Filling holes fibre glass roof

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mariner
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Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by mariner »

Hi guys, I've a super Viking with the steel bar running round the back of the roof and I need a bit of advice on repairing the roof so I can re-secure it. Previous owner had pretty much used sealant around the bolts to keep it in place :roll:

I've cleaned it all out and now need to fill the holes so that I can refit the bar, I want to run a roof bar across the top from either side of the steel bar so the fixing needs to be good. Any way I can do this without removing the lining on the inside? Cheers for any help
1985 Super Viking with Subaru EJ22 (formerly 1.9 petrol DG)
1981 air-cooled 2.0 high top

Da dan
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Re: Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by Da dan »

You could drill out and use resin to fix in a stainless steel bolt or nut? What you thinking of putting up there? Also have to think you need to open it as there is already a lot of weight up there.


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mariner
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Re: Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by mariner »

Thanks for the reply, was thinking about resin but having stuck a knitting needle into one of the holes it feels like there's a great cavity there! Would only be a surfboard on there so not too much weight. Having a bespoke bar made and fitted for the front of the roof but really want to run the back one off the current steel bar if I can to keep costs down! Hopefully the pics will help the explanation!
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1985 Super Viking with Subaru EJ22 (formerly 1.9 petrol DG)
1981 air-cooled 2.0 high top

mariner
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Re: Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by mariner »

Would it be possible to pack the holes/cavity with some fibreglass matting and then pour in the resin? Does the matting absorb the resin before hardening? Apologies if these are dumb questions but starting from a zero knowledge base on this one :oops:
1985 Super Viking with Subaru EJ22 (formerly 1.9 petrol DG)
1981 air-cooled 2.0 high top

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JonB
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Re: Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by JonB »

This is something I need to address on my Viking when it's back from the garage. My bar is currently wrapped in black insulation tape and is attached by what appears to be wood screws. My headlining is a bit ratty so I could sneak a peak under it in places and it's basically fibreglass -> gap -> headlining.

My plan was to browse some boating search results and youtube (as they seem to use a lot of fibre glass). In my head I was planning on filling the holes completely then re-drilling and sealing. Probably bolts with a good size spreader plate (washer) on the inside..but that's as I'd be changing the headlining.

That said the headlining only appears to be attached by a million staples so you could be very careful to undo parts of it.
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adie89
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Re: Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by adie89 »

mariner wrote:Would it be possible to pack the holes/cavity with some fibreglass matting and then pour in the resin? Does the matting absorb the resin before hardening? Apologies if these are dumb questions but starting from a zero knowledge base on this one :oops:

You have to work the resin in and get air out. Usually by stippling with a brush. He resin goes off pretty quickly and for finish I would think do the repair with matting on the inside so you can key the surface nicely and hide he repair. Use a bit of filler on the outside to retain the shape better, maybe even add a metal plate on the inside as a strengthener if you wish or use a large washer as a load spreader.
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Da dan
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Re: Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by Da dan »

Mine is the same and on the list of jobs to do. It seems that a piece of wood is moulded into the area when casting so I’m just assume that it’s rotted away. Better fix will be all the way through the roof with bigger plate on inside. Then fill with resin. Just make sure it’s all dry first as you want addition.


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Slider2
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Re: Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by Slider2 »

I would get some stainless threaded inserts (female M6? Maybe https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blind-Self-Tap ... Ciid%253A5 and open out the holes a little to allow them to be bonded in rather than screwed in.
Ensure the resin filled up as much as it could inside the grp shell to give.a mechanical bond as well as a chenical adherence. I'd be making a jig to plug the female threads with waxed up m6 bolts and this would keep the inserts square and parallel.

For adhesive I'd be tempted to try a chemical anchor type two part self mixing cartridge Gun.


At least that's how I'd do it!.... probably!

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marlinowner
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Re: Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by marlinowner »

Jack nuts.
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mariner
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Re: Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by mariner »

Thanks for the replies guys. I like the idea of the threaded inserts and bonding them in, should give the kind of strength I'm after. The previous mix of bolts and wood screws were simply screwed into the wood filling below the fibreglass shell.

I think the driver's side front hole and the two back holes can be drilled out and then re-filled easily enough. The front passenger side hole has developed a cavity beneath it. Whatever was there is gone! I've prodded around with a knitting needle and there seems to be a cavity of about 2 square inches. Any suggestions on what I could pack this space with? It obviously needs to be worked through the hole and then go off, allowing me to fill and fix the final section with the threaded insert.

I'll let you know how the inserts go!
1985 Super Viking with Subaru EJ22 (formerly 1.9 petrol DG)
1981 air-cooled 2.0 high top

Da dan
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Re: Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by Da dan »

Casting resin. Inject into the hole. Will set hard and can be drilled.


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mariner
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Re: Filling holes fibre glass roof

Post by mariner »

So finally got round to this! Ended up drilling out the two holes at the back and the one at the front that still had some solid wood under the fibreglass, then filled these with everbuild high performance two part wood filler before drilling new holes for the fixings.

Previously the bar had been fitted with two bolts screwed directly into the wood at the front and a couple of wood screws at the back. I decided to use the stainless threaded inserts suggested by slider and went for m6 at the front and a couple of m5 at the back. Once I'd drilled the holes (which we were in a slightly different position to the originals) I screwed in the inserts before bolting down the rail.

The only issue was the front passenger side as the wood had completely rotted out leaving a big empty space below the entry hole in the roof. I didn't want to remove the headliner inside so wasn't certain about the cavity I had i.e. did it have any gaps for something that I poured in to then run out of? I ended up packing with foam filler before scrapping a portion of this back out and packing with the wood filler. Here I was drilling into pure wood filler and the first couple of times it gave way. I kept packing it out until it held. The threaded insert didn't screw in so well to just wood filler so I used some filler around it when I screwed it in to give added strength.

Pleased with the outcome, feels sturdy and well secured and should take the weight of a surfboard once I get a roof bar across it. Happy days and thank for all the help! :ok
1985 Super Viking with Subaru EJ22 (formerly 1.9 petrol DG)
1981 air-cooled 2.0 high top

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