SMC repair suggestions for my truck bed..

S

Scott M

Ok I'm working on my 93 Chevy stepside. I recently found out that the bed side panels are SMC. So trying to determine the best and most durable way to fix some issues. See if I can load a couple of pics of the damage. Most of it is from rocks flinging up and hitting the panels over time. That and being outside all it's life in Alaska expanding and contracting in the hot and cold.

Some of the damage may be hard to see. I also have some spider cracks in it as well that are hard to see on film. I've done a little research and thought of using some West system epoxy or some fiber filled SMC filler. Not sure though or is the epoxy even necessary? Any suggestions for a lasting repair would be great and product advise.
 

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grind those areas out and use west system. another great product is adtech p17 filler. you can order it directly from them. just google it. its very much like bodyfiller but its a structural plastic. it wont crack or break. its marine and areospace but not expensive. bonds to smc.
 
Polyvance makes a hardset epoxy filler for SMC and other hard plastics. I think the number is 2020. Comes with a part A and B.
 
Another great product I have used for years without ever having any kind of a problem with it as far as cracking or not keeping its Bond is the Evercoat vette panel filler adhesive? I can't remember if that's the exact name of it but it is an excellent filler and as well as an adhesive so you can actually use it like you would use Bondo for a filler and know that it's giving you excellent strength from its adhesive characteristics. I have literally taking stress cracks in a fiberglass boat that were through the gel coat well into the fiberglass laminate and ground them out and mixed up that filler and used it to fill in the whole area that I ground out then did the gel coat repair and the guy is still using this boat and that was well over 10 years ago every time I see it I checked that area to see if it's cracked back again and still looks perfect LOL
 
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