June 2010 Issue - New England Fiero Association

When I’m not out in
my .FieroWorks shop busily
working on a customer’s Fiero, or
another non-Fiero, I fill my shop
time restoring old classic, antique
motorcycles and ATV’s for a
customer-friend who has me
beautify them for sale on EBay.
I find that a lot of these ATV’s
that arrive in the shop have
damage to the plastic fenders and
other plastic parts. After many
attempts at using common
household glues and some higher
tech adhesives and sealers I found
at different retailers, I found that
they generally disappointed me
with their performance. After
doing some research
I found that one of my favorite
chemical and paint companies,
SEM product company, makes
two ideal automotive adhesive
products that fill my needs
perfectly.
The first product is called
Insta-Bond. It’s a two part
cyanoacrylate Formula. When
they say instant, they mean it.
There is no time to read just the
piece before it’s bonded tightly
together, so you have to be sure
that the item you are repairing is
precisely where you want it
before you put the two pieces
together. Apply the cyanoacrylate
to the area in need of repair. It is a
very sticky clear substance and
really doesn’t do much by itself.
Once you apply the second part,
the spray accelerator, the
chemical bond takes place and the
reaction of the chemicals acts
quickly.
As always read the directions
thoroughly and follow them to the
letter. This product is pretty
amazing and has proven itself to
work well on all types of plastic.
It’s also good on glass, metal,
rubber and that special Fiero
‘plastic,’ SMC. (Sheet molded
compound) If I had to point out
one negative and annoying thing
about this product it would be
this: After using the cyanoacrylate
for the first time, when you go to
use it at a later date, the bottle tip,
clogs and you have to reopen it
with a small sharp pin type
instrument. I have found this to be
true of most adhesives of this
type, so why should this one be
any different? Overall, it’s still a
fine product.
The second SEM product is called
problem plastic repair and is a
flexible sandable filler adhesive.
As the name implies, it’s for those
problem plastics that just can’t
seem to be repaired with any
other product. It works well on
the more flexible soft parts like
the RIM (reaction injected
molded) urethane of the front and
rear bumper covers of the Fiero as
well as the lower rocker and
ground effects moldings. Mixing
equal parts of the two tubes,
mixing up just enough for your
needs, results in a fast drying
flexible strong sandable repair
surface that can be top coated
with plastic body filler, sanded,
primed and painted. As with any
good product, these are not cheap.
The two kits I’ve reviewed here
cost about $75.
If your Fiero doesn’t need any of
these special products, chances
are you might find something
around the house or garage that
hasn’t taken well to a repair with
other products. These might be
the cure all you’ve been looking
for.