Extending the edges of a fiberglass panel

[motley911]

I recently purchased a fiberglass rear deck lid (very large 935 style wing). I understand that fiberglass panels rarely fit - so I knew what I was getting into.

The problem that I have is the edges of the deck lid have been over trimmed and this has made the gaps to the rear quarter panels and the tail lights too large - as shown in the attached photos. I want to extend the edges of both sides of the panel however being new to fiberglass and bodywork I am not sure where to start. The part is too large to return to the manufacturer - so that is not a cost effective option.

My int ital thoughts are to try to build up the underside of the edges with some foam and shape it to the desired width / profile. Then make a mold on the top surface. Remove the foam from underneath, feather the underside edges of the deck lid and built it up with fabric and resin and finally trim to suit.

I guess that this is a common problem with fiberglass panels and figured that some of you guys may have some better ideas on how to tackle this. Any better suggestions and does anyone know a good on line source for fiberglass materials?











Thanks,
Richard.

[drcoastline]

Richard the beauty of glass is it is very forgiving to work with. If you take to much off add more. Add to much sand it away. so no need to be afraid.

Determine how much you want to add. From the photos I would guesstimate about 3/8". Remove the tail from the car. Take a grinder or sander and bevel/feather edge about 1/2" back tapering toward the outer edge.

Make a backer to hold the wet glass until set. Get an old plastic Spackle bucket, orange HD or grey Lowes bucket. Cut the bottom out and the upper lip with the edges. You want the nice smooth side part. Cut that into strips so you can attach to the bottom of the wing with a little (3/8" in your case) hanging over. This is your backer. The resin will not stick to the bucket.

Cut strips of glass starting at 3/8" getting slightly wider for the next 2 or 3. so they over lap as you lay them on.

Mix your resin. wet out the 3/8" strip lay it on the piece of bucket. Wet out the next lay it even with the outer edge of the first. It should lay slightly on the edge of the tail. Then the next and then next. As you do this you will be building up the outer edge and laminating the piece to the original tail. From what I see you will need 3 maybe 4 layers of glass. When you lay on the last piece you should be roughly equal to the original glass in thickness.

When the resin is set you can sand or grind to your exact gap. If you are a little thick (the glass not you) sand it away. If you need to build it up a bit more scuff it with 80 grit paper and add a layer.

Good luck and post some pics.

[motley911]

Thanks drcoastline.
What you have proposed makes a lot of sense. I really like the bucket idea due to the ability to be able to form it around the bends in the panel - I would have never thought of that. Seems like I was over complicating things.

Thanks for the input,
Richard.

[78SCRSMAN]

Take a look at the thread below in my signature. I have posted some photos and info of some fiberglass work. It might help you some.

[Rotornut1]

I agree with drcoastline.
Fiberglass is very easy to work with, nothing to be afraid of. Grinding through the gelcoat and into the "meat" of the tail will give you a proper surface to start laying up your "extensions" take plenty off for a good strong bond. I like to use a heat lamp on parts to make sure that everything is fully cured before final shaping and sanding, you should do this on the entire part. Also, use a good dewaxer/degreaser on the entire part before doing any work, you don't want to grind mold release from when the part was made down into the resin and cause paint problems.