Fixing broken turbo tail

[jyl]

My turbo tail has been loose. Removed it and learned why.

The bolts go through the decklid and screw into clip nuts. The fiberglass has broken where the clips attach.

My plan is to get some aluminum flat stock, about 1/8" thick, cut 3" sections, epoxy to the upper side of the remaining fiberglass flange, remount tail, mark the bar stock where the bolts need to go, remove tail, drill the bar stock, remount tail with fresh rubber and nuts on the upper side of the bar stock.

Make sense?

[jyl]

I guess I coulda posted this in Tech but force of habit and all.

[Tobra]

maybe fill it in with fiberglass too

Is the rubber going to fit with the metal reinforcement?

[herr_oberst]

Tobra beat me to it. I'd do the aluminum as you suggest, (be sure to chamfer and round all edges), and I'd tape off the paint as shown and fill the voids with fiberglass cloth and resin, and sand smooth. That should keep any of those edges from cracking - you might even be able to epoxy the pieces of fiberglass that have separated back into the main part of the tail to make it a little easier to fill the voids.

[jyl]

The aluminum bar stock will be on the upper side of the fiberglass lip, so not between the tail and decklid. So from top to bottom, it'll be: nut, washer, aluminum stock, tail, rubber, decklid, washer, bolt head.

Interesting idea to fill the voids, okay I'll try that although I've never done anything with fiberglass. Maybe there's something easy to use at the hardware store.

[jyl]

And when this is fixed, and some other stuff fixed, the car is going to have its roof resprayed because the clear coat has failed badly up there.

It'll be a kinda bodgy 15 foot thing but this is a DD 911 not a garage dweller.

[jorian]

Fiberglassing is easy. Especially if it is going to be hidden and doesn't need to look pretty. You can get a kit with the mesh and hardener. Youtube is your friend for how-to. You'd have to do a fair bit of sanding to get the aluminum flat-stock to fit flat.