Fairing repair

I have an original Yamaha fairing that I would rather not part with.
I have growing cracks on both sides where the stress points are.
I also have a cracks on the upper plastic part. I have drilled small holes at the end of each crack.
I was considering getting a plastic welder(Harbor freight 37 bucks) and some ABS rods to fix it.
Anyone have any other solutions other than welding it?
The fairing is all ABS and I don't want to wreck it..

 

go to either an automotive paint shop or an auto parts store and ask for lord fuzor adhesive. They should have some kind of literature there so you can determine which type you need. You will get a tube of the stuff and a special mixing/application gun.

and just some fyi, not trying to start any fights here but drilling holes does not stop cracks, if anything you are opening up the opportunity for more.

 

this is what you need actually

http://www.lordfulfillment.com/upload/UI3004.pdf

when you use this apply some mesh (the stuff you use for repairing drywall and stuff) to the inside to help add strength

 

Geeez.. these are made of ABS plastic .
Go to Home Depot and Buy a tin of ABS plumbers glue.. It works "fine"

 

There are many different blends of ABS and the only way to effectively repair is to plastic weld with rods of the SAME TYPE OF ABS. However, plastic welding is not an easy thing to master.
I repaired the fairing on my ZX9 by myself after a lot of practice on scrap pieces - and it was still quite difficult to do.
If you are wanting to do a professional repair, take it to an experienced plastic welder. Otherwise just glue it / glass it.

 

I've had good luck using plumbers glue and fiberglass cloth as a reinforcement. I've been told that shaving bits of a piece of ABS pipe and mixing with plumbing cement makes an excellent filler.

 

Go to craigvetter.com and order the Hotcha repair kit. I have tried many ways of fixing these things over the years and have only been satisfied with this product. It may be alittle spendy but well worth it. Fairings are made of a unique ABS blend and most products don't work well.

 

Not interested in a fight, but this is incorrect. The sharp end of a crack tends to concentrate stress, increasing the likelihood of the crack continuing to propagate. The round hole distributes stress evenly and the failure is much less likely to continue. This is known as "stop drilling".

I have a very good friend who is wrapping up his PhD in Aerospace Engineering. He has been an employee of the Air Force for more than 20 years, much of it conducting research on material failures. He is an expert on exactly what size hole should be placed at the end of a crack to stop it.

And yes friends, the mechanics that work on airplanes do drill holes at the end of cracks to stop them. Think about that the next time you fly 8O .

Here is a quote from an Airworthiness Directive for General Dynamics Airplanes:

 

If you don't Stop Drill the crack continues to spread.
That's a well known fact.

Getting the Plastic bonded (welded) does require "a touch."
This is one of those situations where you need somebody who is going to be able to to it right the first time.

The smart thing to do would be for you to buy the Materials and bring the right stuff and your parts needing to be bonded to someone with extensive experience repairing plastics.

When I run into a situation like this ... I put-on a Full Court Press!

Have a word with the guy who runs a Mobile Canteen Service.
He probably visits a dozen or more AutoBody Repair places before 1:30 every day.

Tell him you need a Body Man to help you fix your Plastic Parts.
He'll know the guy you need to meet and where he works.
Write your name and number on a few 3X5 Cards you cut in half.
Ask him to slip your number to a guy looking for a moonlight job.

Wait for the phone to ring!

 

Yess Glue and abs sawdust does make good filler, easy too
There are variations on ABS .. Although as this isn't materials critical repairs we are just sticking back rtogether, as neatly as possible, some cheap ass (but expensive to rebuy) plastic decorator pieces... that even our wives would find tacky.
Regardless, the ABS stuff used by Yama responds V nicely to the simple old ABS plumbers glue . ..Without... the welded by a pre-teen look of the usual plastic welding job.

 

Thanks for advice. I repaired it and it is solid as a rock.
The cracks were just in front of the steel mounts and were pretty bad.
Every bump would make the faring rattle and grow the cracks.
I ended up plastic welding from the inside(where it can't be seen).
For extra strength I used the abs glue and fiberglass cloth to "sister" the parts together. Once dry I layed a coat of fiberglass over the cloth patches.
This winter I will touch up the outside and repaint it.
Now to fix that damn leaky petcock........