XJ Kid 89

well i wouldnt exactly call it minor, but it def. seems repairable to me. what would be a fair price? the price doesnt seem all that bad seeing as most used ones are going for 1K+ ill get pictures up when i get home in the morning and see what you guys think. in all likelihood ill be repairing it myself rather than paying someone to do it. im more worried about functionality of the top than appearance, since ill just be using it in the winter. i do appreciate all the input so far though. this forum rocks!

Wallaroo

Also, is the hardtop currently in use? If so for how long and how long has it been in use with the cracks? Just asking.

And I'd make sure it doesn't leak (the panels) or you'll end up having to fix that by yourself and that's a pain in the ass. Lots of members here have been successful in fixing the leak -- I haven't. Don't think your dealership will cover it under warranty.

I'd try to snag it for $300. How many people are in the market for a cracked two-door hardtop anyway?

XJ Kid 89

heres the pictures he sent me.

XJ Kid 89

bumpin' it back to the first page.

Smelt_1

So what the heck is SMC? Sheet molded compond..........compound what? Sheet molded compound sounds like a process. Did anyone find out what the material is? It surely is not fiberglass.

RATM

SMC:

Fiberglass is resin and fiber matting right?

SMC in laymens terms is a higher quality fiberglass resin mix with chopped fiber injected into a mold that is rapidly heated.

In the olden days a fiberglass corvette hood might take several hours to make in a 'mold'.

Nowadays let's say we need to make an SMC panel....the mixture of high end fiberglass resin and chopped fiber is shot into a mold then rapidly cured with heat.

The hood that took the better part of a day to make is now made in 10 min.

Did I mention that hood sells for $3k or that hard top sells for $1500?

XJ Kid 89

anyone got any thoughts on whether or not this tops repairable? im going to look at it and probably pick it up at some point next week.

Smelt_1

As far as saying it is quality stuff, I dunno. I've never seen real fiberglass crack like that. If a jeep flips over with ihis top, I would guess there will be nothing left of it the first roll. I hope I'm wrong.


I found this:


The Thunderbird uses SMC for its hood (as well as its fenders and decklid). Dettre explains that a typical SMC consists of 25% resin, 25% glass reinforcement, 45% calcium carbonate, and 5% “minor” ingredients.



http://www.pliogripbyvalvoline.com/r...nel_Repair.pdf