Need Some Guidance With A Resin Hood

[weirich1]

Just got a Mustang GT500KR resin hood in the mail and its's got a crack in between the vents on the front end.

1. What is the best way to repair this crack?

2. What preparation is required before the part can be painted? I've heard that resin parts need to soaked in the cleaner used to clean white lettering on 1:1 tires.

[Brendan]

To fix the crack, I usually use CA glue (superglue), line up the crack so it's as smooth as possible and then put a drop of superglue in from the back side of the crack. I usually use accelerator to make it cure quickly. Light sanding and see if there's any big gaps. If there are, use a good putty. I prefer automotive putty, which seems to work better. Sand it down till it's smooth. Put a couple of coats of good automotive primer on and see if there's any other flaws.

For prepping the resin, I'm not in favor of soaking it in cleaner. I've had problems occur with doing that. I use a good soap or detergent and use a toothbrush with warm (not too hot) water and just start scrubbing. Then I wash it off and then use alcohol which is at least 91% and wipe it down, but not soaking it. (I prefer denatured alcohol.) Then let it airdry. Put a good primer on and go through the steps of painting.

Hope this helps.

[novadose71]

Brendan seems to have a good system for cleaning resin. I had always heard that a soak in Westley's whitewall cleaner was required until I soaked 6 sets of wheels from Time Machine Resin for around 20 hours. All were fine except one wheel out of the 24 got soft, I could roll it into a ball, still can, four months later. Time machine sent me a whole new set of four and recommends a soap and water wash. I think some companies still might recommend the Westleys Blech white.