Well I have a 1/4 panel on my 87GT that's cracked. The crack is about 5" long no material missing, simply a crack. How would I got about repairing this??

Could I use that stuff people use to bond the trans am vents into the fenders or something?

Thanks for any feedback.

Ditto the same question.
I had a dummy lift my car at Tuffy Muffler, crack it and then deny it 15 minutes later after I had noticed it.

I'm not a professional, but the way I would do it is to grind out a V on both the front and back side of the crack, and then use a good 2 part plastic filler to fill the crack on both sides of the repair. Then sand it smooth.

I had to repair my left front fender recently.
The previous owner of my GT got into a minor fender bender that left the drivers side fender in two pieces.

The way I fixed the fender was fiber glass and bondo.

I first ground around the area to be repaired. I went back about 6 inches on each side of the crack.
I then used Gorillia glue to hold the two pieces together while I worked with the fiber glass.
I layed down three layers of fiber glass over the damaged area.
Once it dried I took a grinder to the outside of the fender and the new fiberglassed area to rough the surface up.
Once I hadd all the paint removed and the fiber glass roughed up I cleaned the area off with a air hose followed with rubbing alcohol and a lint free cloth.
Next I applied bondo over the repaired area.
After the first coat I sanded the bondo down with 80 grit sand paper and repeated the above cleaning process.
I then applied a second layer of bondo, sanded with 80 grit paper once it dried.
I applied a third coat of bondo and sanded it after it dried with 80, 120, 240, 400, 600

The fend it now strong as new and you cant tell where the damage area was, if I had it painted.

I have also repaired the little piece just above the mirror opening, on the door skin, in the same manor.

I am very pleased with how both pieces have turned out.
If you go the fiber glass route you will have a part that is as strong as new.

[This message has been edited by NeoNot (edited 10-08-2007).]

Go to your nearest autobody supply & buy some panel adhesive made for the type of material you are working with. The doors, fenders, & 1/4 panels are RRIM. I think the rockers/ground effects are TPO. They may have a product that works on both. Grind (slowly so as not to melt) the back of the crack with 24 grit, 1" around it (at least). If you don't have a grinder then hand sand with 24 grit, but you'll need a grinder later. Mix the repair material with a little chopped (with scissors) fiberglass mat for strength, & apply to the area about 1/8" thick (minimum) behind the crack. Once that dries, grind out the front of the crack in a "V" & fill in with the same repair material. Mat is not needed but dosen't hurt. Finish as you would any body repair.
Do *not* use fiberglass resin.
HTH,
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

America - made in China!

Yeah when I said plastic filler I meant filler specifically made for plastics, not bondo type plastic filler. Sorry if I confused anyone.

Trust me on this! Get some of this http://www.westmarine.com/w...001&ddkey=SiteSearch
I used it with great success to attach my stage 2 door and fender pieces and it would work great for any repair on our panels. Dries hard as a rock but sands nicely!
A quart of the resin/105 and a pint of 205/hardener is plenty for many jobs!

[This message has been edited by Gokart (edited 10-08-2007).]

quote Originally posted by Tha Driver: Do *not* use fiberglass resin. HTH, ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver" America - made in China!

Why do you not want to use fiberglass resin???
In the service manual it states to use almost the exact process I described above.
Not trying to start a flame war here just wanting to know the why, incase there is an unforseen issue with doing it the way I described.

By the way I said bondo simply because it is general understood to be a body filler. I actually used a product called Kitty Hair that is forumlated for fiberglass filling.

quote Originally posted by NeoNot: Why do you not want to use fiberglass resin??? In the service manual it states to use almost the exact process I described above. Not trying to start a flame war here just wanting to know the why, incase there is an unforseen issue with doing it the way I described. By the way I said bondo simply because it is general understood to be a body filler. I actually used a product called Kitty Hair that is forumlated for fiberglass filling.

The problem is that the rockers aren't fiberglass they are more like a plastic and fiberglass resin won't stick to plastic. It might for a little while, but eventually it will delaminate.

Edit: also as stated the fenders and door skins are rrim or prim which is not fiberglass. If you use a "Bondo" or a fiberglass resin that is not made to be used with those materials, they will shrink at a different rate than the material that you are trying to fix and six months down the road you will most likely be able to see your repair stick out like a sore thumb.

[This message has been edited by fieroluv (edited 10-08-2007).]

quote Originally posted by NeoNot: Why do you not want to use fiberglass resin??? In the service manual it states to use almost the exact process I described above. Not trying to start a flame war here just wanting to know the why, incase there is an unforseen issue with doing it the way I described. By the way I said bondo simply because it is general understood to be a body filler. I actually used a product called Kitty Hair that is forumlated for fiberglass filling.

Also they have different expansion rates. As the parts heat up & cool down through the seasons that causes then to seperate. Kitty Hair should not be used - unless they've re-formulated it in recent years - directly on top of the plastic either (& no filler should be used over any paint). They make a special filler for plastics & SMC; your local autobody supply will tell you what to use. Differen companies stock different brands. You *can* use bondo, Kitty Hair, & other similiar producst over *epoxy* primer. You should never use fillers to excessive depth.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

If you can't take the heat, get out of the nuclear reactor.

Thanks for the info. That makes since what you are saying about the different expansion rates.
I was simply using the info supplied in the service manual as far as my repair went.
On the filler, I didnt put it over any painted surface. All surfaces around the repaired area were roughed up with a sanding wheel on a grinder. I made sure to get the areas clean before applying anything.

I will live with it for now. If it fails I recently purchased a SE body kit from a local guy, minus hood and trunk lid, for 2bills. It will make a nice donor fender if needed.