How do I go about fixing the cracks in these 91 fender ground effects?
It's broken clean through; what tools and materials do I need?







Any help appreciated.

 

I fixed mine with epoxy resin, fiberglass..and J&B weld as putty !!!!!

 

So no one else has any suggestions?

 

If it's fiberglass then fiberglass is the way to go. But that's not fiberglass. Ripped all the way to the end where it mounts ain't good. You'll need a good repair product on the back side for support. Probably some mat as well. Duramix has a product called 4040. That should give it strength again. Ask your supplier what they recommend over 4040 as far as filler. Some products are epoxy and some are urethane. One doesn't stick to the other and will ring or bubble.

With a crack like that I like to drill the end of the crack to help keep it from getting worse. Also with the same 1/8 drill bit I drill holes on both sides of the crack so when you push the repair material on the back side it squirts out and makes like stitches to give the repair strength.

 

dont worry, EPOXY with fiberglass will stick to everything !!!!!!!!
And then use J&B weld to fill and sand !!!!!!!!

 

A good body supply shop has plastic welding supplies. A fiberglass repair will not last. I have used a weller soldering iron and the correct plastic weld. If you do some research you will find there is a material code molded in the ground effects. This will guide you in getting the correct plastic filler which you will heat using the soldering iron and fuse the cracks together from the inside and outer surface. Of course proper prep of surfaces is of utmost importance. There are videos available on the internet for about $20 to $30. well worth the investment. The ground effects are very hard to replace and expensive if you can find them.

 

Poke around here for a while. The strongest repairs seem to be plastic welding and pushing stainless mesh into the melted plastic. There are also 2 part plastic repairs, but I doubt they are as strong as plastic welding.

 

I repaired my cracked front gfx by drilling holes on each side of the crack & wedgeing a staple thru.Then bend the ends down, afterwards some flexible bumper repair puddy.No cracks/splits after 5-6 years.

 

Dang good idea!

 

I've worked in many large and good body shops. Very few still even have plastic welders. They were always too much trouble trying to find what type of plastic and such. Codes are on less parts than you would think. That's why 3M and others have been working on epoxies that work on all plastics. They're trying to keep it simple. But it's what works for you. Those plastic welders do a good job, just epoxy is easier.

 

Try this link...

http://www.carcraft.com/howto/ccrp_0...per/index.html

 

Good link. The filler they used is the same as 5887 I believe. 5887 is for the cartridge gun. I haven't had that much faith in it though. That was in '09, now they would use that patch on the backside I believe.

I can remember when those plastic welders were 99 dollars and we thought that was too much! LOL