Fairing bits and fiberglass

[JPaganel]

I now have a belly pan and a very decent left hand panel, courtesy of 56CHEVY, which was extremely nice of him.

Inner panel had a couple of cracks I glued very successfully with ABS cement, and the belly pan has a few cracks that have been repaired as well.

I sort of had this notion  of putting in a layer of fiberglass on the inside of the plastic to make it stronger (and possibly more heat resistant). Is it worthwhile? Or should I leave it alone and deal with the damage as it comes? 

[keand3]

I now have a belly pan and a very decent left hand panel, courtesy of 56CHEVY, which was extremely nice of him.

Inner panel had a couple of cracks I glued very successfully with ABS cement, and the belly pan has a few cracks that have been repaired as well.

I sort of had this notion  of putting in a layer of fiberglass on the inside of the plastic to make it stronger (and possibly more heat resistant). Is it worthwhile? Or should I leave it alone and deal with the damage as it comes? 

Hi.

Don't mix fiberglass and ABS plastic.

I have recently gained a lot of experience ABS plastic with poorly repairs of fiberglass with this on my bike by the PO. It was very frustrating that the repairs didn't last, that was until i know why.
The fiberglass and the epoxy won't bond very well with your ABS plastic part which is oil based. The epoxy are not able to get the chemical reaction it needs.

You should considering welding the pieces insted (using a soldering iron), it's probably a lot less time consuming too since the weld comes instant after cooling down and the epoxy will need time to set.
If you need extra strength, you may melt in some wires and additional plastic (scrap plastic), or buy wide welding rods that are strengthen with Kevlar. Be sure to buy ABS plastic.
Then just sand it down and paint it.

Ken

[HARTLESS]

so I got to thinking...(which is never a good thing) what if I just stuffed some muffler glass in the collector?

[fuel80guy]

In the next few weeks I will be starting my fairing repairs both upper and lower as well as side panels.
In my research I found an excellent video on YouTube.In a nutshell this guy used used abs glue mixed with thin stripes of abs.The thin stripes of abs dissolved into the glue to format a paste.For bigger cracks he used aluminum screen but I have also seen mesh drywall tape used embedded in paste.The mixture is 50/50 glue to abs.

[movenon]

In the next few weeks I will be starting my fairing repairs both upper and lower as well as side panels.
In my research I found an excellent video on YouTube.In a nutshell this guy used used abs glue mixed with thin stripes of abs.The thin stripes of abs dissolved into the glue to format a paste.For bigger cracks he used aluminum screen but I have also seen mesh drywall tape used embedded in paste.The mixture is 50/50 glue to abs.

To add to the mix of stuff to use. For backing or reinforcement I have used the product.

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/epxy_plstc_s/overview/Loctite-Epoxy-Plastic-Bonder.htm

Home Depot usually stocks the stuff for less than 8 dollars.
George

[HARTLESS]

In the next few weeks I will be starting my fairing repairs both upper and lower as well as side panels.
In my research I found an excellent video on YouTube.In a nutshell this guy used used abs glue mixed with thin stripes of abs.The thin stripes of abs dissolved into the glue to format a paste.For bigger cracks he used aluminum screen but I have also seen mesh drywall tape used embedded in paste.The mixture is 50/50 glue to abs.

To add to the mix of stuff to use. For backing or reinforcement I have used the product.

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/epxy_plstc_s/overview/Loctite-Epoxy-Plastic-Bonder.htm

Home Depot usually stocks the stuff for less than 8 dollars.
George

I have heard that this is the way to go as well. I am having the same problem with my belly pan and jb weld and the like just keep cracking. need to get the abs pipe glue and be done! also, sorry about the miss post, i have no idea how that happened and didnt even know it did. probably a cell phone mishap  (embarrasing@  )

[movenon]

Really for a running crack you should "end drill" it so it will not spread.
But then you have a hole to fill and repaint etc.. The only other thing is to take another piece of ABS and bridge or plate it on the back side to help stop the stresses that are involved with the crack. For ABS material you can heat the ABS up and press it on to the back surface letting it cool to the contour, now you have a custom made ABS plate to glue on the back side of a curves surface.

If you have a plastic suppier around you can usually buy scraps of 1/8 thick flat ABS. A few small sheets of it comes in handy. Mine just gives me what I need out of his scrap bin.

I have (and do) use ABS cement to initially hold the ABS and then the next day put a backing on using the plastic rated epoxy or more ABS glue and some reinforcing material (more ABS material , wire screen etc).

"Weld-On" makes a glue , I think it is Weld-On #16 which is good but you have to let it set over night. You should let ABS pipe cement set also but the ABS pipe cement has some initial fast set to at least hold until it cures.
George

[fuel80guy]

George you gave me an idea.What if I heated the abs with a torch and dripped it like a candle?
I did see on the video about end drilling cracks.
It's a good thing have a spare chopped fairing to experiment with.

[movenon]

George you gave me an idea.What if I heated the abs with a torch and dripped it like a candle?
I did see on the video about end drilling cracks.
It's a good thing have a spare chopped fairing to experiment with.

Yes on the "experiment"
No on the candle idea... (IMO) Its more than hot plastic dripping on to cold... Both surfaces need to melt into each other. Controlled heat on both surfaces...
End drilling is the correct way to stop a running crack if you can do it. Sometimes on a fairing for cosmetic reasons you might elect to plate it in the rear and just live with the visible crack on the top side. But if you are going to repaint it then I would end drill and fill it.
Good luck and let us know what you learn along the way 
George