Those look like mine did after a trip to KOSH. New tires were a little bigger then the old ones, apparently, leading to some pretty severe damage on the bottom of the wheel pants. As near as we can figure, the tires picked up some gravel and it ripped through the glass on the bottoms.
Now, bear in mind -- I don't do fiberglass. The last time I did anything at all with fiberglass was patching a fender in the 1970s.
After some debate as to how to get the correct shape, I cut one of those disposable polyethylene cutting sheets in half and taped it around the bottom of the wheel pant to get the shape. Then I cut a few plies of cloth to fit with an inch or two overlap on the sound glass parts. I laid Saran wrap on the bench, then the cloth plies (all of them), then poured on a little West Systems epoxy and topped with another layer of cling wrap. Rolled it out with a wooden roller, then pulled off one of the layers of cling wrap and laid it in place from the inside of the wheel pant. The next day I trimmed up the edges, then mixed up some micro to fill in the seams and give it a nice smooth finish. Overall... child's play. I was very surprised at how easy it was, and how good the result looked. Especially for the bottom of the wheel pant, that no one will see... it still looks good.
Repairable - yes, definitely
Reasonable - well - compared to new pants and refitting them - MOST definitely.
The glass/reinforcement is easy, getting the profile is a little more thinking. Having a friend with the same style/profile would make it really easy. Especially if they are not installed yet. Just coat with PVA and place a few layers on there to make a mold. Then affix said mold to your part and proceed with standard practices.
Bill, can you explain what the PVA is for? I'm a good at this. Thanks!
Poly Vinyl Alcohol. Release agent. Couple of coats dried in between. The fiberglass pops right off. Washes off.
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/moldpva.php
I don't think you want to mix PVA with wax. One or the other they are not compatible.
The product link says to use wax under it.
I have an unused wheel pant that I can use to make the patch mold. Is it best to lay the patch on top of the existing pant (with overlap) then fiberglass on top of the patch over it's edge OR cut a clean section out of the damaged pant, and make a patch that pits perfectly INTO that segment and somehow bond them?
Some questions: What type of fiberglass to use? What's the sanding technique? Will I need filler - if so, what kind? I have the RV-8 plans coming to me, so forgive me if Vans outlays this all in there.