Fiberglass repair advice needed

jsek29

Observer
So, I let my roof rack rub a hole in the factory top of our '07 JKU. The hole is about 2"-2.5" in diameter and it is all the way through the first layer and I can see the hollow inside the top. It is NOT clear through to the interior of the Jeep. Can anyone give me any helpful tips on repairing this?

While I am pretty handy, I have no idea what materials are available to me, I am currently in Gaborone, Botswana, and need to be on the move in the next couple of weeks. I need to be able to fix it in place. I am also not opposed to a long term temporary fix and getting it properly fixed sometime in the future. Would filling the hole with Bond-o achieve this? Would it be to hard remove any bonds from the hole for a proper fix later?

I also have a couple of other spots where the fiberglass is worn, but not through. I was thinking of Bond-o for these to protect the glass and resin. None of these spots are deeper than 1/4". I just want to cover the white and keep any moisture from wicking through when we get into rain.

Thanks for any help and advice!
 

jeffk24

New member
While I have no idea how easy this will be to find in Bostwana...a boat or auto store should have a fiberglass repair kit. It comes with a small amount of fiberglass matt, resin, and hardner. It is really easy to use and repair. The important thing is to try and sand the area around the hole so that you can overlap the fabric about an inch to give it enough material to attach to. Won't look pretty after drying without a lot of sanding, but will definitely get the job done. Good Luck!
 
@jsek29, I'm surprised you haven't Zen with Scherb yet.. Scherb has plenty of topics here which go into detail about fiberglass repairing..
 

jsek29

Observer
@jsek29, I'm surprised you haven't Zen with Scherb yet.. Scherb has plenty of topics here which go into detail about fiberglass repairing..

OH, I'm aware of his mastery of fiberglass fabrication. One off stuff like that is gruel an art form. I wasn't aware of his repair threads. With limited internet access, I didn't have time to scan through a bunch of threads so I fired a flare in the air, so to speak. I like what I've seen thus far, but if anyone else has any idespas, I'm all ears.
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
If you can dip into Namibia or South Africa I'm sure you'll have no problem finding what you need there...

-Dan
 

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