Fiberglass repair

larry and cheryl

New member
Aug 29, 2006
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New owner, first time on gmc list!
I need to repair body panel above Tee skirt and the generator door. Is the
fiberglass kit from Auto Zone okay to use, or should I use some other kind?

Larry Dilk 76 Eleganza II purchased from Al Smith in Greenville, PA
Don't drive it home on 9 year old tires!!!
I did register it with Dave Greenberg
Thank You in advance

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> New owner, first time on gmc list!
> I need to repair body panel above Tee skirt and the generator door.
> Is the fiberglass kit from Auto Zone okay to use, or should I use
> some other kind?
>
> Larry Dilk 76 Eleganza II purchased from Al Smith in Greenville, PA

The AutoZone kit is probably a polyester resin kit. If so, DO NOT
use it. The mold release agent that was used in the SMC (sheet
molded compound) of the GMC prevents the polyester resin from getting
a good bond. So you should only use an Epoxy resin.

I wrote a fair complete article about GMC Fiberglass Repair in the
GMC Motorhomes International club newsletter that was just mailed
out this July. Issue #96.

Borrow it from a friend, or better yet, join the club and we'll send
you all of this year's newsletters, Parts Interchange Booklet and
other publications with your membership.


Emery Stora
VP Administration
GMC Motorhomes International
3128 Vista Sandia
Santa Fe, NM 87506
505-660-9507




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On Wed, 2 Aug 2006 22:04:46 -0400 "Larry and Cheryl"
writes:
> New owner, first time on gmc list!
> I need to repair body panel above Tee skirt and the generator door.
> Is the
> fiberglass kit from Auto Zone okay to use, or should I use some
> other kind?
>
> Larry Dilk 76 Eleganza II purchased from Al Smith in Greenville, PA
> Don't drive it home on 9 year old tires!!!
> I did register it with Dave Greenberg
> Thank You in advance
>
>
Welcome to the Net Larry. This is the Foutain Of Knowledge!

Dave Greenberg
Port Saint Lucie, Florida
GMC Motorhome Registry "Dedicated To The Preservation of The Classic
GMC!"
www.GMCss.com/Registry.htm
http://www.picturetrail.com/gmcregistry

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Welcome Larry,
I had a fracture in my genset door and every attempt to repair it saw
the crack reappear. I finally bit the bullet and bought a new one
from Golby in FL. Fiberglass repair kit should work as the body from
the beltline down is fiberglass. The end caps are some kind of molded
plastic but I've seen successful repairs on them using fiberglass.

>
> On Wed, 2 Aug 2006 22:04:46 -0400 "Larry and Cheryl"

> > New owner, first time on gmc list!
> > I need to repair body panel above Tee skirt and the generator door.
> > Is the
> > fiberglass kit from Auto Zone okay to use, or should I use some
> > other kind?
> >
> > Larry Dilk 76 Eleganza II purchased from Al Smith in Greenville, PA
> > Don't drive it home on 9 year old tires!!!
> > I did register it with Dave Greenberg
> > Thank You in advance
> >
> >
> Welcome to the Net Larry. This is the Foutain Of Knowledge!
>
>
> Dave Greenberg
> Port Saint Lucie, Florida
> GMC Motorhome Registry "Dedicated To The Preservation of The Classic
> GMC!"
> www.GMCss.com/Registry.htm
> http://www.picturetrail.com/gmcregistry
>
> ---
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:unsubscribe-gmclist
>

--
Steve Ferguson
'76 EII
Sierra Vista, AZ
Urethane bushing source

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Is the fiberglass kit from Auto Zone okay to use, or should I use some other kind?

Ah, an area of concern that I share....

I too have a gen door that is missing a piece, due to a blind spot when I was parking the motorhome for the winter....

I spoke with Jim Bounds once and he suggested that the original fiberglas is not the automotive kind you get at Auto Zone so it will not permanently repair the crack/repair.

The fiberglas is SMC, the type that was/is used on the Corvettes. ( Bet you didn't know you were driving a cousin to the sports cars ). He said that any repair had to be made with the SMC which he says can be picked up at any auto paint supply store. I have been slow at getting this going since the piece that is broke out of my gen door is pretty good sized.

Then Jim Bounds stated that when a motorhome comes in for paint, they don't repair the doors, they replace them due to the tendancy of the cracks to return. This seems to be caused by the door being so thin and unable to support any repair. I thought that if I built up the repair area that maybe the door would have a chance to be repaired permanently.

It would seem that the normal automotive type fiberglas is unable to maintain a tight hold/repair on the SMC fiberglas and eventually you will see cracks and/or the repair will fall apart eventually.

Someone was talking about using fiberglas cloth with some other stickum that held up. Perhaps they can chime in here and tell us how the repair is doing. Maybe they found a way around the SMC type problem.

Otherwise, having to replace the door is probably the only answer. Then again, we can't replace the body panels so what do we do in that case????

Enquiring minds want to know.
--
LarC
74 GLACIER 260/455/APC/4 bagg'r(ver3)http://www.gmccoop.com/4_air_bag_install.htm
_______________________________________________
Purchased 08-18-04
She has that unique one-of-a-kind design, SWEET!
_

- - More to Come - -



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>
>
> Is the fiberglass kit from Auto Zone okay to use, or should I use some
> other kind?
Larry.
I have made many repairs on GMC and Corvette body panels using epoxy
and various types of fiberglass cloth over the past 40 years and can
assure you that SMC is repairable. Just don't try to use polyester
resin. Many people confuse the term fiberglass to mean the resin when
it more aptly applies to the cloth or mat material.
Get a good quality epoxy resin like West System and read the
instructions and cautions.
However like Jim said if you can get a replacement door this many be
cheaper depending on what your time is worth.

Nelson Wright
77 EL II & 78 Royale rear bath
Orlando, FL

>
> Ah, an area of concern that I share....
>
> I too have a gen door that is missing a piece, due to a blind spot
> when I was parking the motorhome for the winter....
>
> I spoke with Jim Bounds once and he suggested that the original
> fiberglas is not the automotive kind you get at Auto Zone so it will
> not permanently repair the crack/repair.
>
> The fiberglas is SMC, the type that was/is used on the Corvettes. (
> Bet you didn't know you were driving a cousin to the sports cars ).
> He said that any repair had to be made with the SMC which he says can
> be picked up at any auto paint supply store. I have been slow at
> getting this going since the piece that is broke out of my gen door is
> pretty good sized.
>
> Then Jim Bounds stated that when a motorhome comes in for paint, they
> don't repair the doors, they replace them due to the tendancy of the
> cracks to return. This seems to be caused by the door being so thin
> and unable to support any repair. I thought that if I built up the
> repair area that maybe the door would have a chance to be repaired
> permanently.
>
> It would seem that the normal automotive type fiberglas is unable to
> maintain a tight hold/repair on the SMC fiberglas and eventually you
> will see cracks and/or the repair will fall apart eventually.
>
> Someone was talking about using fiberglas cloth with some other
> stickum that held up. Perhaps they can chime in here and tell us how
> the repair is doing. Maybe they found a way around the SMC type
> problem.
>
> Otherwise, having to replace the door is probably the only answer.
> Then again, we can't replace the body panels so what do we do in that
> case????
>

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Lawrence,
My coach was one of those with a small fracture on one of the corners
of the genset doors. Repaired twice, painted twice, came back twice
even though a relieve hole was drilled at the end of the fracture.
Since this was a complete facelift for the coach I didn't want to have
to deal with it again so just replaced the entire door. Probably
would've been cheaper that way in the first place.

Steve Ferguson
'76 EII
Sierra Vista, AZ
Urethane bushing source

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> New owner, first time on gmc list!
> I need to repair body panel above Tee skirt and the generator door. Is=20
> the fiberglass kit from Auto Zone okay to use, or should I use some=20
> other kind?
>
> Larry Dilk 76 Eleganza II purchased from Al Smith in Greenville, PA
> Don't drive it home on 9 year old tires!!!
> I did register it with Dave Greenberg
> Thank You in advance
>

Larry:
We couldn't tell were you live (saw you bought your coach in PA so=20
thought you might also live in our area), but thought we would forward=20
this invitation to join our work day coming up next Saturday.

Welcome! (In advance!) to the GMC world. We joined it three and half=20
years ago and found this group to be a tremendous blessing both while=20
at home working on the GMC and while on the road. This past February we=20
went from PA to Padre Island, TX for a month. Our GMC developed a=20
hesitation on acceleration in Austin, TX and in 15 minutes after=20
posting the problem on the net here, we were talking to Walt Taylor who=20
lives just south of Austin. The next day, he spent most of the day=20
helping us find the problem and fixing it. What a great guy and what a=20
great net! We hope we can help someone in the future like we were=20
helped.

Workdays are a great idea and we have certainly benefited from them in=20
the three years we have owned our GMC. I couldn't tell where you live=20
(most of us try to post our GMC model and our general location in our=20
email signature), but if you are close to us in Pennsylvania, you (and=20
anyone else on the list) are welcome to come to our work day in August.=20
Three years ago this is how we met several other GMCers in the=20
mid-Atlantic region as some of them traveled from Virginia and New=20
Jersey in addition to Pennsylvania. This is the invitation that we=20
posted a week or so ago:

We're planning another GMC work day - August 12, 2006 - here at our=20
place in south central Pennsylvania. We thought we'd open it to any=20
GMCers that might want to come since there are several folks on the=20
GMCnet that we don't know yet or someone might be on vacation in our=20
neck-of-the-woods. You might wonder what is a "GMC Workday?" Well, I=20
guess you could say it is a combination of sharing ideas, working on=20
the GMCs, and a kindred fellowship and sharing time for the families.=20
The first year we had 6 GMCs and their owners plus one owner without=20
his GMC who just joined in and helped where he could. Last year we had=20
3 GMCs. We host the day here at our home which is 1 mile off of I-81 at=20
exit 80 about 10 miles north of Harrisburg, PA. Our address is below in=20
case you want to check the location on Google Maps or Mapquest.
=A0
A few details about the day....
- We'd like to make it clear that the wives are invited (but understand=20
if there are other responsibilities/commitments). In fact, if you have=20
children, they are invited, too. Most of us, our kids are grown, but=20
we'd sure enjoy experiencing yours for the day! Since we live out in=20
the country, we have lots of space for play.
- The Rothgabers have typical tools for a mechanic (our son is a=20
"motorhead" who's current project is a turning an old VW beetle into a=20
4 x 4 rail buggy), air tools, jacks, mig and stick welders, but we=20
don't have any specialized GMC tools.
- Unless someone has a better idea, we will do the food similar to=20
previous years: The Rothgabers will provide sandwiches, sodas, and iced=20
tea for everyone for lunch and the other families bring a side dish=20
and/or dessert for everyone to enjoy. We usually order out for pizza=20
for dinner.
- The guys spend their day helping each other to work on "projects" on=20
the GMCs and talking over ideas. This year Rick Denney is going to help=20
Doug Rothgaber replace the front wheel bearings on the Rothgaber GMC.=20
Rick has the new bearing replacement tool for doing this.
- The ladies spend their day fellowshiping, sharing ideas, doing GMC=20
projects, and making sure the guys had plenty of food. We can also do=20
things like go shopping or sightseeing.
- You are welcome to dry camp Friday and/or Saturday night if you wish=20
or just show up on Saturday with or without your GMC. The guy's work=20
is usually underway by 7 or 8 AM, but some people can't make it until=20
later. If you need to leave early on Saturday, we understand that, too.
- If any of the families want to do some sightseeing while the guys=20
work, we are 15 miles from the state capitol, the National Civil War=20
Museum, and the Whittaker Science Center. Hershey and all its=20
attractions is only 6 miles away.
- If you know of someone else who might like to come, please forward=20
this email to them and extend a warm GMC welcome. We only ask that they=20
RSVP so we can plan the food and the parking of the GMCs.
- If you'd like to see some photos from the first year when we had 6=20
GMCs here:
=A0
This link takes you to Jeff Williard and Michelle Morgan's photos:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/gallery/showalbum.php?aid 715&uuid mmorgan
=A0
This link takes you to Doug and Nada Rothgaber's photos:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/gallery/showalbum.php?aid 1014&uuid rothgabe=
r
=A0
We look forward to hearing from you. If you are new, we hope you can=20
join us. If you came in previous years, we hope you can join us again!=20
Please RSVP so we can plan the food. Our phone number and email is=20
below if you would have any questions and to RSVP.
=A0
Doug and Nada Rothgaber
=A0
> > > > > > > > > >
Doug and Nada Rothgaber
75 GMC Avion "The Patriot"
outside Chocolatetown, USA (Hershey, PA)
1032 Ridge Road
Grantville, PA 17028
717.469.0459 - leave a message if no answer
cdr4



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Steven Ferguson writes...

> My coach was one of those with a small fracture on one of the
> corners of the genset doors. Repaired twice, painted twice, came
> back twice even though a relieve hole was drilled at the end of the
> fracture. Since this was a complete facelift for the coach I didn't
> want to have to deal with it again so just replaced the entire door.
> Probably would've been cheaper that way in the first place.

So, are doors available for 23' coaches?

I have patched mine with a standard fiberglass kit, but I'm expecting
the patches to peel off at any moment based on what I've read here. I
would rather replace the doors than keep trying to fix the unfixable.

Rick "probably out of luck" Denney

'73 230 Ex-Glacier "Jaws"
Northern Virginia

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> I
> would rather replace the doors than keep trying to fix the unfixable.
>
> Rick "probably out of luck" Denney

Rick - it is not at all "unfixable". I repaired one of my several
years back and its still holding fine.

I know that I had mailed a GMCMI newsletter to you in early July.
Look at page 96-2 and there is an article that I wrote entitled "GMC
Fiberglas Repair". This explains what SMC is and why you must use an
epoxy based resin to repair it and why the polyester resins will not
work. It goes into quite a bit of detail about how you must taper
the crack and work layers of fiberglass into the damaged area rather
than just apply a patch to the surface. If you follow those
instructions you should be able to get a good repair.

Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Santa Fe, NM



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In a message dated 8/4/2006 10:18:21 A.M. Central Daylight Time,

>I would rather replace the doors than keep trying to fix the unfixable.

Rick

I had fixed my propane door twice. It did not hold so I replaced it.
When the guys started painting my coach they found that the
generator door had been glassed over on the inside. I went over
to look at it. I could pull the glass matt off of it by hand. I
ordered a new one from Golby. His supply will run out some
day and the price will only get higher. JWID

Take Care
Arch


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I got mine from Golby.

So, are doors available for 23' coaches?
Rick "probably out of luck" Denney

'73 230 Ex-Glacier "Jaws"
Northern Virginia

--
Steve Ferguson
'76 EII
Sierra Vista, AZ
Urethane bushing source

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Rick,

I think the doors for the 26' have a "cut line" molded into the inside of
the door for use on 23'.

Ken H.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steven Ferguson [mailto:botiemad11]
> I got mine from Golby.
>
> So, are doors available for 23' coaches?
> Rick "probably out of luck" Denney

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Ken,
I just went and looked and by golly you're right.

> Rick,
>
> I think the doors for the 26' have a "cut line" molded into the inside of
> the door for use on 23'.
>
> Ken H.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Steven Ferguson [mailto:botiemad11]
> > I got mine from Golby.
> >
> > So, are doors available for 23' coaches?
> > Rick "probably out of luck" Denney
>
>
> ---
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:unsubscribe-gmclist
>

--
Steve Ferguson
'76 EII
Sierra Vista, AZ
Urethane bushing source

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Ken Henderson writes...

> Rick,

> I think the doors for the 26' have a "cut line" molded into the inside of
> the door for use on 23'.

That's what I discovered in a phone call to Golby. I'll consider them
after I've spent the money for the intake manifold, which is a higher
priority.

Rick "whose patches are still holding" Denney

'73 230 Ex-Glacier "Jaws"
Northern Virginia

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The Dealer Training Tapes offered by Tom Lins ( tlins ) has a
session on Body & Interior Repairs in which they detail the fiberglass
repairs. They say to use Epoxy also. Love these tapes!
Bill Brown - 77 Buckeye Cruiser
Coshocton, Ohio
www.bdub.net/billbrown/

----- Original Message -----
From: "Emery Stora"

> I know that I had mailed a GMCMI newsletter to you in early July. Look
> at page 96-2 and there is an article that I wrote entitled "GMC Fiberglas
> Repair". This explains what SMC is and why you must use an epoxy based
> resin to repair it and why the polyester resins will not work. It goes
> into quite a bit of detail about how you must taper the crack and work
> layers of fiberglass into the damaged area rather than just apply a patch
> to the surface. If you follow those instructions you should be able to
> get a good repair.
>
> Emery Stora
> 77 Kingsley
> Santa Fe, NM

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On Wed, 2 Aug 2006 22:04:46 -0400 Larry and Cheryl wrote
> I need to repair body panel above Tee skirt and the generator door. Is the fiberglass kit from Auto Zone okay to use, or should I use some other kind?

In March, Jim Bounds said:
> Fixing those LP & generator doors is a speculative endevour. They are very thin for what they do and have little reinforcement and once they get a weak spot in them it stays.
> The door is made of SMC (sheet mold compound), thats the stuff Corvettes are made of today. Fiberglass resin will not actually bond to this fiber mixed, vacuum formed plastic. Neither will bondo or other 2 part glues. There are SMC glues and fillers available at your local automotive paint supplier, tell them you are working on a late model Corvette and have them pull out all the products that you would use in working the body. The SMC glue will bond and the filler will not break out although the door is very thin.

So the answer is to use special SMC glues which are like epoxy, NOT polyester, and reinforce with fiberglass cloth or build up with mat.
Polyester is cheap; a watery liquid catalyzed with a few drops of a liquid trigger chemical. 'Bondo' (tm) is usually polyester with fillers and a creme hardener and is not good for us on our plastic panels either. Epoxy is expensive and is usually a two part, half and half mixture. None of these will bond well to SMC. (Sheet Molded Compound. Our panels were made by heating a sheet of fiberglass compounded with a plastic that was pressed in a heated Mold to the shape of the panels.)*
Preparation and abrasion can compensate for a lot. The inside of the panels tends to get greasy and that forms a barrier to bonding no matter what you use.
Incidentally, I found this searching the GMCForum for 'Corvette SMC' Since the same questions keep popping up, it is good for GMCers to know the extensive mine of data in past posts is still available.

"*Yes, I know there were variations on the process"

--
Hardie Johnson "Crashj"
1973 26 foot Glacier, White Thing
Enola PA

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There is no reason you cannot make a solid, long lasting repair of your doors. I have successfully repaired corvette stress cracks over the wheel wells as well as significan boat repairs from racing collisions including high stress carbon spinnaker pole ends. All of these see significantly higher stress loads than our doors.

The following link will take you to a host of publications available in libraries specifically related to West System epoxy techniques. The Gougeon brothers perfected marine epoxy... http://worldcat.org/search?q=fiberglass+repair+west+system Their dispensing system guarentees that you will have a perfect resin mix every time.

Generic fiberglass repair material including many DVD and VHS instructions http://worldcat.org/search?q=fiberglass+repair

One of the best tips that I have taken to heart from one book I read... "When you think you are done prepping the surface, you are half way there... when you think you have completely mixed the resin and hardener, you are half done". Also remember that the strength comes from the cloth, not the resin. Use only enough resin to wet the cloth.

For those with a venturi vacuum connector for their compressor, you can get excellent results by simply duct taping a plastic sheet over your repair and inserting a hose. Make sure your hose is long enough and uphill to the venturi valve so you don't get resin in the valve. Draw a vacuum and you will remove all of the air for a more solid repair. Keep under vacuum until the resin goes off.

--
Mike
77 Palm Beach, 260, 403
Dublin, OH
http://teamteets.org/GMC

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Greetings, Netter folks. I am about to fiberglass in one of the holes left over from my former Suburban furnace. I have installed an Atwood dual speed unit. I seem to remember that a certain kind of fiberglass compound wouldn't adhere to the bodies of our coaches. Is this just a brain fart, or do I really remember this? Sure would appreciate some intel on this subject. I know there is plenty of it out there. Thanks a bunch in advance.
Pat
76 EII
Omaha
--
Hang in there, Friday's coming

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Pat writes...

> Greetings, Netter folks. I am about to fiberglass in one of the
> holes left over from my former Suburban furnace. I have installed an
> Atwood dual speed unit. I seem to remember that a certain kind of
> fiberglass compound wouldn't adhere to the bodies of our coaches. Is
> this just a brain fart, or do I really remember this? Sure would
> appreciate some intel on this subject. I know there is plenty of it
> out there. Thanks a bunch in advance.

The dealer training tapes suggest using epoxy resin along with the
fiberglass cloth. Do not use polyester resin. Most cheapie repair kits
are polyester, but West Marine sells West System products that include
an epoxy resin for fiberglass.

Rick "learning all sorts of things on those dealer training tapes"
Denney

'73 230 Ex-Glacier "Jaws"
Northern Virginia

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