Marcos Maniacs

Hi Maniacs,
Let's see.... where were we?  The last series of photos in my album, 
"Mike Denman's project album", showed the rear end of my Marcos.  The 
rear end had two separate problems, stress (spider) cracks, and 
warpage of the rear panel. I had stripped all the paint from the panel 
inside and out and prepared the fiberglass for repair.  Today's the 
photos show: 

1st. Picture. A stiffener for the rear panel that will also act as a 
support for a rear tire cover and a conduit to run my tail light 
wiring through to the left side.  The stiffener is made out of a 
fiberglass tube. I laid a couple of layers of fiberglass to one edge 
and then filled the two sides with a milled fiberglass/resin mixture. 
This stiffener was drilled for five 4.40 X 1 inch screws to fasten it 
to the rear panel.  After the resin cures the screws will be removed 
and the holes filled.  The stiffener will then hold the panel straight 
(along with a dual layer of new fiberglass on the inside) The 
stiffener should also prevent the panel from warping in the future. 
The photo isn't the greatest… sorry.  The white thing under the 
stiffener is an index card that I had hoped would make the stiffener 
construction easier to see.

2nd. Picture.  This shows the inside of the trunk (boot) (another poor 
photo… sorry) with the new layer of fiberglass and the stiffener in 
place.  The new layers of fiberglass will help keep the panel flat.  
In addition, when I start the repair of the stress cracks I will be 
able to grind out the stress cracks completely through the original 
fiberglass and stop when I get to the new fiberglass layers. (Most 
stress cracks penetrate through the gel coat and fiberglass matrix.  
To really get rid of stress cracks requires that the repair goes as 
deep as the stress crack as a minimum)  The black squares are duct 
tape that is on the other side of the panel to prevent resin from 
dripping out the holes for the tail lights etc.

3rd. Picture.  This shows the rear end with the stiffener screws 
protruding and a piece of aluminum angle being used to help keep the 
rear panel flat while the fiberglass/resin matrix cures. Again, the 
black squares are duct tape. I have "highlighted the stress cracks 
with a black magic marker to make them easier to see. The screws and 
aluminum angle are temporary and will be removed after the resin has 
cured.

Tomorrow I start to repair the stress cracks.  This is the spot where 
many beginners "loose their nerve" as they grind long "wormy looking" 
grooves into the bodywork.

I'll post additional pictures as progress warrants.
Mike Denman
Marcos 1800
Chassis # 4079