Removinjg luggage racks

[Edward McComas]

A recent thread that discussed mid year luggage racks got me thinking about this issue again. My question is: Has anyone removed a luggage rack from a C2 or C3 and successfully filled the holes so that they were undetectable years after the fact. Every attempt that I have seen so far has been unsuccessful. It seems that after a few years, the glass in the hole shrinks / settles / does something weird, and the outline of the hole is visible.

Other than replacing the entire panel, has anyone found a method of dealing with this issue. If so, what is your secret.

[Edward McComas]

Re: Removing luggage racks

One of these days I will learn how to spell.

[Wayne W.]

Re: Removing luggage racks

I have had some success by grinding the hole out in a V shape and spreading it out for two inches or more. I grind completely down to the bottom of the hole leaving a thin feathered edge. Apply glass both on the underside and in the hole overlaping the patches as they fill the hole. Finish with gel coat or other good finish products. This works well and spreads the spot out so there are no sharp edges to show on the surface.

[Steve Miller]

Re: Removing luggage racks

I did a similar repair when I removed the extra two tail lights on my 66. The key seemed to be to feather it out as wide as possible. Also I used no 'plastic'. Resin, 'glass and gelcoat - a lot of block sanding. It held up for several years before I restripped the car and am going to repaint back to original this weekend.

Steve

[Jack Layton]

Re: Removing luggage racks

Interestingly enough I am at that point in the restoration of my 1965 convertible. The rack had been removed zillions of years before I got the car and the holes were in fact still visible as described. However, the material used to fill the holes was plastic body putty which does shrink. I suspect that a proper repair using fiber glass and resin will produce a non-shrink repair which will not be visible. A glass repair after being completed presents a very hard surface. Body putty presents a rather soft surface even after zillions of years of being prepared. I think the reason we often see evidence of these holes is due to improper usage of materials and lack of professional expertise.

[Edward McComas]

Re: Removing luggage racks

I have seen this method done as well. Have you seen the holes a few years after they were filled and then painted? Are they detectible.

We tried this on a 71 convertible. Ground the holes in a V shape, then put a patch on the underside of the car. We then filled the holes, spreading out the glass as much as possible. After repeated grinding and sanding, we got a really nice smooth surface. The car then sat unprimered and unpainted for a year (that wasn't the original plan, just the way it worked out). We checked the patches, and they looked / felt fine. Car was primered and painted with lacquer, and allowed to dry for three months. Color was Warbonnet Yellow.

Sure enough, after a few years of occasional (very occasional) driving / sitting, the outline of the holes are faintly visible in the right light.

[Steve Miller]

Re: Removing luggage racks

I think I had better luck because the repair I did was with the tail lights. Since they inbound of the rear edge of the car, they probably do not get as much direct sun and heat as on a deck lid.

Steve

[roy braatz]

Re: Removinjg luggage racks

The trick is to cook or shrink the repair useing a heat lamp after the repair I have done this for years and had no sign later of the repair come back.

[John M.]

Re: Removinjg luggage racks

I agree with Roy. I have allways used heat lamps on such repairs, and they remain invisible. The key is to make the resin shrink before you sand and paint.

Regards, John McGraw

[Wayne W.]

Re: Removinjg luggage racks

There is another consideration here, and that is type of materials. The 71 may have had a genite panel on it rather than the common polyester, and later cars have SMC, so you have to use materials that are compatable. In any case it is not the easiest repair to make, and any repair, especially up on top in a flat area is subject to detection over time.

[David H.]

Re: Removinjg luggage racks

Ed; You need to use "EPOXY" resin instead of polyester resin. It is three times stronger and works much beter on old original glass. It is also easier to sand as it does not have as much goo on top after it hardens. Buy it at marine dealers. A freind recomended it to me and his 67 had a lugage rack, 8 years ago, also painted with Goodwood Green Laqeur. David