Glue for hood hinge

[Lightseekers]

Do any of you know what type of glue should be used to re-attach the hood hinge to fiberglass? My brother-in-law has a 2004 Brave and on a recent trip we took together both sides of the hood came loose from the fiberglass.

[smlranger]

Some folks have used JB Weld. I've not had great success with that on at least one other similar project.

I had some repairs done on my rig couple of years ago that required re-gluing the entire lower cap. Whatever the body shop used, it has stuck well. They said it was some form of epoxy. Folks that have re-attached these panels advise that you must carefully and thoroughly prep the metal for good adherence.

Options I would consider:

1. contact Winnebago Owner Relations and see what they suggest. [email protected]

2. check with any auto paint/body shop supplier (like Finishmaster or even some NAPA stores) and see what they sell to body shops for this purpose.

[FleetMan]

If you are near a heavy truck trailer dealer or repair facility, get a tube of adhesive/sealant such as Silaprene. It is used in construction and repair of trailers instead of rivets. Once setup, it requires heat of more than 350 degrees to soften it to seperate anything without destroying it.

[JC2]

Originally Posted by smlranger

Some folks have used JB Weld. I've not had great success with that on at least one other similar project.

I had some repairs done on my rig couple of years ago that required re-gluing the entire lower cap. Whatever the body shop used, it has stuck well. They said it was some form of epoxy. Folks that have re-attached these panels advise that you must carefully and thoroughly prep the metal for good adherence.

Options I would consider:

1. contact Winnebago Owner Relations and see what they suggest. [email protected]

2. check with any auto paint/body shop supplier (like Finishmaster or even some NAPA stores) and see what they sell to body shops for this purpose.

I agree with the above. Right after we bought our MH several years ago, just about every hood hinge/bracket came loose at least once and had it into a Winnebago dealer on (3) different occasions. I called Winnebago at the time and they basically said that the problem stemmed from having the brackets painted then getting them to adhere to the fiberglass. When I took it into the Winnie dealer the last time(absolutely worthless), I told them to put (3) stainless steelcrews through each bracket from the out side and paint them to match the exterior area color. Seems to be holding up after a couple of years but is definately a design problem. Winnie was good enough to cover the cost each time as apparently others had encountered the same problem. (Talk nice when you call)

[Lightseekers]

He contacted Winnebago and here is their reply.

"Some owners have reported using Gorilla Glue with good success. Otherwise, you can order the two part adhesive we use from one of our authorized dealers.


Service Administration

Winnebago Industries, Inc."

I told him to use some bolts and nuts and fix it for good.

[OldChief7155]

I had the same problem with front and rear "hoods" on my '05 Meridian. Tried 2-3 different things, none of which worked. What did work and work quite well was 3M 5200.

I took both hoods off along with the metal frame they attach to and cleaned all the old residue off both sides. I marked them before removing the fiberglas hoods so I'd know where to glue them back. I then clamped them for 24 hours and re-installed on the m/h.

They were immediately better than when I bought the rig new. Repair was done in Key West and now home in VA. Still tight as a drum.

The glue is white and dries white so be careful with it.

[KIX]

I 2nd the use of 3M #5200. have some mineral spirits handy when you use it for clean up. Also, mist it with water to help it start to set. Complete curing takes about 7 days but you can use it in 24 hours if you're not rough on it.

[1ciderdog]

We lived on a sailboat 12 years and if we wanted to put something together and never take it apart we used 3M 5200. If we thought we might have a need to take it apart later we did not use 5200. Great stuff if used properly.

[rgrstndgby]

SRL-R36

Applied as per directions JB weld will do a great job, however, you may want to consider bolting the hinges back in place. On my `Adventurer, the open hood was a real pain when it came to any activity under the hood. When the factory glue failed, I re attached the hinges with 1/4 x 3/4 stainless cap screws. Hood removal is now a 2 minute job...j...

[bruceh]

I used bolts and glue.

[royinflorida]

I just had this problem with my Horizon DP. I got stainless bolts that are normally used for hurricane shutters on a Florida home. They have a large flat head so you don't need a washer. 4 of them secured both sides of the panel and they look like they belong.

Roy

[KIX]

Originally Posted by 1ciderdog

We lived on a sailboat 12 years and if we wanted to put something together and never take it apart we used 3M 5200. If we thought we might have a need to take it apart later we did not use 5200. Great stuff if used properly.

I have successfully "un-glued" 5200 by applying heat.

[Stuart42]

On advice of Winnebago I used 2 part epoxy after scuffing up metal parts, clamped for hour or so, and had great luck with the fix

[AUSSI]

Had the same problem loose hood pnl in spring 06. Added extra angle brackets and used JB weld, so far the fix is holding just fine. The key is the prepping the job.

Vic 05 Itasca 33V