Blues77

Wondering if I should replace front clip or if I could repair it with fiberglass. Click on my link in sig to look at pics....thanks

daily_driver

you dont have to replace the whole front end...

you do have to replace the front urethane bumper...

and you could make a cut on the upper surround panel and keep the "top" of the fender..

then use a bonding strip and bonce the lower part of the fender to it..

ecklers sells partial fenders...

check em out.

but depending on who does it and if they do it right, this bonding seem might come through the paint....

daily_driver

oh my im a terrible typist today..

bonce= bond

and seem = seam...

:lol: :lol:

ScubaJKD

Any fiberglass can be repaired. The question is how much will it cost to make the repair either in shop labor or your own. I had several major cracks in my front end. I opted to repair, rather than replace. In hind sight which is always 20/20 I would have replaced the entire front clip. I would have saved myself lots of money and had a better base to work with. Do the best you can to estimate time to repair then wiegh that against cost to replace. My guess would be you will choose to replace rather than repair. You can check out my web for more details. :seeya

427V8

Ouch!
The fender has a seam allong the 'ridge' at the top. You would cut it there and replace only the side of the fender. Big messy scarey job. But take your time and you can do it...

Techno

I think the whole front ends are pretty high. Maybe you can change the fender.
I would fix the crack. Grind back a few areas like you were going to tack weld metal. Align the fender and glass the tack areas. Then grind back the reamaining length and glass the whole thing.
A whole front end has a few things to do on it also. This isn't an easy out.
The crack fix has as the largest labor of blending the compound curve so you don't feel it or see it.

Blues77

so you guys think just replace the right fender? If I just tried to layer it up and not replace anything would it eventually crack again? I guess im lookin for a easy cheap way out (Bubbafied).

Blues77

also How does the front bumper come off?

LAvetteman

I had pretty much the same damage on mine. My first web page shows before and the second shows after.

yooperod

If you need a piece of a rt fender ,Would a 74 work?? Maybe we can work something out. I have a fender with the back damaged from removing from the car, the upper is busted up. check the picture on my site.
rod

GaryS

Your second photo shows enough to tell me that I would repair rather than replace. It looks like the break started at the bonding seam on the right front fender. It also looks like most of the fiberglass is still there. I would always repair a panel that still looks this good. A panel that has been stripped and then rebuilt with new glass and resin should be almost as strong as a new panel. Unless you are planning on entering an NCRS type of meet, NOBODY will ever know that the panel was repaired. Strip the panel, clean it, and then take your time building up the the fiberglass on both sides. Sand it carefully and don't worry if you have to add more fiberglass from over sanding. Bondo type products are for VERY MINOR surface imperfections, not for filling holes, dips, or gouges.

Gary

Paul Borowski

Blues77, the front bumper is just "bolted" on through a set of retainers and nuts. Most of the time or maybe all the time, if your going to replace your bumper, simply "cut it off". You'll spend a lot of time trying to get every nut undone for the bumper when you could just cut it about 1/8" away from the fiberglass, then "grind off" the small bolts tacked on to this retainer, and then push them through.