Fibreglassing gurus - please share some advice

[benno505]

fitting a fibreglass 2" reverse cowl to my fibreglass bonnet, the cowl does not have the flat surfaces on the side as i had to modify scoop to fit on my 68 chargers hood indents.

now am just trying to find some info on the best way to graft the scoop to the hood so it looks like 1 piece.

* what/how do i fix scoop to bonnet pre glassing?
* glassing steps?
* what do i use to smooth, body filler?
* whats the next steps?

i want this to last and not crack also please.

[astroracer]

Pictures? Those would help a bit. I could mark them up for you.
Being that you have removed the bonding flange I would suggest grinding back the gelcoat on the scoop a couple of inches (same on the hood) in preparation to build a new flange. Cut a series of 'glass strips to 1", 2", 3" and 4" wide. Start with the 1" strips and lay those into the joint between the scoop and hood. You will have to work fast and do this in stages because the resin will kick before you get it all done. Don't mix up a lot of resin at one time... Trust me.
Work through the progressively wider strips until you have the joint filled in with a nice radius. Use the original transition from the scoop to the bonding flange as a reference.
Smooth this out with a grinder, fill with a good body filler and prep for paint. Should be nice and smooth with no irregularities in the scoop to hood transition. Blocking with a long board will help get the waves out.
Mark

[benno505]

thanks astro, i will get some pics for you, for the reverse cowl to work best i should just and only cut the hole where the air cleaner comes through the bonnet and not the entire area under the cowl am i right? this will also keep some of the strength in the bonnet? my air cleaner is a oval hemi air cleaner and sits about 1" through the bonnet.

[jlcustomz]

On resin for a repair, you could also use epoxy instead of polyester, which most has a longer working time & either a 1 to 1 or 1 to 5 mixing ratio, which may be easier for you. Slightly stronger also, though polyester is fine also. your choice.
Once your sanded surface is pretty close, start skimming with a good filler such as evercoat rage extreme.
For a little added final quality, evercoat g-2 primer surface will help lock together the work & also give you extra blocksanding capability with a built in guidecoat. It goes on dull & shines a little when sanded. It requires a 2.2 or larger spray gun tip & must be used quickly. Can also be rolled on if needed.
Check out my customized hood on my links, it was originally badly damaged when the upper surface separated from the lower at 70 mph.