I'd say better safe than sorry on this one... do it once, do it right. sounds like Elnyne knows that it could work but you'd have to really know what the hell your doin

 

93CivicShaved..u have to post some pics when your dun because i would really like to see the outcome of your fiberglassing on this one

 

Hii i am going to do this also i need help someone post pics of how to do it please

 

this post is old, but i came across it and so will other people.......

you can use fiberglass. it'll last from 3-5 years as long as you do a good job. it could last even longer if the car is never driven during the winter or if you live in places where it snows (salt = bad news for cars). welding would ultimately be a better solution although if you can't do it, or you don't plan on having the car very long, fiberglass will work just fine. here's how to do it.

1. get some really rough sandpaper. 36 grit is good! (DA grinders work awesome!)

2. sand that b*tch down to the bare metal! and wipe it down.

3. get some "resin jelly" it's what they use to make fiberglass hard. might as well buy a few different sized putty spreaders. a 6" one should be fine, but it's nice to have a few other sized ones

4. open the can and take out some out and put it on a good sized flat surface. pizza boxes work great! use a paint mixer/stirrer from home depot or lowes. they have them there for free

5. mix in the hardening compound. don't use too much! if it's warm and sunny, don't use a lot. it won't take long to dry. (10-20 minutes)

6. after thoroughly mixing in the compound, it should be the color of crap. (if the resin was purple, and the hardening compound was red, you get "do-do brown"). take that mixture and spread it generously on the molding openings.

7. spread it on, and try to get it smooth. it doesn't have to be perfect. you can always apply another coat. plus you bondo over that to finish.

8. after it dries, usually like 10-20 mins on a nice warm sunny day, do a little sanding with a medium grit, like 120-160, just to smooth it out. it doesn't have to be perfect, remember, you're going to bondo over it. (wipe it down after any sanding to remove the dust!!!)

9. if you're happy with it, then do the same thing for the bondo work. if you need to touch it up before bondo, just sand it and apply another coat.

*note: the reason you bondo it is because when you sand down the resin jelly, you'll notice it isn't smooth and has bubble and little whole. the bondo goes on smooth and sands smooth.*

10. after the bondo, sand it down smooth. make sure this is how you like it. make sure it's not wavy either. rub you're have along the work around and feel for waviness and bumpiness. when you paint it and apply the clear coat, you'll see the waves and bumps.

11. primer that b*tch up with a GOOD filler primer/sealer. don't cheap out here! bondo absorbs water, and it'll make it bubble and crack! sand everything down that you're going to paint. might as well sand and paint the whole panel. it'll look better. do 2 coats of primer. make sure you coat everything.

12. paint it. do several coats (3 or 4), lightly hand sanding the previous coat with high grit (1200 or better), and wiping it down before starting the new one. make sure to sand out any drips, although you shouldn't have any.

13. apply the clear coat. 1 or 2 coats should be enough. then buff it when it dries.

and that's it! wish i had some pics. maybe this weekend when i do it to my crx, i'll do a write up on it if i can. hope this helps out some people. probably won't help the original poster, but whatever......

 

^ what kind of fiberglass resin are you using? How thick is the stuff that you can mix it with the hardener on a pizza box? I always mix my fiberglass resin in a plastic storage container (they're cheap and flexible... once the resin hardens, flex the container and the stuff cracks, and you can peel it out and re-use the container). Also, what kind of hardener are you using? Red? That sounds like creme hardener for body filler.

Anyway, to add to what you were saying, you're going to want to lay two layers of fiberglass at once (well, apply a full layer, then while it's still wet, apply a second layer). I shaved my mouldings using fiberglass last winter (ended up removing the fiberglass becuase I didn't like it)... one layer alone is not strong enough (you could take your finger and push it in).

Also, fiberglass will shrink/expand and crack eventually. The problem is, the metal and fiberglass are going to expand and contract at different rates at different temperatures... you really can't stop it.