I’m working on making another custom Hot Wheel and I thought I’d share one of the techniques I’ve found to patch sunroofs. I’m sure there are other methods this is just what works best for me and may help others.
The problem I’ve found with just filling the sunroof with epoxy is that when you sand the epoxy down if you are not super careful the pressure will cause the patch to sink or break out.
My first though was wire mesh but I knew that wouldn’t work because the epoxy would just fall through it as it set. I realized sand paper sort of has the same rigid qualities of wire mesh. Especially sand paper made for a belt sander because they place strands of string in it, kind of like how they do with car tires to make them more rigid. The thick grit is just prefect for the epoxy to create a strong bond to the paper.
use a pen to trace the shape you’ll need. You will have to cut it slightly larger so it fits snugly inside the car.
this part is optional but I like to place drops of super glue on the corners once the cut piece of sand paper is inside the cast.
Next use some PlayDoh and smash it into the cast. This will keep the sand paper in place and keeps the epoxy from making a mess inside should it leak around the edges of the sand paper.
With the PlayDoh in place you can mix your epoxy and fill the sunroof. I like to use standard JB weld. JB “Kwik” only takes a few minutes to set but will not dry entirely hard like you want. Kwik weld always has a rubbery feel to it that makes it hard to work with so you certainly want to use just standard JB Weld and wait the few hours.
The PlayDoh can be used to prevent drips. As you can see I made a spill gate on the roof. I like to over fill it so I have lots of material to work with when I sand the epoxy to fit the shape of the roof.
Some small hand files will make quick work of the epoxy once it is set. Some soft grit sand paper will take care of the detail work once it starts to take shape. Hope this helps a few out there. I will update this once the epoxy is set and I can sand on it.
A little filing and wet sanding and pretty soon the roof will take shape.