JDUK Posted January 31 Posted January 31 Hi 👋 I have recently brought a damaged exige 430cup and the front clam needs repairs.  I’ve started to repair cars a couple years ago and gaining more confidence to have ago myself. I have never done fibre glass repairs, but wondered if anyone in the midlands can give me some tips on how best to get started?    Thks Quote
duncx Posted January 31 Posted January 31 (edited) Hi, 430 Cup - nice! Fibreglass repairs are not technically difficult, they just require care, patience, andf maybe a bit of trial and error. Depending on the extent of the damage, the most challenging (and important) bit can be arranging and holding the broken areas into the correct shape before you start with any actual repairs. Briefly.. Prepare the areas either side of the breaks (front and back) - remove the paint and rough up the surfaces Get the shape of the broken parts correct - use some temporary metal brackets if needed Lay up some strengthening mat/resin on the back of the break, I would typically use a couple of layers minimum, about an inch or so back from the break itself, maybe wider depending on the nature/size of the break(s). Grind out the broken edges on the front surface leaving a shallow taper up to the original surface. Add a layer of mat/resin across the break and then a top layer of tissue/resin, but stay just below the original surface level if possible. Final layer(s) can be filler or neat resin, I prefer resin but this is a lot more work to get just right. Couple of important points... Do not allow ANY glass fibres (or ends of fibres) to be present on the surface - they will definitely cause problems in the future. Don't rush between stages. The resin can take a while to fully cure, particularly if the weather is cold. If it's not fully cured then this can cause sinking/shrinking at a later date. Get rid of all the air bubbles when you lay the matting. For smaller areas you can do this with vigorous stippling with the brush, for larger areas a roller is a good idea. Get yourself some acetone to clean your brushes, your hands, your bench, you floor etc This is VERY sticky stuff! Good luck, I look forward to seeing it at Lotus in the Peak EDIT: sorry, just read your post properly - I don't live in the Midlands, I'm in the Peak Distrtict.  Edited January 31 by duncx 1 Quote
William D8on Posted February 2 Posted February 2 another thing that can some tines help the shave is super gluing some tows to the oposite skin to be fixed.once the structural repair is done they will be removed when you create your featherd edge for the 2nd fix. This gives you the oportunity to have the part stable so you can stand back and look down it to make sure its correct. I fly RC Gliders on slopes, and this is how we fix wings and fuzelarges when we crash or have hard landings.  I dream of splashing the clams on my elise S2 to make carbon versions, but I know that the amout of work and costs dont make sense... 1 Quote
Dave-hp Posted February 5 Posted February 5 On 31/01/2025 at 04:59, JDUK said: Hi 👋 I have recently brought a damaged exige 430cup and the front clam needs repairs.  I’ve started to repair cars a couple years ago and gaining more confidence to have ago myself. I have never done fibre glass repairs, but wondered if anyone in the midlands can give me some tips on how best to get started?    Thks Lotus Dave on here has done a bit himself on a Sill. See if he responds or ping him a message Quote
JDUK Posted February 14 Author Posted February 14 Thanks all - really appreciate the responses.  ive decided to take it to Elise-spares as they have a mould the ensure it’s repaired to shape/alignment.  I am however going to glass/fibre repair the rear clam as it’s not as bad.  the side sill I’m going to replace as the underside looks chewed and doesn’t make sense to repair.   thanks again Quote
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