Fiberglass / Gelcoat Repair II

[john g]

My repair to my front bumper is satisfactory but not perfect. I thought I would solicit advice before moving on to other body blemishes, eg mold release voids and rough edges.

For the bumper, I repaired the structural damage with four layers of fiberglass on the inside of the bumper, and the bumper is now structurally sound. For the finish side, I sanded off the gel coat that had separated near the crack and sanded the surrounding area. I then filled in with the gelcoat paste in the FFR repair kit, sanded until smooth, and then when necessary applied gelcoat itself. My problems are:

1. The color doesn't match perfectly. The new paint/paste seems a shade lighter or possibly a bit orange.

2. The new surface is not shiny. It came out dull, so I polished it with rubbing and then cleaning compound. It looks better, but not perfect.

3. It took several attempts to fill in the gaps and get a smooth surface. I assume that this reflects my inexperience. Should I have filled in the gaps first with Bondo and then the paste and paint in the gel kit?

Suggestions welcome.

John

[flynntuna]

There is some good info on the other forum page ffcars

http://www.ffcars.com/FAQ/

[john g]

Thanks for your suggestion. A very interesting link. I didn't, however, find anything specific to gel coat. I will keep looking.

[flynntuna]

This is also a good one...

http://boatworkstoday.com/

[john g]

Thanks very much. Very good site.

One problem I've encountered is specific to the 818. Specifically, the red gel paint does not cover well a black layer that seems to be under the gel coat in some places. Any suggestions welcome.