Repairing/prepping exterior of '89 Scamp?

[Steve and Rosemary]

This post got longer than I expected so I erased it and made this summary which is still pretty long.
1. I need to remove silicone -- there's some kind of product at Lowe's that will help me do this, I hear.

2. I need to remove some other kind of white hole-filling thing that is definitely not silicone. Any idea what it could be? Looks like hardened clay sort of.

3. I need to fill holes that are no longer being used; spare tire was moved to back and there are rivet or screw holes in the front used for something else (a wide, but short, rectangle shape at the front end below the window). Any tips on what to use? I've heard about epoxy mixtures and bondo but really don't know which is best or worst or really what I should do. One tip was some kind of white nylon plug but any tried and true tips would be great. Is there a way to fill the holes with fiberglass or gel coat or something?

4. I need to clean her and make her shine. From what I can tell, my gel coat thickness will help determine what I do for shine -- floor wax or marine compound. How do I tell how thick my gel coat is? Will this also determine what I do to clean it? We have big black stains in places and I'm wondering if I should use BKF if my gel coat is think... but of course, I don't know how to tell!

5. Finally, we have some cracks in her and I'm not sure if repairing them is on the "near future" list or not. If it's something we can do, I'd like to do it before we shine her up. If it's something we have to have done, any idea who I should approach? I'm wondering if knowing that there are fiberglass repairs to be made should help me pick which way to shine her I should go (considering removal in the future).

Thanks in advance for your tips. I love and am currently obsessed with this forum!

[Steve Hammel]

Unless you are a body man or are a very good hobbyist I'd probably have the cracks taken care of down the line when you can afford it. In the meantime shine her up and enjoy it. Also the hole filling white stuff is probably epoxy designed for that purpose. Go to a marine supply store and see what they have for filling fiberglass holes. They may even have something for cracks but I doubt they have a perfect color match for a large area.

[Steve and Rosemary]

Sounds good. Thanks, Steve. I don't have anything that's very big; there is a long crack above the front window but I need to take a good look at it to see how deep it is. If it's too deep I wonder if I can replace the gravel guard (our girl was missing hers when we bought her) or not. The crack has, of course, been covered in silicone but I don't know if that was the previous owner's love for the stuff or if it really needed it. Thanks for the tip!

[Donna D.]

Answer to question #1 can be found in this thread: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post299447

#3, I've used a marine epoxy similar to this, it's easy to work with, dries white, is sandable and paintable and it's waterproof: PC-Marine Epoxy Putty, 2 oz # 025567 by Protective Coating Company

#4, I'd go with Red Max Pro or whatever is the currently used name. It's now been long enough (a couple of years) that it seems to be as successful as folks hoped. Remember, cleanliness is absolutely paramount before application, otherwise you'll seal in the dirt and it will be visible. Have you read this lengthy thread? http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...-43004-18.html

#5, if the cracks are on a horizontal plane, or you can figure out a way to build a dam... this is a popular choice: Capt. Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure

[Steve and Rosemary]

Thanks for the information! I have read the string about poliglow thoroughly and will do as it instructs (red max pro). I am also going to buy both the Dap sillycone remover and some Tolleys. Instead of silicone, what do you use? Also, stupid question maybe, but what is the horizontal plane? Some of my cracks are on the larger side so do you think I should use the Marine epoxy for those? And what about drill holes inside? The PO used silicone and paint. It looks horrid. Thanks again for your input; what a help you and this forum are!

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by Steve Hammel

Unless you are a body man or are a very good hobbyist I'd probably have the cracks taken care of down the line when you can afford it. In the meantime shine her up and enjoy it. Also the hole filling white stuff is probably epoxy designed for that purpose. Go to a marine supply store and see what they have for filling fiberglass holes. They may even have something for cracks but I doubt they have a perfect color match for a large area.

This is my theory. I have a few spiderweb cracks on the gelcoat of mine. I decided the fix might look worse than the cracks, unless it was painted.

I left them alone and did the floor wax route. They don't look that bad.

The floorwax does an AMAZING job for the cost.

[Ron in BC]

1. Silicone, yes, there are products that will help with silicone removal. I don't use them. I use a plastic scraper (or my finger nail ) and get rid of most of it. Then I scrub the area with Tumbler. Its primary purpose in industry is to remove traces of silicone before painting but I use it for everything that I want to be silcone free before installing things like windows etc.

2. If whatevers in there is solid, leave it be. You will want to make sure it's recessed a little so that you can cover it with "the right stuff".

3. Bondo or epoxy; your choice. Bondo works really well and is easier to use and sand. If you are going to do a "proper" repair and use gel coat over it then bondo is the better choice.

4. You can't easily tell the thickness of the gel coat and even if you could see an exposed edge in one location it wouldn't mean a thing. Typically there is a lot of variation in the thickness. Presume that if you use an abrasive cleaner it will abrade the gel coat, maybe to the point that you will have a new problem to deal with

There are non abrasive cleaners that will remove stains. Good old oxylic acid works well. The blue gell that I for the life of me can't remember the name of is excellent on all stains.

5. If the goal is keeping the surface gel coat, as opposed to repainting the whole trailer, then use gel coat to repair the cracks and top coat the areas where holes have been filled. Any fiberglass shop can sell you a small jar of colored gel coat that matches your existing gel coat. If not, they can color match for you. With a little practice you can do a repair that is virtually undectable.

This topic has been covered previously is some detail and maybe one of the forums "super searchers" can provide you the link.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Steve and Rosemary

what is the horizontal plane?

"Captain Tolley's" needs to be able to hang on long enough to set up- it'll just run out if applied to a down-pointing crack.

Francesca

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

"Captain Tolley's" needs to be able to hang on long enough to set up- it'll just run out if applied to a down-pointing crack.

Francesca

Hmm. I wonder what would happen if you taped the crack off, then put it in from the top, on a vertical one?

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Steve and Rosemary

3. I need to fill holes that are no longer being used <cut> there are rivet or screw holes in the front used for something else (a wide, but short, rectangle shape at the front end below the window).

What was removed was most probable a E-Z black water hose holder such as the one sold at Camping World.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Jared J

Hmm. I wonder what would happen if you taped the crack off, then put it in from the top, on a vertical one?

That's standard practice when doing something called "cello finishing".

Basically acetate or poly sheet is taped over the crack being repaired. A small amount of gel coat is put on and the poly is smoothed upwards. The air is removed and the poly sheet not only holds the gel coat in place but makes a very smooth finish.

Ron

[gcssr39]

search this site, i used this product in the antique refinishing, there are blends for fiberglass repairs,;;ZAP Glue

[RogerDat]

I don't think you can beat Bar Keepers Friend and a soft wet rag for cleaning white gel coat. You might find those inexpensive auto detail scrub brushes of use too.

I did RedMax and was amazed. SemiChrome or NevrDull polish on the aluminum. But be warned the black from the polish is a pain to get off of the white gel coat. Masking tape or remove to polish.

I sealed several rivets using white liquid electrical tape when cold weather hit before I could replace missing snap caps. White liquid electrical tape appears to have handled the michigan cold/heat cycle for a year and I was able to take it off with a finger nail.

This is not structural repair but does seal, and does not look too bad. Will flow into cracks and crevices.

[Steve and Rosemary]

So here's our final needs list so far.


1. DAP Silicone B Gone: for silicone removal
2. Barkeepers Friend, Bleach, Oxalic Acid blue gel, Nylon Scrubber, TSP: for cleaning before wax.
3. Red Max or Zepp Wet Floor Finish: for final waxing and polishing.
4. Butyl Rubber Caulk in black and white: for capping the rivets and running along belly band and windows after polishing.
5. SemiChrome or NevrDull: for the belly band.

We still need advice about the results of simple and easy ways to fix the spiderweb/hairline cracks in the gel coat. Here's what we are looking at but do you have other suggestions or preferences about the best approach?

1. Captain Tolleys for horizontal cracks only.
2. PC Marine Epoxy Putty by Protective Coating Company. Have no idea how to use but it was suggested before.
3. Small container of gelcoat to match. Again, is this a good approach? Is it easy to fix.
4. ZAP glue was also a recommended solution. Does it work?
5. Nothing at all since the cracks are just cosmetic.

As always, thanks for your advice.

[Steve and Rosemary]

Struggling to find DAP silicone be gone. Did they stop making it? Has anyone tried McKanica brand?

Also, I got oxalic acid at Ace but it's a powder, not a gel. Has anyone used it in this form?

Still wondering if I should buy Cpt Tolleys, PC Marine epoxy putty, zap glue, or gelcoat in white -- would love your thoughts -- for the spiderweb/hairline cracks.

[Donna D.]

This thread might help. An excellent writeup by BCDave: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post299447

[Steve and Rosemary]

I have an update on DAP Silicond be Gone: it is gone; no longer being made. I don't know what we're going to do but I saw a product by a different company with the same name. I will probably buy a small tube of it to test and post another update here.

We're also still trying to figure out how to deal with the hairline cracks. Any suggestions?

[Donna D.]

Depending on where the cracks are, this stuff works on horizontal surfaces, but you'd need to build a dam of some sort or be prepared to work slooowly.

Capt. Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure

[Steve and Rosemary]

Thanks for the tip -- Tolleys is on our list! Does it dry so you can't see it or is it more practical than cosmetic?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Steve and Rosemary

Thanks for the tip -- Tolleys is on our list! Does it dry so you can't see it or is it more practical than cosmetic?

Well... "see it" is subjective, but the webpage says this:

The Creeping Crack Cure is so thin that by using capillary action it can find its way right inside fine cracks and joints to set to a clear flexible seal.

Now you know what I know!