need some advice on this product. I have a stainless steel 'form' that needs to be attached to the inside of my flip front end. This 'form' is what is going to hold the shape of the fiberglass hood to match the cab cowl area.

The 3M panel adhesive has been suggested by several... idea is to take the form off...apply the adhesive to both surfaces (or just one ???) then clamp the crap out of it till it dries.

Need opinions on product, application, idea in general... any experience out there ??

every product seems to be a two part like epoxy and needs a special gun for applying the stuff...is there anything out there that will positively and not have the expensive gun ??? Might make a call to 3m and ask some questions... but would appreciate ya'lls input

later
john

 

Can't help on the adhesive recommendation, but I have the applicator I could send for you to use if you want to pay shipping both ways.

 

I have used 3m panel adhesive to join metal to metal. You can't separate the metal once it cures.

I don't know how it would work for metal to fiberglass.

I know that in the kit car world, the use an epoxy to attach fiberglass panels to sheet metal. I would contact 3m and see what they suggest.

Dan

 

There is something called "Corvette adhesive" that was recommended to be used to join to fibreglas fenders. It's some kind of high-solids epoxy.

 

I used 3m panel bond to build a cowl induction hood. Metal to fiberglass and i don't have any ghost lines or cracking 4 years later. I didn't use an applicator gun I just pushed the tubes evenly

 

Charlie(led) uses this stuff all the time, hopefully he will chime in with his expertise.

 

Over the years I have used many two tube epoxys and had the 70 dollar gun for the tubes. Someone decided they needed my gun more than me, and well I had to mix by hand. Worked out great. Gotta make sure you get the portions as equal as you can though. Too much of one and you end up with a gooey mess. The other way it gets hard real fast and is brittle.

 

What you want is 3M 08116 Panel Bonding Adhesive 3M Panel Bonding Adhesive 08116
You can find it on ebay (item=251886849150) a lot cheaper than at a retail shop. Some vendors offer it as a kit that includes the applicator gun. When using this adhesive I spread some on each surface to be bonded and smooth it out just to be sure that there is good coverage. There are glass beads in the adhesive to maintain a proper clearance between the bonded pieces so that when you "clamp the crap out of it" that there is still enough adhesive left in the seam to make the bond. One cartridge should be enough for the job that you have described.


EDIT: I will also add that I have used and continue to use 3M 08115 panel adhesive. The only difference that I can find between 08115 and 08116 is that 08116 comes with GM and Chrysler certification for use on their vehicles. Personally I have found no difference in the two.

 

I was hoping someone would give the right advice. ^ this guy. Ive been in the auto business for a while. 3m, panel bond. Do what you want. DO NOT brush it in small areas, it will shrink the metal. Yes you will need a "epoxy gun", amazon, 30 bucks for you. Its a 2 part, and bonds extremly well. Ive used it on several custom projects, including plastic. Works great.

 

posted this last night but it's lost on the information cul de sac somewhere

I had a long conversation at 5 o'clock on a Friday !! (45 min) and a call back after that from the 3M tech rep here in Alabama... She detailed exactly what to use and how to use it and even told me of a product for finishing the seams... Excellent customer service from 3M... bout ready to do this... thanks for all the info and advise.

In case anyone is interested she recommended these steps
grind both surfaces with 60 grit Cubitron2 rolox pads the full wide of the contact area
note mate surfaces in less than 30 minutes after grinding the stainless steel
Wipe down both surfaces with 3M # 8987 adhesive remover
Let everything dry completely to avoid solvent flash after applying the adhesive
Use #8115 Panel Bond adhesive squeezing a 3/8" bead down center of both surfaces and then spread that bead the full width of each surface
like a thin coat of filler... she called it a 'thin wipe''
Then run a 'thin' bead of adhesive down the leading edge of the metal surface that will squeeze out and complete the seal.
Clamp every 6-8"

you have a 90 minute work time with this product... need a 4 hour clamp time (at 70°) less with heat gun or lamp
24 hour full cure time before any finish work

After the bond time.. sand around the edges of the joint with 80 grit
clean with 8987 again to remove dirt/dust/whatever
Apply a bead of 5887 EZ sand flexible parts repair and feather it out like filler..
this is a flexible product that is forgiving of vibration and movement (used for bumper cover repair) and
Sand with 180 and finish down to 320 if you like.... this stuff finishes like filler with no humps or lines
It's ready to prime and paint

it does require the epoxy gun... but found a tutorial on making one from a standard (large tube) caulking gun for about 5 bucks

TheSamba.com :: Body/Paint - View topic - 3M Panel Adhesive Dispenser Gun

 

John, what is the problem that you're having with the cowl fit? I have the same Fairlane front end that you have and I also had a cowl fit problem. Not sure if your fit problem was same as mine, but mine was wider than the cowl by about a 1/4". I made a brace that attached to both sides of the inner bracing on the front end that I could adjust by adding or taking away shims. Mine is not a permanent part and can be removed.

 

John,
What does your "frame" look like? I want to build one for my metal flip frontend.

 

When I used the stuff the gun was lent to me with a $100 deposit that was refunded when I returned it..

 

drew
initially the hood with all the factory bracing installed was about 1" wider than the cab cowl area (2" total)...we removed all the braces. They were put in crooked and the glue slopped against them with run out everywhere... looks like they used a mop to do the gluing. We tried several things to cure it but until I found a guy at the Supernats that had built this frame we were unsuccessful...

It's two pieces of stainless sheet metal... about 1/8" thick and 2.5" side welded up in a "T"... the top of the "T" fits against the hood and the leg is the stiffener. He used a CNC to cut the vertical stiffener to the correct contour of the cab then welded to cap to it...

I screwed it under my hood and it pulled the fiberglass into the perfect fit. I did my happy dance... the rest of the hood fit was just cosmetic where we cut the lower fender off... here's some pics

 

That brace looks great. It's cool 3m was helpful like that. That type of service seems to be dying out.

I'm sure they went over it with you, but there are two guns. An expensive electric one and a cheaper manual one. I have the 3m manual one and it works great. I believe it was around 50 bucks. One thing I'd suggest is to get some extra tips for the adhesive tubes. They mix the adhesive as it comes out of the tubes and are one time use. As the adhesive is fairly expensive I removes the tip after use and threaded back in the tube covers. Then I could use it again later. They come in a 6 pack for around 12 bucks.

3M? Static Mixing Nozzle, 200 mL, 08193

Once you use the stuff you will find many more uses for it. It is great.