Plugging bumper bracket openings - Fiberglass

You could make some plugs but then you'd have to make the plugs, which is getting more involved. Given the size of the holes (1 1/2 or 2" x 5 or 6"?) it might be just as easy to start by taping cardboard to the inside as a form and getting a couple of layers on the outside first. Or, since the areas aren't that big, you could glass both sides at once; the areas are so small I don't think they'll sag. I don't think it's really going to matter. Any way you do it will produce great results, with enough attention to detail. Al

Bob, I've patched some pretty good divits on fiberglass boats and a hole in a fiberglass canoe with Marine Tex. It's a 2 part epoxy that you can mold like clay and hardens quickly. You can sand and paint the same day if needed. Just a thought.

Al,

Marine-Tex promo blurbs makes the product sound like the mending fixer-upper of the century!

"Handles like putty, Hardens like steel, Sands like wood"

"Repairs fuel tanks, engine blocks".... Huh?

"Bonds to metals, plastics, hard/soft woods"

But, customer satisfaction comments speak of gouges, scraps, dents, moderate holes, etc....nothing about backing preparation to filling a thick large size void in something like a fiberglass panel such as BobG is contemplating.

Would it be possible to embed this 'putty' with a layer of fiberglass cloth to prevent cracking/chipping of a thick application?...and to use the cloth as supporting 'wings' on the backside?

If you want real epoxy supplies.  Use West Systems, NOT related to West Marine retailer, but sold there and in finer chandler and boat yards in the US.  I  have done many complete bottom jobs(no comments guys) with their material and they have materials, ie "System" for every application.  Online/phone support is great.  This what the pros use.   Regards,  Art

Thank you all for your input and recommendations. Once the weather here starts to sustain temperatures north of 50 or so I will heat up the garage area around the car to make up the difference between 50 and 70 and get started. That looks like it could be awhile!

Bob- I've done fiberglass (and bondo) work when I couldn't get the garage temp up; aim a work light at it and it will get warm enough for the resin to kick. Al

Thanks, Al. I am getting impatient with getting some things done on the car. 

Welcome you are!

Rather than fiberglassing and repainting.  How about nerf bars or solution like Rich Dewek did with cast over-riders.  He has molds for them.

Greg, I've got the mold, but making 4 wax copies was big time time consuming and they were $320 in aluminum castings and a months worth of grinding and polishing. It wasn't an easy job ( for me at least). But I do love em.

Wolfgang:

The car is going to need re-painting anyway, so this is just one more step along the way. This past summer somebody hit me in a parking lot and nearly broke the rear bumper in half. I popped both bumpers off along with the brackets and kind of like the look. Since I already did some fiberglass repair to the front and it is primered over, I'm not doing anything that destroys the overall condition of the existing paint job, just taking another step.

I like Rich's "bumperettes" as well, (I like everything about Rich's car, particularly the drivetrain) but Like that smooth body line that shaved bumpers give a 356.

Bob,

I like the 'shaved' look you're contemplating.

But to compliment that image it's begging for a louvered engine lid too!!

      I recently got a quote from Mr.AC for his glass louverd hood. A decent price but stretches my re$ource$... so I'm thinking of Oliver's neat (and frugal!) solution of splicing in some metal louvers.

      The drawback is the reality that louvered 'donor' appliances are flat paneled and our speedster lids are gracefully curved, so the width of the louvers have to be narrow enough not to look dorky!!...Maybe wider louvers can be torched and gently curved as to not collapse the openings...which would look really dorky!!!