fiberglassing the hood

Ey guys...... i hope u can help me w/ this project..... im a newbie in fiberglass.. well  my friend and i wanted to fiberglass the hood of his  car, the problem is we dont know wer to start.. should we get a mould or can we just simply cover the whole hood w/ masking tape den aplly a thin sheet of fiberglass above the hood den let it cure then after it cures will just add another layer??? will dis be possible? guys i hope u can give me some ideas on how we can make a copy of his hood.... btw im from d Philippines.. u guys have a very good site! cheers

Firstly you have to decide what type of fibreglass you going to use. Matt or cloth. Cloth gives a smoother finish but is pricer. Certain resins (polyesters) can't be used with matt fibreglass (it eats the binding that holds the stuff together). You can't put masking tape down as the resin will eat the plastic and eat the paint eventually. You have to put some wax down  or pvc protectant onto the hood then gel coat then apply your fibreglass then layer then top coat for a mould.  I recommend you mould it first so that you can put cool vents into it and change the design anytime . Can't remeber the exact order but ther is a lot on the net just search. Be careful always use the right protection. I did my beemer hood an it has made a huge difference in terms of accelaration. Try doing the boot lid first for a easy small shape or a small metal sheet (painted).

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Light and fast

It would be less of a headache if you just bought one. Make sure you line it well, layers of tape and foil. Also don't mix the resin too hot or you can destroy the paint on the original hood. You will also have to brace the hood on the bottom.

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Certified Security Specialist
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Yes it is a headache to do the first time as there is so many things that can stuff it up. Well practice makes perfect. If you have the money to blow then by all means have it made, stuff fibreglass get a carbon fibre hood made. I could not justify spending so much on a bonnet. Here in South Africa a bmw bonnet (carbon fibre) cost about $ 1000 us. It cost me about $25 (including experimenting) to make the bonnet in fibreglass. The fibreglass guys wanted about $100 (unpainted). But if you have the time and don't mind using power tools it can be very rewarding as well as money saving, as you can use your new fibreglass skills to make just anything. The great thing about using fibreglass is that you ahve a mould that you can use over and over again to change the shape and make ones for your friends, (at a price) :-)

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Light and fast

Hey, I'm pretty interested in glassing my own hood too. Does anyone have any links to help with this at all?