Fibreglass repair

Fiberglass repair

Elise and Exige clams are made of glass fiber and XXX resin. Lotus have used two methods, in the S1 and s2 Exige the glass fiber is hand laid and in the S2 elise they have employed a system that injects polyester resin and glass fiber into a mould and the sections are then assembled at Hethel. The hand layed clams are slightly thicker, heavier but stronger than the clams the use the injected method.

XXX unsure on repair implication

Saftey

when working with glass fiber

The glass fibers and resins come together to form a strong, light compersite material.

Glass fiber

comes in several forms which are used for different purposes:

Tissue

Clopped strand matting

Woven

Resins

several resin bases are used

polyesters

epoxy higher toughness than polyester

additional reinforcement

aluminum mesh

repair thickness

Masking off the undamaged area mask off using plastic bin bags secured to the body with masking tape. Mask off an area much larger than you think, resin is very messy and if it gets on the paint it will cause damage.

Surface preperation: The first step it to try and maximise the access to the site you are attempting to repair. Some repairs can only be performed with the clam removed. removing clams link

The area that has been damaged may extend further than the surface damage would suggest. The area around the damage needs to be removed. The fastest way is to use an electric grinding tool such as a dremmel so carefully file back the broken fiber glass. A shallow wedged edge should be created around the damage to give a larger surface for the repair to bond to.

chemicals acetone

Working in confined areas such inside the boot can be alkward. One method to make life easier is to prepare the fiberglass and resin on a sandwich bag and then use it like a glove to apply the fiberglass and smooth it into position.

finishing:

More to come soon

http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=114868