Bonding fiberglass to steel
What product out there is the best at bonding fiberglass to steel and NOT developing cracks later on in the paint or having the fiberglass pull away?
I have as set of fiberglass fender flares that I want to mold into the body sheet metal. Obviously the will be held in place by screws in the wheel well lip but where they meet the fenders and quarter panels I would like to have them molded in.
Or, would I be better off just making them bolt-on with hidden fasteners?
Any ideas. procedures or product suggestions would be great.
Thanks,
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Bonding fiberglass to steel
I have had some experience with bonding fiberglass to steel. Some of the areas on my car are over 10 years with no cracks. One thing i would avoid is mechanically fastening one part of a panel and bonding another part. Sand everything down to bare metal and bond as much of the flare or body panel as possible to the metal on the car, hand lay fiberglass mat with resin for re enforcement where the re enforced filler wont work. Be sure to keep moisture out. Don't wait long to fill, blend, sand. Then apply an epoxy primer and / or finish coat. The epoxy primer will keep the moisture away from getting to the line where the metal meets the fiberglass. Do not use a lacquer based primer if the area is going to sit a while before it is completed. I use Everglass from Evercoat with great success and i am no Pro. Hope this helped.