cracking fiberglass

[2oo3gt]

Well the hood that I have is cracking. It is a very slow crack, but none the less, it is all the way through. It started out about 3/4 of an inch when i first noticed it about 3 months ago. Now it is getting worse. About 3 inches long. Is there anyway that I can repair the cracking cheaply or even just stop it. It is on the corner of the backside of the cowl, so no one can see it. Someone old me that if you drill a small hole at the top of the crack it will relieve the stress and stop the cracking. I have never heard that before. Any input would be helpful.

 

[Iamapil0t]

I've never personally dealt with one, esp on fiberglass, but drilling a hole does help. It's what the maintenece guys do to some of the cracks on the plastic parts of our airplanes. They say that since the crack is just an uneven break, the drill-stop prevents the crack from growing further.

 

[Iamapil0t]

Oh yeah, and then they usually fill that small hole with some of that silicon glue stuff. Hope I was some help.

 

[streethorse]

Get a bondo fiberglass repair kit, it will have fiberglass matt, resin, and hardner.
If you never worked with fiberglass you may want to practice on something else.
patch from the inside 1st after sanding and cleaning the area, let dry.
2nd patch over the outside with resin soaked matt as neatly as posible, let dry.
then wet sand and prime.