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I have a 1977 L-82 car with 31,000 miles on it. Several years ago it scored a top flight award and is in excellent condition. The rear quarters have always had a faint crack about 6 inches long at the bonding strip. I thought of this as an indication of originality and actually took pride in their existence.... Sunday I took the car out of winter storage and found that on the driver's side the crack, although still not huge, is MUCH longer. I don't like it. What can I expect from this and what should I do, if anything? Did I do something to make this happen? Please provide your advice and comments. Thank you.
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1977 L-82 M-21 Two-Time Top Flight
1976 L-48 M-38 nothing is correct
1973 Triumph Bonneville 750 T140V -
Re: bonding strip cracks worsen on C-3
Mike,
Best way to attack this is to strip the quarterpanel, grind out the bond line, feather away from the seam, and apply 2-3 layers of glass wool to build-up the repair. Next, treat this as a body repair using your choice of resin, gel coat, putty, feather-fill, sealer, primer, lacquer color coat, 2 stage, etc.
Joe -
Re: bonding strip cracks worsen on C-3
mike
i am an original owner (almost, it was my dads)of a 1980 with just over 20,000 miles. my front drivers fender showed signs of a crack (about 24 inches long) along the bonding strip starting a few years after we owned it. i have never done anything with it and have "lived" with it for 25 years now. it doesn't get better or worse. i never wanted to fix it as the car is all original. FYI deanComment
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Do you expect the cracks to ge better? *NM*
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Re: bonding strip cracks worsen on C-3
Mike,
From your description I suspect the crack you are seeing is the separation of the bonding adhesive from only the edge of the body panel. While this may look bad, it doesn't really weaken the bond strength of the joint.
If your car still has the original paint and it is fairly presentable, I'd continue to wear it as a badge of originality. No harm done.
If your car has had some body/paint work in the past anyway you might reconsider based on what you want to do with the car. If you have people leaning on the car when parked, the crack will likely continue to grow.
tcComment
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Re: Do you expect the cracks to ge better?
Absolutely not, I expect them to get worse. If I thought they would get better I would've kept it to myself. I want to know from those more experienced than me how fast they will worsen, why they picked now to increase in length, and whether or not I should consider an eventual repair. The car top-flighted under the ownership of another person and I'd like to get my name on a top flight certificate. Not to mention the fact that I have an obligation to preserve this car for the next temporary custodian...1977 L-82 M-21 Two-Time Top Flight
1976 L-48 M-38 nothing is correct
1973 Triumph Bonneville 750 T140VComment
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Re: bonding strip cracks worsen on C-3
mike,
I think lorens sarcastic commet was directed toward me, not you. I was just trying to say that my simialr crack has not changed in 20 years. Zero degree winters, driving to car shows, people leaning, ect, etc has not changed a darn thing - same crack, same length. Thanks for letting me know the crack cant get better loren, i wasnt aware of this.
deanComment
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Re: bonding strip cracks worsen on C-3
Mike
I found out the hard way that temperatures below freezing will cause soft bumpers and body cracks to get worse. Heated storage has caused lees problems for me.
LyleLyle
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