Fixing warped fiberglass

I did a search for warped fiberglass and nothing came up. I then searched for fiberglass and what came up doesn't answer my question. I bought an aftermarket SS rear spoiler to replace the plain jane Z28 spoiler on my 4th gen Camaro. There's a few small details that will need to be fixed. The biggest thing is that when I set the spoiler on the back of the car, the spoiler is warped a good inch or so. It won't sit flat. I was thinking about using some 2x2 inch steel angle iron from work to bolt the spoiler to (forcing it to sit flat) and let it sit out in the sun for awhile. Possibly use washers to twist the spoiler the other direction to get the warp out. Is any of this going to work, or is there a different method to fixing this? I sent an email to the company about returning it for another one but haven't recieved any replies yet. If I can get the warp out of it I'll just keep it. Any help appreciated, thanks guys.

I know you want to do it ~right now~, but can you wait 'til summer to install it? Leave it out in the sun on a hot day, and it will flex right into shape when you bolt in on.

If the fiberglass is still pretty new you are probably OK with fixing it.

The resins that are typically used (polyester) require a post cure (heat) to completely harden it. Google "post curing polyester resins". I don't know of any company that does that to their parts. The sun does a fine job for automotive hoods, bumpers, etc.

After the initial cure that happens with the hardener, the resin is only about 50% or so as hard as it will get after a post-cure. This is nothing more than heating it for a specified time and temperature. Off the top of my head 200F for an hour is a pretty good number for many. A lower temp will work too but it needs to be longer.

As long as the part has not been in a hot garage or something similar it has not likely been post cured. I would suggest mounting the spoiler to the car and get all of the gaps correct. If you can't mount it then you need to fixture it to get it into the exact shape you need. Then let it set out in the sun for a day or two. You should find that the part will be significantly more rigid than before and it should hold the shape.

Be sure to get it right, you only have one shot to get post curing right.

>Scott

I was thinking of making a rectangle 'jig' out of 2x2 steel angle iron that I can then bolt the spoiler to. That way I can move it around (outside in the sun) or do other work to it that needs to happen (while being mounted to something rigid) and still be able to drive my car whenever I need to without the hassle of unmounting it.

motomoron wrote: I know you want to do it ~right now~, but can you wait 'til summer to install it? Leave it out in the sun on a hot day, and it will flex right into shape when you bolt in on.

In addition to this, paint the warped area in water soluble black paint. wash it off after you bolt it up. They've used this to correct drooping canards on Rutan Quickies for years.