how to repair a car splash shield
as you can see this engine splash shield
is in really bad shape
virtually every screw hole is torn and
there is also a few cracks
a two inch hole and a section is missing
first we need to give it a good clean
and remove any grime especially around
any damaged sections
next sandpaper around those damaged
areas as this will provide a good key to
our fix
using fiberglass you can also attain
improved resin grip by scoring the
plastic with a utility knife
i've placed blue masking tape on the
opposing smooth side of the damaged
areas
fiberglass should be applied outside in
a shaded area or in a well ventilated
room
now to cut two small fiberglass patches
for each of the damaged areas
use gloves and eye protection when using
resin
add some catalyzer to the resin and
thoroughly mix them together
spread the resin with a brush or by
pouring small amounts onto the
fiberglass patches
let the resin soak into the fiberglass
you will know that this has happened as
the fiberglass will change from being
white to virtually transparent
try to remove any air bubbles by pushing
them out with a fiberglass
roller or with a brush you can also pop
any air bubbles with a knife
fiberglass drying times can vary greatly
due to the amount of catalyzer used
altitude ambient temperature
and humidity you need to return every 20
minutes to check on the drying process
it is far easier to trim drying
fiberglass when it has reached a
semi-hard gelatine state the best tool
for doing this is a general-purpose
knife
if you return too late and the
fiberglass has gone rock hard you'll
need to trim off any excess with a
dremel type cutting disc
now i'm sanding the area next to the
missing section and there is also a
large crack which is easier to fix from
underneath
as mentioned before you can also score
the area with a knife to help the resin
bind to the plastic
i've cut an oversized piece of
fiberglass for the missing section
and later on i'll cut the fiberglass to
the shape required
next i place an old melamine door
beneath the missing section
it has been polished with some car wax
to stop the resin binding to the door
as before i mix up some resin and
catalyzer but this time i'm adding some
black pigment dye
this wasn't really necessary as later on
i'll be painting the fiberglass black
let the resin soak in and roll out any
air bubbles
here i'm fibre glassing the large crack
that was difficult to repair on the
opposite side
due to there being ribbed reinforcement
now i hang the shield to dry but as
before i return every 20 minutes to
check the drying process
fiberglass has now reached the
semi-heart gelatine state
i'm now drawing a paper template from
the opposite side which will then be
reversed to form as a cutting guide
now to remove the excess fiberglass with
a general purpose knife
then we leave it to dry for another 24
hours
a quick inspection and all looks well
but the new section needs some
additional fiberglass reinforcing
on the opposite side
off camera i cut out the drain hole
before the fiberglass was fully cured
the fiberglass is fully cured and now
i'm applying a black underbody paint
to the repaired areas you can paint
fiberglass with latex acrylic paint but
polyurethane or epoxy paint
are more durable now to drill the screw
and drain holes
apply some more paint over the exposed
fiberglass holes
and here we have the final results not a
bad job and i'm happy as the cost of a
new shield from a dealership would have
set me back around 250 dollars
aftermarket splash shields are generally
cheaper but i couldn't find one for my
car
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