fiberglass issues October 31, 2017, 01:44:16 am Getting ready to replace the front clearance lights with new LED ones when I noticed some fiberglass issues on the front of the cabover cap. Several long cracks and some weird surface markings under the black paint.I'm a bit alarmed at this, and not sure how the best way of fixing it would be. If I was at work, I'd call NDI and have them run an ultrasound on it to verify how big the cracks are, then send it to fiberglass repair to fix. This isn't an option though. I was thinking take a dremel and route out the cracks, then fill the chanels with resin. Probably wouldn't look too good, but at least I wouldn't have any leaks. Any one seen this and had it repaired? How did they do it?In case you didn't know, lazy daze decided that front windows were too much of leak path and deleted the option. Problem was the front looked like a bread truck, so they painted fake windows on the front with fake curtains on the inside. The side windows still are real.I'm hoping this is just some type of paint delamination and not an issue with the fiberglass. I leave on my cross country road trip in a little over 2 weeks so I don't have a whole lot of time.
Re: fiberglass issues Reply #1 – October 31, 2017, 02:51:01 am It looks like the gel coat is delaminating .Base on the location of the cracks, it appears that thermal expansion of the "windows' is greater than the white areas and the stress was great enough to cause the separation. I have seen minor cracking in the 'windows' but never anything like this.It could be a manufacturing defect.It's a twenty-year old LD and I doubt you have the time or desire to spend the money to repair it 'right', so epoxy resin injection, done in lifts, would be my suggestion.Larry 1 Likes
Re: fiberglass issues Reply #2 – October 31, 2017, 11:43:38 am I wonder if vinyl 'wrap' used for advertising on trucks (and solid colors on cars) would be waterproof enough for a short-term, quick stopgap? You might have to do a band-aid on the actual cracks, but the wrap from maybe just below the lights to just above the decal. The wrap guys will be able to tell you if the adhesive and product are 'waterproof enough' for the leading edge of your machine. And whether the contour of the fake window borders will present a problem.Chip
Re: fiberglass issues Reply #3 – October 31, 2017, 12:14:26 pm Quote from: Chip Chester - October 31, 2017, 11:43:38 amI wonder if vinyl 'wrap' used for advertising on trucks (and solid colors on cars) would be waterproof enough for a short-term, quick stopgap? You might have to do a band-aid on the actual cracks, but the wrap from maybe just below the lights to just above the decal. The wrap guys will be able to tell you if the adhesive and product are 'waterproof enough' for the leading edge of your machine. And whether the contour of the fake window borders will present a problem.Instead of jumping through all the above hoops, if a temporally repair is desired, use a HD mending tape.I like and use clear Gorilla tape, along with their duct tape, Either tape sticks like crazy, is waterproof and is available at any home center.Amazon.com: Gorilla Crystal Clear Gorilla Tape, 1.88†x 9yd., Clear:...Looking more at the photos, the cracks appear to be filled with dirt, requiring that they be cleaned out first, to allow the epoxy to bond, if you go this route.Larry As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: fiberglass issues Reply #4 – October 31, 2017, 11:01:17 pm Hi Photo bug. (I know you have a name) Your coach is similar in vintage, mine is a 1999 TK, and I have similar but not as bad cracks in the fiberglas, and striations in the black part. Ed Newton was famous for his 'bread truck' comment, but they wanted the look to remain the same when they did away with the front window. Better insulating factor, no glass, no water leaks and slightly better aerodynamics. As Larry said, you need to clean out the cracks with alcohol and blow it out with compressed air. I had good luck with Bondo, the fine textured one. Do a few inches at a time, and carve off the surface while the Bondo is in the jelled but not hard state. Just a few minutes window. Once it sets up it is really tough to work with. Sand and paint with Oxford White and a small paint brush. For the black part, I sanded it down flatter, then used many, many coats of high build up gray primer, sanding between coats. Then a few layers of black gloss spray paint. Larry had a better suggestion of a catalyst urethane paint. Nastier to work with for toxicity, but more durable. The good thing is people can't get too close to see minor imperfections. I'd repair the white deeper cracks first, then do the black 'window' parts when you get back from your trip. HTH RonB 5 Likes
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