Discussion
Today I noticed I have some hairline cracks on the body work around one of the connections from the spoiler support and the rear wing.
I opened the rear clam and checked the underside, they don't appear to go all the way through, perhaps it is just the paint layer that has cracked?
Anyone have this? Could it be over tightened? Or perhaps because when I open the rear clam I use the spoiler to lift it it has caused this cracking?
I opened the rear clam and checked the underside, they don't appear to go all the way through, perhaps it is just the paint layer that has cracked?
Anyone have this? Could it be over tightened? Or perhaps because when I open the rear clam I use the spoiler to lift it it has caused this cracking?
I would never use the wing to open - it just seems too flimsy. I use the area behind the rear quarter light to lift and lower and seems to do the trick.
I doubt you will be able to get the area resprayed without doing the entire rear clam and maybe even blended into the rear panels. Legislation has changed and most of our cars will have been sprayed with oil based paints which are no longer acceptable and therefore have to be resprayed with water based products
.
Maybe see if a paint detailer can fix it first
I doubt you will be able to get the area resprayed without doing the entire rear clam and maybe even blended into the rear panels. Legislation has changed and most of our cars will have been sprayed with oil based paints which are no longer acceptable and therefore have to be resprayed with water based products
.Maybe see if a paint detailer can fix it first
I always use the wing to open. Its the safest way, not only to open, but to close also. What kind of pressure is the wing exerting on the rear clam when at high speed. Surely this will cause the stress cracks over a period of time.....call them "speed related stress cracks", won’t fix it , but might make you feel a bit better about it lol.... f
king slow down!!!!
king slow down!!!!hoyin said:
I guess a respray will just fix it ...
Bugger ... If I respray would I have to respray the entire rear clam? or is someone good enough to just touch up a small area?
Any recommendations?
I am not happy ...
Just respraying will not fix it.Bugger ... If I respray would I have to respray the entire rear clam? or is someone good enough to just touch up a small area?
Any recommendations?
I am not happy ...
Those are stress cracks in the gel coat, and respraying will do nothing but hide them for a few weeks/months.
Here's what i do to cure this sort of problem:
With a 2mm drill bit, drill into the gel coat at the end of each stress crack. This will stop them from cracking further.
You need to use a sharp instrument like a bradawl to "dig out" each stress crack, and then mix some gel coat and paint it into each opened up crack.
Flat off and paint.
i just checked my rear clam out and i have some thing similar - however it looks like it was there before the paint was added and could be marks indicating where they were supposed to drill the hole. They may have forgot to fill it over.
so my guess is its the filler that has cracked that was used to clean up where they previously had marked the clam
(does that make sense ?)
so my guess is its the filler that has cracked that was used to clean up where they previously had marked the clam
(does that make sense ?)
Gadgeroonie said:
i just checked my rear clam out and i have some thing similar - could be marks indicating where they were supposed to drill the hole.
I doubt it - normally a pencil mark is good enough to indicate where to drill a hole.They will be stress marks from either badly fitted wing supports or repeated opening/closing of the clam using the wing as a handle.
I only have it on the left side under one fixing and they are about 1.5 inches long.
Lets hope they don't spread. I'll probably leave it for the time being as the weather is still good and and I don't want it off the road for any amount of time otherwise I won't be able to enjoy driving it!
Plus no one will actually see it or know they are there a part from me ... and well you ...
Lets hope they don't spread. I'll probably leave it for the time being as the weather is still good and and I don't want it off the road for any amount of time otherwise I won't be able to enjoy driving it!
Plus no one will actually see it or know they are there a part from me ... and well you ...
Of course this stress damage could be due to the fact that the left (IIRC?) post on almost all M12s & M400s is skewed. I've always suspected that the template the South Africans used to drill the four holes was out of alignment. Stand directly behind most Nobles and line-up your eye at the left pillar and the clamshell butress wall behind it and you'll see what I mean - wonky! 
AMG Merc said:
Of course this stress damage could be due to the fact that the left (IIRC?) post on almost all M12s & M400s is skewed. I've always suspected that the template the South Africans used to drill the four holes was out of alignment. Stand directly behind most Nobles and line-up your eye at the left pillar and the clamshell butress wall behind it and you'll see what I mean - wonky!
they had a template.........Both main dealers I visited to look at cars before buying my 3R opened the rear clam by means of the wing and said this was the way to do it.... When my car was picked up recently by the body shop and I opened the clam shell this way to show them where the trickle charger connection was they were horrified.....
BobE said:
Both main dealers I visited to look at cars before buying my 3R opened the rear clam by means of the wing and said this was the way to do it.... When my car was picked up recently by the body shop and I opened the clam shell this way to show them where the trickle charger connection was they were horrified.....
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