Metalflake fiberglass repair???

[ManxRob]

My Manx is still wearing its original 10E ?Brilliant Red? metalflake finish. The clear is worn and sun faded in areas, but I would sure like to save it rather than do a repaint if possible. In past buggy repairs I have noticed that sun faded flake looks quite nice again wherever a dribble of fiberglass resin hits it and cures, so I think applying a clear-coat of lacquer or enamel may work to bring back something resembling the original finish. Does anybody have any experience with such a restoration process? Did it work? Any pointers? Also, I have some fiberglass repair work to do in fixing a cracked passenger front fender, relocating the fuel filler to the center of the hood, and filling several unwanted holes. I purchased a low pressure ?Flake Buster? gun from Innate Technologies, www.Innate.com, and 10E metalflake from Meadowbrook for use in the repairs. My plan is to perform the repairs from the backside by (1) grinding and feathering (2) applying non-yellowing ?surfboard clear? resin and allowing to tac, (3) apply the flake, and then apply fiberglass matt to the appropriate thickness. A few ???s come to mind? (1) Did 10E Brilliant Red originally have any colored base coat (black or white or ?) or other gelcoat that may affect the color of the repair? (2) Does anyone know the flake size originally applied? I realize that I will probably have to blend the finished side with additional flake, and then clear-coat the area and/or the whole panel. Any experience with such repairs? Did they work? Am I crazy? Should I just paint the tub yellow? Thanks for any pointers.

[mel hubbard]

A clear lacquer will liven up dull flake,, but as you have those repairs to do i think it would be far better to respray the whole buggy. I put a post on here a while ago about spraying flake,,, and you have the gun, go for it. I guess there is no harm in trying to repair that fender first (with flake in the gel-coat) and just see how good it turns out,,,, if its not good enough for you then nothings lost. The Red flake (on your buggy) will most likely have been backed with a red pigmented lay up in the mold,,, but if spraying on,, a red or black base will work fine. The flake size on your buggy i reckon is 008 hex,,, thats also a better one to spray on, covers better than 015 and will take less lacquer to bury it