Phil,
I am in the same boat with my '74 and asked the same questions of the
list. Check the tech pages for detailed instructions. You can fix the
acrylic cracks but if you have many, like me, it isn't worth the effort.
I am told you can sand off the acrylic which is what I plan to do. You
can repair any fiberglass damage and then repaint the car. I believe it
is possible to re-acrylic the panels using modern Plexiglass ( Acrylic)
technology, but don't think it is worth the effort and would probably
crack again anyway.
Rather than re-glue some of the panels, like the doors, I plan to try
using a compliant sealant and stainless steel aircraft fasteners so I
can remove the panels at will, however, the opinion of other experienced
Bricklin owners is against this approach. They recommend gluing with
the appropriate polyurethane adhesive.
I just don't like the idea of not being able to get at the frame easily.
One the other hand, based on the advice I have received, I don't plan
to touch the upper rear quarter panels as they are supposed to be very
difficult to re-bond. Fortunatly, mine are OK and don't need attention.
I also liked the look of the Blue Bricklin. I live near Ann Arbor and
plan to contact the owner for a better look. I'll bet the work was done
by Bob Hoffman who runs the Brickyard in nearby Brighton, Michigan. He
does some interesting fiberglass work on the cars including modern
ground effects. If I had the money, I'd let him do the restoration of
the body, but that kind of work isn't cheap.
As an experienced Bricklin owner pointed out to me, you have to decide
whether you want a driver or a show car. A lot of the fiberglass work,
including the ground effects you can do yourself at relatively low cost
if you are prepared to put in the sweat equity. If you don't want to
restore the car to original condition, there are lots of interesting
modifications you can make.
Phil Martin wrote:
>
> Hi all.
>
> Many of the panels on my '75 have cracked acrylic, and the door panels are
> slightly warped (they've come off the door frames at the top).......
>
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