Auto bodywork: a quicker fix with G/5 adhesive

A small area in the rear quarter panel of my wife's car was perforated from rust. I cleaned the area using a Nyalox™ abrasive impregnated nylon bristle brush (Photo 1) to remove as much corrosion as possible-including the back of the repair area.

To quickly make a backer for the hole, I used G/5 Five-Minute Adhesive. I impregnated a small piece of 6 oz fiberglass cloth with G/5 and spread it flat on a piece of Melamine board. After about five minutes, the cured backer peeled from the surface of the Melamine. I trimmed it slightly larger than the hole in the fender and inserted a screw in middle of the backer so I could pull it into place when I installed it. I then coated the inside edges of the hole with a mixture of WEST SYSTEM® 105/205 epoxy thickened with 410 Microlight (Photo 2) and flexed the backer slightly to fit it through the hole. I pulled the backer into the thickened mixture, which held it until the epoxy cured. With the backer in position, I removed the screw and completed my repair. I roughened the surface with 80-grit sandpaper and applied a layer of 105/205 thickened to a peanut butter consistency with 410 (Photo 3). I rough shaped this layer after it cured and then applied a thinner coat of the same material. After this was cured and perfectly faired, I coated the entire repair area with unthickened WEST SYSTEM epoxy and wet sanded. Finally, I applied primer and spray paint using a Preval™ sprayer (Photo 4).

Sources: Nyalox™ abrasive impregnated nylon bristle brushes, Dico Products Corp., Utica, NY 13503 (purchased at The Home Depot™).

Epoxyworks 17 / Spring 2001