13 replies to this topic

[who_loves_the_mini?]

How do you fix gel cracks in carbon fibre? looing at getting a bonnet but it has a crack in the middle of it and was wondering if it can be fixed

[fastcarl]

How do you fix gel cracks in carbon fibre? looing at getting a bonnet but it has a crack in the middle of it and was wondering if it can be fixed

almost impossible to repair, as even if you gouge a groove and fill with resin then flat back ,it will allways crack in the same place again,.
carl

[minimole]

on the same kind of subject i didnt feel that this deserved anyother thread. sorry if i hi jacked your thread *

I bought a GRP front end from curley now while i am very happy with the qualitity and to be honest it fits very well just needed a minimal amount of sanding to fit properly. there are some chips in the gel coat most of the are not in a place that people will see but i still know they are there. would it be ok to put a bit of filler on these chips and then sand them down prime and paint?. they are only chips and i think most of them is probally me when pulled it out from storage.

[who_loves_the_mini?]

would the cracks be noticeable if i just sprayed it? will the cracks effect the strength of the bonnet? should i be put off by the cracks or is it stil ok to use it?

[Woody]

The cracks will show up worse if it is sprayed , even if you filler the cracks they will re-apear shortly .

[who_loves_the_mini?]

is there anyway you can remove the whole layer of gel coat and re-apply it? or is it not worth the hassle?

[kada1980]

I'm having the same problem with my flipfront. I've skimmed it with filler rubbed back and then used filler primer, i then painted with 2 pack and the paint has seeped into the cracks but it hasn't cracked the surface of the paint, i was considering lightly rubbing back using some fine filler and this time mxing some elasterciser into the paint and hopefully give it some flexibility, what do you reckon is it worth a go?

[pikey7]

Surely to fill small surface imperfections in FG, you're best off mixing up some FG epoxy, which will have the same (well, better than filler anyhow) rate of expansion as the existing gel? OK, it wont be perfect, but it'll be as good as you can get it!?

I agree that it'll be next to impossible to fix cracks though. I tired allsorts on my old GTM and they kept re-appearing!.

[Alburglar]

How do you fix gel cracks in carbon fibre? looing at getting a bonnet but it has a crack in the middle of it and was wondering if it can be fixed

almost impossible to repair, as even if you gouge a groove and fill with resin then flat back ,it will allways crack in the same place again,.
carl

This is just not true! You can sand it back - re apply matt, resin or gel coat and it will be as good as new! Of course it will crack if you just fill it with resin. It's a two part process and you have to use both the parts when you make repairs. Ie: Resin and glass/carbon/kevlar fibres

... and Mine and Ade's cars are testament to that. Check the cover of MiniMAG for proof! Could you see any cracks from the front end collision damage that was repaired on his car?

[THedooBZ]

... and Mine and Ade's cars are testament to that. Check the cover of MiniMAG for proof! Could you see any cracks from the front end collision damage that was repaired on his car?

thats a good point why didnt i think of that before, i remember when looking at ades website that it had a crack in it and was repaired so obiously it is possible, but yeah u want to use f/g resin and not normal filler when done properly it will be as strong as original.
a bit like if you weld a panel properly it wont crack in the same place again.

you did say its a carbon fibre one originally, i am assuming you mean carbon on the inside with white gel coat outside and not exposed carbon weave????

[who_loves_the_mini?]

The bonnet has exposed weave, i am going to leave it as its too much hassle to get it repaired and sorted out

Thanks everyone

[THedooBZ]

with it being exposed weave it probably would be best to leave it, as long as it is not affecting the stucture of it.
im not an expert on fibreglassing but i would say with the weave being exposed you would probably end up with a more noticable mark than at present, if it was a gel coat top it would be worth it as you could always spray it.
but anyway that is out of the question.

dont suppose you have a picture of the crack do you????
this way people may be able to offer better advice if they can see the item itself.

if you are happy though, leave it be and forget its even there otherwise it'll stick out everytime you look at it.

[who_loves_the_mini?]

Ill try and get a picture. Im going to leave the bonnet and not buy it as its too much hassle to repair and ive decdied against exposed weave

[smudger]

Depending on where the crack is and whats caused it, rub it down very carefully then use a UV resistant Laquer to be sprayed over the top. Simple. Just dont go threw the carbon cloth, just take time and top coat of gel will disappear.