Another post about stress cracks
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 7:48 am
Hi all
I recently mentioned that I had discovered stress cracks in the driver's side A pillar of my Plus 2. As it is an S130/5 the roof and pillars are done in a very coarse metal flake which I believe was applied at the factory in the gel coat. So what I am looking at on the roof is the original finish, applied over 45 years ago.
I have also read that it is difficult to recreate when repainting a car, due to the shape / coarseness of the flakes.
So... stress cracks appeared on my A pillar but they are not very noticeable. However, they are cracks and as such I would expect water ingress to the fibreglass below the gel coat. I'm not planning to repair them any time soon, but I do wonder if I should attempt to seal them with some of Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack sealer.
In case you haven't come across this stuff before, it is a milky fluid with a water-like consistency, used in the boating world to seal hairline cracks around portholes and other openings. I've used it to seal some leaks on my Elan, and it is invisible when it dries. It is supposed to leave a flexible seal, and because its viscosity is so low, it gets drawn into cracks by capillary action.
The question is, should I use it to keep water out of my stress cracks, or is it likely to cause further damage?
I recently mentioned that I had discovered stress cracks in the driver's side A pillar of my Plus 2. As it is an S130/5 the roof and pillars are done in a very coarse metal flake which I believe was applied at the factory in the gel coat. So what I am looking at on the roof is the original finish, applied over 45 years ago.
I have also read that it is difficult to recreate when repainting a car, due to the shape / coarseness of the flakes.
So... stress cracks appeared on my A pillar but they are not very noticeable. However, they are cracks and as such I would expect water ingress to the fibreglass below the gel coat. I'm not planning to repair them any time soon, but I do wonder if I should attempt to seal them with some of Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack sealer.
In case you haven't come across this stuff before, it is a milky fluid with a water-like consistency, used in the boating world to seal hairline cracks around portholes and other openings. I've used it to seal some leaks on my Elan, and it is invisible when it dries. It is supposed to leave a flexible seal, and because its viscosity is so low, it gets drawn into cracks by capillary action.
The question is, should I use it to keep water out of my stress cracks, or is it likely to cause further damage?