Hardtop repair!

[Mitch]

I just bought my first Jeep (1998 Wrangler Sport) and within 2 hours managed to back it into a tree on a steep incline cracking the rear left corner down the length of the hardtop. No damage to glass, bumper or body. I'm BESIDE myself because the previous owner had kept it perfect for 5 years! Can an autobody guy repair this type of injury or do I need a new hardtop? PLEASE HELP!

 

[L33TJ33P]

They do make something that may help you. I don't know what it is called but I have seen Boats-fiberglass cars - Skateboards fixed with this stuff. It is the Do-it-yourself Fiberglass Kit. It comes with sheets of fabric and some hardening compound. You soak the fiber in the compound and place it "NEATLY and without wrinkles" over the crack or Hole. Let dry and reapply if needed. Sand her down and paint her up. BANG!!! brand new Hardtop.

 

[MOngo1970]

If you live close to the water, go to a surf shop, they sell repair kits for surfboards (fiberglass sheets and the epoxy).

 

[Tug-n-pull]

dude it's OK! You can find a way to repair it. If the guy that owned it for five years never hurt it he was not useing it. Scars make the jeep. Was you haven fun when this happened? Did you do it on the trail? If you answered yes to at least one of these questions it was wort it. Use that jeep and have fun. A patch here or there a ding a dent heck a missing fender is ok. Tug

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Check with a good body shop, it's repairable.

 

[Craig]

Try a shop that repairs fiberglass boats, they probably have the most experience in repairing that kind of stuff.

 

[88WRANGRED]

Whats Wrong

go to Boaters World, or West Marine if you have access to either one. that is where i got everything to fix up my top. now she looks brand new after i painted it.

 

[Mitch]

Hey! Thanks a lot to all who replied. I'll see about talking to a marine auto body specialist. One automotive body guy told me it would be hard as hell to match the original textured finish of the hardtop. He thought it might be possible to find a hardtop at a junkyard without damage to the rear of it, tear that piece of, and laminate that end-piece of the hardtop onto mine after pulling the broken part of my hardtop off.....Frankenstein style! Doesn't sound easy....but Looks like the original top's molded in 3 pieces and laminated somehow. How much do used hardtops go for???

 

[L33TJ33P]

Thanks for the help

I don't think anyone is going to come close enough and Inspect your hard top enough to notice the difference in texture. But check out ebay, get a used and throw the old away.

 

[avyoung]

My inlaws cracked the fiberglass cover on their outboard boat engine. The marine shop just said to use bondo. It was really easy but It will not look the same as the rest of the top. Just keep wheeling it and soon there will be other inperfections to take your attention away from the top.

 

[Craig]

I wouldn't be too concerned about the texture of the top. All you have to do is lightly sand the whole top and repaint the whole thing. After I repainted mine, it lost that textured finish and is smooth. It's not noticeable and looks just fine.