Auto body repair & detailing: Corvette fiberglass, polyester fiberglass resin, natural bristle brush

Question
I have an 86 vette and there is an area of about 2"  X 4"
on the front fender that is missing the fiberglass.
Is there a filler or anything i can use to repair this?

Answer
Hi Larry,

You will need to replace with fiberglass to repair it correctly. A filler alone will crack and fall out and you will be back to square one. Best case is to use a fiberglass such as this http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_fiberglass.cfm

Of course you will need to buy a polyester fiberglass resin to saturate the glass cloth which can be found on the same site or many others on the web. It's not really a super hard repair if you do your homework before you get started. Ideally it's best to work the fiberglass from the back side of the fender to allow you to cover the entire hole. I would grind away any areas with loose glass or any place new glass will be applied before I begin to ensure good adhesion. Drape the new glass over the repair area and work out air bubbles to the best of your ability using a cheap natural bristle brush or a fiberglass roller. After the repair is cured you can work the front side of the repair using a fiberglass reinforced filler to level the surface back to original. Then prime and paint according to paint manufacturers recommendations. If you have any other questions just let me know.