thrstrmech
Well-known member
Has anyone repaired or altered a fairing stay, i.e., broken/missing arm that supports left turn signal? pics if you have 'em, thanks.
repair fairing stay
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christianmb
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I haven't done it, but I ahve seen repairs using JB weld or something similar. DO NOT try and weld it. I was preparing to, and I was quickly informed that it is magnesium, not aluminum.
thrstrmech
Well-known member
Yea, but don't have the broken piece to even try getting it welded... if someone had a broken one lying around, I could try a repair then. My thought was to maybe cut the other end off and use some bar material bolted in, countersink the holes for the bolts so it would be flush. Dunno 'til the stay shows up, then I'll have a better idea of how to go about it. Wanted to see if anyone had made repairs without having the broken off piece.
It is magnesium. Someone on this forum welded one with good results. I don't know a lot about welding but IIRC he used "regular" rod (whatever you'd use on regular mild steel). Should be able to MIG it as well with "regular" wire I'd think. It looked good too and he said it was strong. Other than welding, I think any repair would be a waste of time and temporary until you bump it and it breaks again.
thrstrmech
Well-known member
Was reading that thread, but he had several stays on hand and was able to cut the support mount off another stay and weld it onto another that had all the mounts for turn signals and mirrors, he did a great job with welding and painting.
If you aren't going to weld it just buy another. I bought one local on CL for like $25 because mine was broken. I even have a welder but for $25 it was worth it to get the good one. I gave my broken one away for free on this forum for someone to use...
thrstrmech
Well-known member
dang it, 25 bucks is a steal, yeap gonna have to beef up on the search and see what pops up
^I'd give welding one a shot if someone provides me the pieces. Not sure it'd work, I'm not experienced but do have a welder, what could possibly go wrong????
You'd have to paint it or powder coat it as well. So again a used one is a better deal, especially after paying shipping two ways...
You'd have to paint it or powder coat it as well. So again a used one is a better deal, especially after paying shipping two ways...
thrstrmech
Well-known member
this is what I'll be working with
as you can see the left turn signal mount is what I need...
wolfo...if you've got it, much appreciated
snrunak...may take you up on welding, if I can't find one locally
as you can see the left turn signal mount is what I need...
wolfo...if you've got it, much appreciated
snrunak...may take you up on welding, if I can't find one locally
thrstrmech
Well-known member
thanks
thrstrmech
Well-known member
[cool]you got it, thanks again
The fairing stay seems to be pretty brittle, I've been tossing around the idea of making a mold and trying to create an aluminum cast fairing stay, however I'm a bit curious how much the weight would be, also thought about making a fiberglass version, either way it would be easier to repair than the current stock option if anything happened.
From what I could gather on the stay itself it's not straight magnesium, more so a mixture of metals, you can TIG wield it with a very skilled wielder, the guy I know has been doing wielding for 30 years and refuses to touch it until I gave him a scrapped stay, he played around with it and in the end did a lot of cussing, it melts very easily, but there is a sweet spot on wielding it... imo, just a lot of trouble for something that shouldn't be.
From what I could gather on the stay itself it's not straight magnesium, more so a mixture of metals, you can TIG wield it with a very skilled wielder, the guy I know has been doing wielding for 30 years and refuses to touch it until I gave him a scrapped stay, he played around with it and in the end did a lot of cussing, it melts very easily, but there is a sweet spot on wielding it... imo, just a lot of trouble for something that shouldn't be.
thrstrmech
Well-known member
have seen the race stay before and was looking for it, but no joy so far...
I havent seen this mentioned before, but has anyone considered trying to form the repair peice from Fiber glass. I know it sounds like a long shot but alot can be done with a clay puck and fiberglass overlay. Sure it will take a bit of time to form but should come in way cheaper than a new fairing stay.
thrstrmech
Well-known member
That is another option I'm looking at too, my original thought was to replace both sides with round stock aluminum rod, drill and thread to turn signal post while still running wires through it. The round stock would be attached by countersunk screws for a clean look,also threaded holes to avoid using nuts. I'd use rubber boots, to mask where the rod and stay meet.
freak do you mean make an entirely new piece out of FG or patch the broken leg back on with FG? If it's a patch it won't hold. I have a little experience with FG and using it to patch like this and I've had some luck but mainly with plastics that the FG really bonds well to, and you have a lot more surface area to grip. With that leg having little surface area and a lot of stress on it I don't think the FG patch would last long at all. You'd have an ugly bump under neath too(not that it'd be very visible).
All depends on how far you blend the glass over and how you prep the surface. As far as support ....all its suporting is a blinker. Glass can be VERY strong and suport aloty if done properly.
The hard part would be the clay puck and getting it in the proper locaton. Once thats done a single layer of glass over the puck & up the stay and let it dry. once its dried properly remove the clay and do Several layers of glass on the backside sandwicking the stay between the glass. Once its set all thats left is sanding to finish and reinstall.
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