Repairing fiberglass shell of RTT?

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not_yoda

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Well... I goofed last night and dropped my RTT while trying to transfer it to my FJ for a thanksgiving journey to Colorado.

Since I’m not leaving until Tuesday morning, I guess I need to try and tackle this repair. And... as is tradition, I’ve never worked with fiberglass... until now.

If anyone has tips on the best way to repair this oops... I’m all ears [emoji1787]

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not_yoda

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Contributor I

Ok.. have most of it exposed. Now I need to find a good way to push everything back out and hold it while I add some resin and fiberglass.

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Does anyone know if I’ve exposed enough?
 

Boort

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@not_yoda

Make sure tou call the manufacturer and find out what type of fiberglass resin they used. Fiberglass can be held together by many different chemicals some of which are incompatible with each other.
It's most likely Polyester but you will want to make sure. If it turns out to be an epoxy find out what kind there are even more incompatibilities between different epoxys. I checked Autohome USA and did not find a repair kit on their website so you'll need to call them to ensure that you get a compatible risen for the repair.

I've had good luck with the details presented at https://www.fibreglast.com/product/fiberglass-repair-composite-repair/Learning_Center Family Handyman also has a beginner's writeup for boat repair which I used when someone scratched some choice words into a topper that I bought for my truck. https://www.familyhandyman.com/automotive/how-to-repair-fiberglass/view-all/ They provide some tips on getting the gelcoat to blend which will help make the repair look complete.

Looking at that last pic you may want to remove some more glass from around the embedded bracket, rough it up with some 60-80 grit sandpaper, clean with acetone, so you get a good bond between the metal bracket and the new glass. I've even gone as far as drilling a series of small holes in the metal and glass panel then stitched fiberglass thread through the holes to ensure a good connection. (this was repairing rigging on a sail boat so the hold had to be complete.)

Other than that I say: Get a respirator, LOTS of elbow length gloves that don't dissolve in the resin/chemicals, an accurate scale, and work outside if temps and conditions permit. Good Luck with the repair!

Boort
 
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Boort

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I was able to get everything put back together and looking not too bad (for an amateur and his first try)… Thanks for all of the input!
Looking sweet! Enjoy your Turkey day road trip to Colorado!

Boort