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Gear leg fairing repair

stifler

Active Member
Hi guys
I have got to repair my gear leg fairing as a large chunk has broken off the top side due to a hard landing.
Do I order new from vans or am I able to successfully repair it? Can anyone advise how to do this and what cloth I need, resin etc.
Thanks in advance.
 
Not the most experienced, but if you just have a chunk of glass missing, I would say you should repair it. I've done my own wheel paints. They just seem to get bottom damage from gravel and whatever else comes up off the ground. Not a difficult process. If your hinges are straight and there aren't any creases in the fairing, you should be able to lay up a couple layer of glass. I've used the West System. Vans may have some info in their fairings description that tells you what they are made of. They are not thick, but it seems like two or more layers for structural rigidity would be smart compared with one layer. I imagine if you took out or had to cut away a portion of the fairing, you would want to add some type of temporary backing of flexible plastic or lexan to allow you to match the shape for the fairing during your first layer layup. I'm sure someone else will chime in with a lot more knowledge than me. If not, try asking the question in the main forum to get someone's attention. Good luck.


PS. You should probably paste a picture in here. That will get you the best advice.
 
Correct

Andy is right.
Pick your poison.
The repair is doable if you have some skills. Mainly body work skills. The fiberglass is somewhat easy, with a stiff backer on the inside you can fill and patch the outside. But then you have to blend the build up so you don't see it. If you repair the inside, it makes the blending/filling on the exterior easier. But, the fairing only has so much room on the inside so be careful there too. And yes, you will need to buy all the fiberglass stuff too. Cloth, epoxy, micro, cups, brushes, mixing sticks, peel ply, etc.
Replacement entails cutting fiberglass and installing the hinges at the trailing edge. Going this way eliminates the need for actual fiberglass work and is the easiest and best if you have the skill set.
If you can, I would suggest recruiting some experienced help!
Good Luck.
 
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