Here's a CbF panel I repaired with plastic welding. Solder iron and some pieces of ptf plastic. Most bodywork is abs though.
Here's the crack, I know it's small but it could have spread.
Final clear coat and good as new
That is a very nice repair
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That is a very nice repair
U
ukilme
Guest
That is a very nice repair
+1. Can't even tell it was damaged.
Plenty of good ideas here. Basically, any decent epoxy will do the job. Screen or some other type of mesh for reinforcement helps, too. With epoxies, if you can find one with a longer working time, you will generally get more flexibility in the cured material. I'm currently setting up a couple of fairing patches to try out System Three Quickfair fairing putty. It's a filled, two part epoxy that comes in special cartridge for use in a regular caulking gun. I'll report back on it when I finally finish the work.
While I see some people doing this, I dont think it has been mentioned explicitly:
One of the primary things to do when making a plastic crack repair is to grind out the crack so that you dont have a butt joint remaining from the crack.
That is a tremendous stress riser and needs to be removed. Either by grinding away and refilling with a structural filler or melting the edges together and then filling over the top with something that can be non structural.
In addition since you do have a crack, it usually means that the structure was not strong enough in that particular area in the first place. Adding structural additional material to spread the load beyond the original parts design would be beneficial.
One of the primary things to do when making a plastic crack repair is to grind out the crack so that you dont have a butt joint remaining from the crack.
That is a tremendous stress riser and needs to be removed. Either by grinding away and refilling with a structural filler or melting the edges together and then filling over the top with something that can be non structural.
In addition since you do have a crack, it usually means that the structure was not strong enough in that particular area in the first place. Adding structural additional material to spread the load beyond the original parts design would be beneficial.
I've repaired side cover cracks by roughing up the plastic on the back side with 80 grit and then opening up the crack with a V-cut to allow slow dry epoxy to get down inside. Overlay with a nice sized piece of fiberglass mat followed by more epoxy. Once the epoxy is dry you can sand it down on the back side to smooth out any lumps, and use a touch of high quality body filler as necessary on the front side. The glass patch will give the repair area some stiffness and keep it from cracking again - it will be stiffer that the original material.
Some before and after shots...
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H
Hitman Customs
Guest
Here are some of my body panels and fairings that I plastic welded. As you can see, these panels were completely changed using the stock plastic panels and designing around them, welding the large areas with plastic filler rod and reinforcing stainless steel mesh. Epoxies meant for plastics or welding rod specifically for the type of plastic you are welding, are what I would recommend. Plastic's bend, flex, go through vibration, temperature change, sunlight, sudden jolts from roadway conditions...etc. A small crack maybe you can get away with, but for tabs, anything for strength, or covering large areas, I would recommend using the right components specifically for use with welding plastic. 1st pic 2005 GSXR 600, 2nd pic 2008 Hayabusa, 3rd pic 2005 Hayabusa.
