Ok, I have a couple questions that need some answers.

1) I have been working on a front fascia that has spider cracks in the urithane. I have gone about sanding off off all the cracked paint, but I'm wondering if new paint will end up cracking as well. Healthy doses of primer seem to fill in the cracks, but is that enough to keep new paint from cracking?

2) I just bought an 88 coupe for $650, but it has a really badly bent clutch banjo rod. When I looked at it, I didn't notice what size of pin the pedal had on. Did the 88's come with both the large and small clutch pedal pins? If not I can just look on my 88GT to see what the correct size is so I can order a replacement from Rodney. Otherwise, is it possible to somewhat strighten out the banjo rod as a temporary solution so I am able to drive the car home? If not, my options are to replace the bent banjo rod, or have it towed. The cheaper of the two options is obviously fixing the banjo rod.

bump....

1. If you have cracked paint, primer, or plastic, it will crack the new paint. You need to remove all of the cracked paint/primer, and reprime and then your paint will be fine. If you have cracked plastic, you need to repair that crack first with the proper repair material, then prime and paint. Any cracking will crack the new paint.

2. I have no idea. Sorry I can't help with this one.

Mark

to expand on Firefox's response to #1 - if you've sanded down to the surface material and the cracks still show, you'll need to actually use a grinding tool (I generally use a dremel with a fiberglass reinforced cutoff wheel) and "dig" into each crack. Then, go back and fill in your new "grooves" with a flexible urethane epoxy/filler (most local auto shops sell them marked as a "Flexible Bumper Repair Kit". It's 2 tubes that get mixed 50/50 and you spread it into the cuts - then after it's cured you go back and sand to shape. It takes a little patience, but the outcome is always better!

(as for #2 - I'm not of any help either here... I drive an auto ).

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Looking for Fiero posters?

I am more then familiar with the flexable sandable repair epoxy. Have used it many times on this thing already. Having done body work in the past, I did know that I have to get rid of all the spider cracks from the paint, but I have never ran into the problem where the actual urithane was spider cracked as well so I was just wondering if getting the spider cracks out of the paint (which I have done by sanding it away) would be enough or not. The spider cracks in the urithane do not appear to be all that deep (just past the actual surface) so was just wondering whether they would cause problems or not. From what your saying they will, which means tons more work yet to go...

As for question #2, I think I am just going to steal the banjo rod out of my 88 sitting in my garage and use it to repair the new car to get it home. I couldn't pass up picking up another 88 for that price even being unemployeed. The guy I am buying it from is the original owner and bought the car back in 88. Perhaps this was one of those fiero's that the banjo rod was installed upside down. Although he did mention something about replacing a master cyclinder, but I can't remember if he said clutch or brake master. If it was the clutch, it very well could have been that it was installed upside down.

I guess maybe I should elaborate a bit. When I'm mentioned the cracking in the plastic, I'm talking about actual damage to the bumper cover itself.....not just the paint. As MinnGreen said, the 2 part epoxy repair goo is the stuff to use, and as he mentioned, you need to dig it out and groove it so you get enough epoxy material to bind to the cracked surfaces. What I've done in the past is to run my grinding disk edge or cut-off wheel into the crack on BOTH sides of the cover and actually create a gap between both sides of the crack, and then bevel the edges so the repair filler will actually hold the 2 sides of the crack level.....

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If you do it this way, the repair material will be thicher than the groove, and not allow it to flex around and crack again. Don't groove it straight or it might crack again.

I hope that helps clarify.

Mark

[This message has been edited by Firefox (edited 02-09-2004).]

Yes, I understand what your getting at, and I do that for actual tears in the fascia (tear being defined as going all the way through). What I have is spider cracks on the surface of the urithane, that is what I am wondering about. They are all over the urithane itself and I believe don't even go below the initial urithane surface (the black outer surface). Perhaps I should take a picture of what I am talking about, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

As promised... an example of what I am talking about. Hopefully the detail didn't get lost too much when I reduced it.

[This message has been edited by 88-DOHC (edited 02-09-2004).]

Sorry....I was watching Ghostbusters. If that's what I think it is, that cracking is still in the layers of primer that are still on the car. You're going to have to sand that out. You're probably going to get right down to the plastic by the time you are finished, and then you're going to need to use a primer/sealer and then a primer/surfacer before painting to reseal the plastic. That looks like it's been painted a couple of times in the past and you have quite a bit of paint left.

Let us know!

Mark

hehe, that isn't paint or primer your seeing, thats the black outer urathane that you see if you were to buy a brand new fascia. There is no paint, or primer in that picture (well, there is some of the original factory red paint around the bottom of the picture) The lighter splotches of color is whats under the outer black urathane coating because I had sanded through it. I have had to deal with spider cracks before, but have never ran into something like this, hence the reason I was asking if sealer/primer would keep the new paint from cracking.