Bill, you can fix it. :-) :-)
I would forget about using anything not formulated specifically for ABS as I dont believe it would "weld" the broken surfaces together.

Earl

Thanks Guys for the replies. Thank you Earl for offer of the pellets, I had kinda the same idea using black ABS pipe and the plain glue for the same. Will MEK dissolve the pipe too? Most of the cracks are on the bottom where they don't show, but there is also damage around the turn signal stems. The wire tieing idea also sounds great because there isn't any way to clamp the cracks back together. I also thought about using metal window screen, or fibreglass cloth glued to the back side for reinforcing. Any further ideas or help is greatly apprieciated. Thanks and Safe Riding, Bill

[vincat]

Re: Busted fairing

Nailglue ??? do you mean the 'liquid nails" stuff that goes in a caulking gun or is this something else ???

No, I mean nail glue as what women uses to glue false nails or repair broken ones. It is a cyanoacrylate based adhesive, like super glue. I was then looking for a fast solution, heard about it from a friend, and willing to sacrifice for the advance of science... So far, happy with the result, and even more after I found this link on cyanoacrylate properties:

https://www.devicelink.com/mddi/archive/99/09/006.html

If I would have to do it again, I would probably use another cyanoacrylate glue, just in case because I am still amazed as how an ordinary product as this can do such a job.

[Bill + Karen]

Earl I did check the Vetter site www.craigvetter.com and the Hotcha glue is a two part glue leading me to think it is a epoxy. Some previous owner tried some sort of epoxy but whatever it was it didn't bond to the ABS, peels right off,easy cleanup to try again. I am going to spend some time and money to find something that will bond with the ABS. I like this fairing alot, I think it is the Quicksilver style, and it is worth the time and trouble to fix. Thanks to all you guys that have replied, I have a much better idea of how to go about this. Thanks, Bill