Our 6th planet

[coppertop_01]

This is just going to be a general posting about howto use Fibreglass, and polyester resins. I may do DIY articles about fibreglassing bumpers, interior parts/gauge pods, stereo enclousures.

Please try todo fibreglassing on scrap parts, you need to get some practice before trying a final product.

Materials

*Polyester resin
*Hardener
*1 ounce mat
*2 ounce mat
*1" to 2" fibreglass roller
*Mineral spirits (to clean brushes, rollers, knives, ect)
Rubber gloves, cause you don't want that crap getting on you
mixing stick
cheap dollar store brushes (not poly bristles, they will melt with the resin)
a couple plastic pails (todo mixing, and put the cleaners in)
table (covered with crappy cardboard)
Box cutting knife
Scissors

Other things you might need

*Mold release wax
*Gelcoat
*PVA
*Bigger rollers

DO ALL FIBREGLASSING OUTSIDE, OR IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA

Keep in mind, fibreglassing is EXTREMELY messy, so anything you use, make sure it isn't something you will need later, or your g/f's stuff, or parents, or good stuff, cause you will destroy it.

All the marked items you need to get at a specific place, you might be able to get all of them at Canadian Tire, but if you want to pay through the ass, I would go somewhere else. I use a company called Composites Canada, formerly Fibreglass Factory Outlet. They are located in Mississauga, check them out

Method

Mostly it depends on what you are going to fibreglass, but for small things I would use the 1 ounce weight fibreglass. For big things like a bodykit, I would use 2 ounce. Also if you are going to making a mold, you will need the other things, the gel coat, PVA, and mold release wax.

Follow the instructions on howto mix the resin with the hardener, but the way I usually do it is by putting the resin into the pail, adding a few squirts of hardener and stiring. You will know that you did it right, because after 10-20 seconds of mixing the mixture will change colour slightly, from a off light green colour, to a off light brown colour.

Now this part you will need to get used to, and develop a way of doing the glassing yourself. I can tell you how I do it, but you will need to practice and find a way that you feel comfortable with.
I start by cutting up pieces of mat fibreglass, depending on the size, ranging from 3" square to 12" sqaure. Put them on the cardboard, and spread on the epoxy resin with the brush, soaking right into the fibreglass mat till it is almost see through. Put these soaked peices of fibreglass mat on whatever it is you are building, roll out the bubbles with the roller, and the paint brush

Now let the fibreglass cure, as it is drying, you can trim off the excess, because once it dries you will need a jigsaw, or grinder to clean up the edges.

I will post up later what kind of methods you will need to use for different kinds of glassing situations. Right now you have the basics on mixing and applying fibreglass to work with.

Jer

[subliminal64]

You can also do entire peices in one single piece of fiberglass mat. Thats the way that I did my trunk, and rear decklid. I like this way better because it is one continuous piece. Sometimes pieces are too big to do this though. Also, use the "chop mat" not the other stuff that is woven (kinda looks like white carbon fibre). This stuff is not meant for anything besides body repair. It is next to imposible to get bubbles out of, and to get it to lay flat/follow contours.

[coppertop_01]

The woven stuff is also used doing airplanes, and boats......I wouldn't use the stuff for body repair, very difficult to work with

Jer

[sc2racer]

Jer i'm going to be making a set of eye lid covers for my head lights ... 1 ounce FG mat should be good i guess for that right ?

[coppertop_01]

yeah 1 ounce should be good, but put 2 layers on, you need alittle thickness

Jer

[sc2racer]

yea i was planning on putting 2 layers of mat on it .. but thanks for the heads up

[BeanzSL2]

ok so i have never tried fiberglassing at all!!

and im glad im on this site cuz when i try to explain what im doin to see if anyone else can help they are all like wtf i would have to look..

anyways what i am doin is i am adding a 15 inch screen in the dash of my sl2(96) and the setup i have right now is i took the deck, and placed it at the very bottom of the center console(stereo, heating, ac controls, etc) then a placed the heating and ac contols and holder above it, then i want to fiber glass the screen above that, it will fit just perfectly, i need the screen to be in with a fiberglass case, BUT manage to change specs and line up with the mounting bolts for the old trim, then i need the fiberglass to trim around the deck and hvac, and then come down and cover the cup holders, because thats where my switches are gonna be( trac controls, neons, etc)

here is a picture.. if someone can make this for me I WILL PAY!!!!

[viperssaturn]

That would actually be quite easy to do. Where are you located? I could do it but you would need to bring it by for measurements and all that fun stuff. I am in Hamilton. I could do it in Carbon Fibre too for the right price!

[BeanzSL2]

hey buddy, i am located in st kitts, sorry there isnt much info on my car or location my buddy sean just told me about his so i joined lol


and how much in c/f and how much in just normal???

u understand what i waant tho??

no gappin where the stereo and it needs to round off around the hvac.

get back to me man, ur major help if u can do this for me... and i wouldnt mind learnin some skills from u, so i can do more of my car in f/g

[viperssaturn]

You would need to come to Hamilton so that I can take a look at exactly what you want. Understanding people over an internet forum is not easy. I get a good sense of what you would like but definitely need to see it in person. Maybe we should make a meet next week in Hamilton at the Beach strip and I could look at it then. I could also give you an idea of price at that time. Can't really price it without seeing it.

[BeanzSL2]

well that sounds great.. but my car wont maybe be on the road till aug 4th. i got my into accident. so it wont be on till then.. but when its one i will def head up there.

[Frostman]

I tried to upload some pics from photo bucket and I can't figure out. I am terrible at glassing lol

[andrew88]

Well the link worked.. looked like a good amount of rust. I'm scared to pull the carpet on my 96 coupe.

[Frostman]

Do you remember what link worked? I gave up after they weren't appearing in the forum. I will post up again if I know which ones worked.

[andrew88]

http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac33 ... 8_1519.jpg this one!

Shows mild cancer.