ARE Topper Repair

I bought this topper used this summer because it was $450 and I thought I wanted one.
I’m more of a fast off-roading kind of guy and ended up kind of destroying it on our last run. Outside is still in good shape, but the inside is not.

So I’m deciding to sell the topper, but first I need to do some serious repairs.



The glue is coming off, it’s cracked in a few areas(not to the outside) and the weather shtripping is old.

I’ll use this stuff for repairs


And this stuff for the stripping



FYI:

1. I’ve never done any kind of body work. Ever.
2. This is not an instructional guide, just a cool project.
3. I don’t really know what I’m doing.
4. Constructive criticism is welcome.

 

First day

Used the Gator 4” paint and rust remover wheel to remove the old adhesive holding the bed support on


Also removed old adhesive from trim piece and from the metal support under the window. Two part epoxy will reattach those pieces.


The passenger side bed support hasn’t separated completely from the topper so I’ll have to find a way to separate those.

That’s all for today. My drill batteries are dead and I’m itchy.

 

Second day

Started off the day with more prepping. Decided to switch to a 60 grit flap disc which made quick work of taking off the old adhesive.

The bed support on the passenger side wouldn’t full separate from the topper so I prepped as much as I could and will just apply new adhesive to the parts that arent still attached.



Moved on to a flap disc sander attachment for my drill and hit everything with 60 grit, 100 grit and 150 grit. Vacuumed as much as I could


Attached the front trim piece below the front window with two part epoxy. Also attached the metal clamp support with Two part epoxy.


That’s all for today. Tomorrow (maybe) will be washing all the prepped areas down with soapy water to make for a good adhesion. I don’t have any acetone, but I was told I don’t need any. I will also start mixing and applying the fiberglass resin repair kit I think.

 

Third day

WARNING!!! Make sure you’re in a well ventilated room that does not connect to your house. Also make sure when attempting this repair that you don’t have roommates, dogs or a pregnant sleeping wife... all of which I had.

Alright now that that’s out of the way..
I completed this task with gloves, a dust mask, goggles and coveralls.. all of which I recommend.

Sponge bathed all areas needing to be repaired.Then I went over everything with paper towels and acetone.

The fiberglass/resin kit consists of a big mat of fiberglass, the resin and a hardener. I cut the fiberglass into strips, and mixed up the resin according to the package.


The resin stuff is like molasses. Once mixed, you have about 10 minutes to work with it. I dunked the fiberglass strips in the resin mix to make sure it soaked the whole strip. I applied two layers to the topper and one layer to the bed support.

Let me warn you.. this is a nasty process. The resin is heavy and sticky so the fiberglass strips starting ripping and tearing apart. Fiberglass and resin will get everywhere. Everything you touch will be covered in fiberglass and resin so keep the bottle of acetone close by to clean up the sticky fiberglassy mess. This did not turn out as clean as I expected


For right now it’s drying and curing. Might take awhile since I had to open the garage to vent nasty fumes.
I plan on cutting the extra fiberglass that didnt adhere and adding an adhesive. For the passenger side that didn’t come apart all the way I plan on using just a fiberglass adhesive since I probably shouldn’t use the resin stuff again..

 

Fourth day?

 

Looking forward to next step.

 

Third day done.

 

Cool so far, I got an access cab topper for dirty dirt cheap for my regular cab so when it warms up I’ll be grinding the curved lip down to fit better. Seeing some non pro experience with fiberglass is nice for me

 

Very true

 

Lol I hope that didn’t come across as mean, all the online tutorials all make it seem so easy and I don’t think it’s going to go down like that for me.

 

Not at all. I know I’m no pro when it comes to fiberglass repair. Just figured I’d share my lack of experience. I’m Glad it’s giving you an accurate representation