Hi all, I cracked a cover panel on my excavator and was hoping to get some input on repair route. I thought it was a fiberglass panel but after further investigation I think it’s plastic. The underside shows some strands that make me think there is still some glass in there? If plastic, will fiberglass make a good bond? This would be my preferred method due to experience. Or should I use an epoxy? Here are some pics Thanks in advance
The strands you see indicate it’s probably a thermoset plastic. There may be some markings on the back side indicating what material it is. I would probably use epoxy. I like 3M scotch-weld. They have an overwhelming product line of part numbers and many would work fine for that. I don’t remember the specific one I purchase from NAPA, they only cary a couple. DP100 sounds right. Some guys will recommend plastic welding. It may be possible. I wouldn’t rule it out, but some hard set thermoplastic don’t melt very good. Lots of YouTube videos on how to identify plastic and repair options.
What is this plastic? the eternal question. Looks kinda like some lighter weight filler with almost a gel coat surface? Fibers could be a fiber reinforced plastic, like the black automotive plastic that welds nicely, and can stick to epoxy resin if you expose enough fiber. Depending on how nice you want this to look, I'd use a soldering iron to weld it from both the front and back, then fiberglass the back going far enough to cover other areas that are stressed and equally fatigued.
I would take it to an autobody shop. They have a variety of epoxies for different plastics. It probably wouldn't be expensive to have the break repaired having them paint it would be though.
At $1300 (I assume USD) I'd be trying to fix it too! I really do not know what would work best for that.
I would think V beveling both sides of the crack to get more surface area and full depth would be the strongest repair whether you used epoxy, welding or fiberglass.