Fairing road rash

[cclase]

whats the best technique to repair ABS road rash?  appreciate the insight!
chris

[Pat Conlon]

Sand to get the paint off, as much as you can, then Bondo and block sand accordingly.  It's not a high flex area.
Use only ABS glue with a back up piece of ABS on your cracks

Worked on my '84's road rash.

[cclase]

Thanks Pat!  I wasn't sure if the grooves should be sanded down or just cleaned up and filled.  Appreciate it.
chris

[Mark Olson]

Um... well if you are broke , use colored duct tape and some stickers . Correctly place with care they can hide a myriad of sins.

I actually went to my first rally in 2006 with duct tape on my FJ . 

You could hardly notice .   

[red]

whats the best technique to repair ABS road rash?  appreciate the insight!
chris

Chris,

You should drill a tiny hole at the very end of any cracks, to prevent further cracking.  You can find how-to posts here for ABS plastic repairs.  Use ABS glues only.  You can dissolve Lego blocks in the glue to make a "repair putty" as thick as needed, for fixing broken or missing pieces.

If Bondo and a paint job will cost too much, look into Plasti Dip, in many colors including white, in brush-type or spray cans.  Apply some with a Nylon squeegee or a plastic card, as a first coat, to fill the gouges.  Finish coats will be smooth.  Try it on some scrap practice pieces, and see if you like the results.  If you decide against it later, it just peels off.

Also check out the 3M 1080 (and similar) car wrapping films, in all colors, even "carbon fiber" printed sheets.  You can get it in smaller sheets on eBay.  Google can tell you lots more, and YouTube has how-to installation videos for the car wraps.  The wraps can be removed later, also.

Cheers,
Red

[cclase]

Mark-yet another great application for 100MPH tape!  Is there anything it can't be used for?

Red-thanks for the alternatives!  I read about making ABS "goop" here previously...I assumed I would need to use this at some point in the repairs as I thought it would just the ticket for the scratches on the fairing.  However, it sounds like bondo is the first choice.

Still reading and learning...

chris

[Brook]

.... JBweld works well.  and is very strong

[Pat Conlon]

I am a big fan of JB Weld, use it all the time, however the correct glue to use on ABS plastic is ABS glue..

Right Steve (from Florida)?

At our last WCR Steve broke the stem (ABS) of his mirror and being a fan of JB Weld, I recommended a trip to the local Willits Ace Hardware for some JB Weld.....bad move, wrong application. There was plenty of surface area on the crack for JBWeld to adhere but alas, the fix did not hold.
Steve promptly lost his mirror on the next ride.

Had we used ABS cement the outcome would have been different.
The ABS cement actually melts the plastic surfaces together. The JB Weld, as good as it is, does not.

Lesson learned.

[Brook]

.... should have let it sit for 24hours.

For the pic's above, JBweld would work great.......... Well, at least it did for me!!

just need to let the JBweld harden.

also, for the cracked areas, I have had really good luck, with using JBweld , a small piece of sheet metal, self-tapping screws.... Along with a drill and a small cutting blade on a Dremel........... A clean and long lasting results.

[cclase]

We're getting ready for a 1st annual Christmas Eve party around here, so I haven't had much time to do more than research.  Thought this little tool (or similar) may make an interesting addition for plastic repair work:

http://the3doodler.com/welcome-3doodler/

...at least until I can find/afford a full on ABS 3D printer...

chris

[ribbert]

We're getting ready for a 1st annual Christmas Eve party around here........

chris

At what intervals did you previously hold it?

Noel

[Steve_in_Florida]

I am a big fan of JB Weld, use it all the time, however the correct glue to use on ABS plastic is ABS glue..

Right Steve (from Florida)?

At our last WCR Steve broke the stem (ABS) of his mirror and being a fan of JB Weld, I recommended a trip to the local Willits Ace Hardware for some JB Weld.....bad move, wrong application. There was plenty of surface area on the crack for JBWeld to adhere but alas, the fix did not hold.
Steve promptly lost his mirror on the next ride.

Had we used ABS cement the outcome would have been different.
The ABS cement actually melts the plastic surfaces together. The JB Weld, as good as it is, does not.

Lesson learned.

In this case, it was the best we could do.

A failed attempt at sabotaging accidentally damaging Father Pat's beautiful `84 broke my left mirror at the base of the mirror housing. Only about an inch of ABS was affected, around where the stalk joins the mirror.

Had to be sparing with the JBWeld, as I still had to be able to adjust the mirror once it was reconnected.

Attempted to use heat to get it to cure faster, as the first full day of WCR riding was only a few hours away.

.... should have let it sit for 24hours.

For the pic's above, JBweld would work great.......... Well, at least it did for me!!

just need to let the JBweld harden.

also, for the cracked areas, I have had really good luck, with using JBweld , a small piece of sheet metal, self-tapping screws.... Along with a drill and a small cutting blade on a Dremel........... A clean and long lasting results.

Brook: Self tapping screws? Metal reinforcement? Man, that's a PROPER FIX! Remember, the rally was OUT IN THE STIX!!! Not _EVEN_ a PROPER STRIP CLUB!!!  (They told me I'd have to go to SAN FRANCISCO for THAT KIND OF ENTERTAINMENT!!!  )

Actually, the fix held up remarkably well; a whole lot longer than I thought it would. Almost five hours of riding, I think.

Once I entered "The Kookaloo Zone", though...

Something about the physics of wind, vibration, speed, friction, drag, (hootin' and hollerin'?)...

I actually WATCHED the mirror kind of waver a bit. Maybe flutter. Then it just detached.



No better way to justify a new set of CBR mirrors, though.

...that's the reason my bike wasn't in the WCR lineup photo. The embarrassment of not having that left mirror.

(Trolling for STRIPPERS! <rolls eyes>  Indeed!)

Steve

[cclase]

We're getting ready for a 1st annual Christmas Eve party around here........

chris

At what intervals did you previously hold it?

Noel

Noel,
This is our first go at a "once annual" Christmas Eve party...traditionally it's just been us, but we decided that this year we'd like to put together a proper party with friends and family for the primary purpose of spreading Christmas cheer!  Reckon time will tell whether it becomes tradition or not, but we're hopeful!

chris

[cclase]

ok, thanks to all for the suggestions!  after a bit more research, i've done a little experimentation with ABS goop.  it will be obvious that i'm a novice, nonetheless, still managed to produce some interesting results...goop was made with acetone and lego/duplo bricks.  here are some before and after pics that i hope will be helpful.

chris