How to repair hole in rear “plastic” cap.

[AlwaysTinkering]

This past weekend I clipped a tree with the passenger rear top corner of the RV. It is a 2004 Lexington 270 GTS. The damaged area is the “ plastic” cap which is decorative and is not structural nor does it provide critical rain protection. It shattered probably due to the age of the material (17 years old). I would like to keep the cap unit in place and patch/repair the hole. I am trying to minimize the “repair look” (yeah I know…it looks pretty bad). I am trying to find another solution other than using a fiberglass patch. I have included pictures of the damage as well as the plastic epoxy glue product (product picture included) which did not adhere to whatever material this cap is made of. I would like to find a bonding agent which will allow me to glue the loose pieces I have, back in place (to close up the hole as much as possible).
I went ahead and installed plastic backing to the inside of the hole ( so I could fill in the hole) and was thinking of using an epoxy marine filler (product picture included) for this. I will contour the filler to the shape of the repair. Before I start I wanted to reach out and see what ideas the community had for this type of repair. The hole is approx an inch wide and extends about four and a half inches.
Thanks

[D W]

Broken piece appears to be ABS plastic. I don't know if the pictured Plastic Bonder will bond with ABS. I know that JB Weld PlasticWeld will. It comes in a "putty" form, not epoxy.

[AlwaysTinkering]

Originally Posted by D W

Broken piece appears to be ABS plastic. I don't know if the pictured Plastic Bonder will bond with ABS. I know that JB Weld PlasticWeld will. It comes in a "putty" form, not epoxy.

Ok….great to hear…thank you for letting me know.

[Thomas ho]

the putty sets up fast .but it can be done . i would do 1/2 a stick mixed at a time. a helper to knead other 1/2 of stick would be helpful.2 tubes should enough, 1/2 at a time. it is sandable so it doesnt have to look perfect when applied.

[AlwaysTinkering]

Originally Posted by Thomas ho

the putty sets up fast .but it can be done . i would do 1/2 a stick mixed at a time. a helper to knead other 1/2 of stick would be helpful.2 tubes should enough, 1/2 at a time. it is sandable so it doesnt have to look perfect when applied.

Good to keep in mind while working with it.

[AlwaysTinkering]

Originally Posted by AlwaysTinkering

Good to keep in mind while working with it.

The challenges of this project were.

I was unable to find a replacement cap.

I thought about an insurance claim but decided to see if I could fix it.

I did not want to try and take off the cap (I was afraid doing so would cause even more damage)
So repairs needed to be done using just the access the hole (from the damage)provided.
I wanted to try and have the resulting repair look fairly decent..and not just slap ”roofing” tape on it.

I was unable to find any reference to what I wanted to do….sooo I took what I did find for other ABS repair projects and adapted them for my solution.
First issue was how to bond everything together.
I found (on Youtube) a way of making ABS paste using Acetone and ABS chips. The material used in the Youtube video was black ABS.
My project was white. The only source I could find for White ABS was filament used in 3D printers (picture included) I cut up the “filiment” into small pieces and placed them in a glass jar with a little Acetone. The next day I had my paste.

I used a Dremel with a wire brush attachment and cleaned up the work area.

I had three tears along with the hole I needed to repair. I drilled small holes into the RV cap at the termination point of each tear (doing this will keep the tear from continuing)
I then used straight Acetone and using a small hobby paint brush, I cleaned up the working area…this cleaning process also softened the cracks I wanted to re-connect.
I applied a layer of the “paste” to the cracks and clamped it together. (picture included)
I then applied more paste to the back side of the crack (going in through the remaining hole).
To reinforce the work area, I cut up aluminum mesh (into rectangles) part of a (drywall) hole repair kit. (pIcture included)
Slapped in more paste to the inside work area and applied the mesh pieces. I then covered the mesh with more paste so when the paste hardened it would all be bonded together.
I let the project cure overnight.
The next day I added additional aluminum mesh rectangles attaching them to the inside of the hole with the paste.
I was going to use it marine epoxy for the hole repair, but the ABS paste was working very well. So I filled in the hole with paste, let it cure then sanded it down with 600 grit (wet sand paper, then 800 then finished with 1500 grit (all done while keeping the area wet).
I have included pictures of the results. It is far from perfect. But a far sight better than it was. (Your opinion may differ).

ABS filament - $18
Acetone - $9
Hobby paint brushes $4

Note: I have practically a whole spool of the 3d printing material left over. Wish I could have found a less wasteful source for “white” ABS.

Now to get on the road and find out if it will hold up. Fingers crossed.

[david_wood]

Great Info! Thanks.

[HerveVR]

Good info.
Great job, nice conclusion.

You'r OK for a new career.

Now, enjoy !

[kenandterry]

I’ve always found I’m way more critical of my own repairs than others will notice……because I find I draw it to their attention. How dumb is that?

And…..I was usually WAY CLOSER to the area than anyone else will ever be, so I know it’s not perfect.

You done great Mr. Tinkering.

[AlwaysTinkering]

Originally Posted by kenandterry

I’ve always found I’m way more critical of my own repairs than others will notice……because I find I draw it to their attention. How dumb is that?



And…..I was usually WAY CLOSER to the area than anyone else will ever be, so I know it’s not perfect.



You done great Mr. Tinkering.

Thank you all for your positive reassurance.

[AlwaysTinkering]

Follow up to my “Rear Cap Repair”…
My previous repair has held up well. My problem was that I never “finished” the job. I should have painted and clear coated the area to protect it from the sun. As a result over a year, the “UV’s” did a number on the repair and yellowed it.
I wet sanded the area down with 400 grit to rough up the area so the epoxy I got from West Marine (used on boat hulls) would have something to grab onto.

I put it on pretty thick over the previous repair, which shows up in the “after” pictures. But I had no choice as I did not want to compromise the integrity of the epoxy coating.
After giving it a few days to cure. I wet sanded again to not only knock down the “thickness” a bit, but also give the paint something to grab onto. I found the following “Ford” color in a rattle can.

I sprayed 4 coats and finished with a rattle can clear coat. I am very happy with the color match and can live with the “patched” look. It has held up very well so far.
The original repair allowed me to build up a great “structural backing” to fill in the hole I faced. Leaving a divot would have provided area for the epoxy coating which would have given the repair a much smoother appearance over all…oh well. I hope this information is helpful to anyone facing the same type of damage.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Looks good. Thanks for sharing how you repaired it.

[Danimal713]

[QUOTE] I wet sanded the area down with 400 grit to rough up the area so the epoxy I got from West Marine (used on boat hulls) would have something to grab onto.

I used a West Systems marine epoxy to repair the hull on my sailboat but also for many other things. G-Flex 66 stays a little flexible it claims and it seems to be true. My brother helped me with the hull repair and was so impressed with it he used some to repair a fiberglass faring on his 1976 Goldwing motorcycle. He used to do skin and structural repair on F-16s. I figured that might qualify him to help me with my ABS plastic hull.