Making Fiberglass Fenders
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Fiberglass, Fabrication, and Interiors
Forum Discription: Fiberglass Kick Panels, Subwoofer Enclosures, Plexiglas, Fabrics, Materials, Finishes, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=79877
Printed Date: April 19, 2024 at 7:40 PM
Topic: Making Fiberglass Fenders
Posted By: Jasonb61
Subject: Making Fiberglass Fenders
Date Posted: July 03, 2006 at 1:27 AM
Well, I have been looking for some fiberglass fenders for my 92 dakota... I found a place that can make me a set... for 12,000 dollars... yes, 12 thousand... that's crazy! anyways, im looking into trying to make some myself as they are a pretty simple shape... any ideas on this? thanks!
-Jason
Replies:
Posted By: juniorxs
Date Posted: July 03, 2006 at 6:48 AM
start with a standard one and cut away what you don't like and and foam and shape, then fiberglass
Posted By: Jasonb61
Date Posted: July 03, 2006 at 9:45 AM
I should have been more specific but I want them to look like stock fenders.. my main problem is the fact that small dents seem to appear out of no where!! Can I make a mold out of the original or just the outer skin
Posted By: Melted Fabric
Date Posted: July 03, 2006 at 11:03 AM
You can definately make a mold of it. If you already have dents in it, then caution should be taken so that the final mold is free of the defects of the original part(fender). Fibreglast.com has a good breakdown of basic mold construction. I would copy and paste here but it will take too much room up. https://www.fibreglast.com/contentpages-Mold+Construction-170.html Depending on how bad the one on your car is dented, I would go pickup a "backup copy" from the junk yard, hopefully one that is free of dents and scars. ------------- I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
When you do not know what you are doing and what you are doing is the best -- that is inspiration.
Posted By: Jasonb61
Date Posted: July 03, 2006 at 11:08 AM
will this be a mold of the entire fender or will i only be able to make a copy of the outter skin? I DO have a spare set of fenders but I'd rather copy them to fiberglass! I searched google for "Make fiberglass fender" but I didnt really find anyone doing anything similar to this...can anyone else point me to a site where someone has done this? I will probably start this next week as this week I am still working on door panels
Thanks,
-Jason
Posted By: Melted Fabric
Date Posted: July 03, 2006 at 12:29 PM
Well kiddo, I hate to break it to you, but even using my nerdy google slang, I was not able to find a site on making an actual fender out of fiberglass. I did find this site though. https://www.off-road.com/ford/bajaexpedition/march_2001/fabtech/index.html It shows installation of custom fender. Most sites are custom fenders installation or selling the fiberglass fenders. It is not that difficult of a project when you think about it. Take what you know or have learned of fiberglassing and apply it to this project. ------------- I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
When you do not know what you are doing and what you are doing is the best -- that is inspiration.
Posted By: mustangfoo
Date Posted: July 03, 2006 at 3:12 PM
check this out, it might help you out into where and how to get started. They turn an Acura NSX into a Ferrari. https://ahru.co.jp/usercar/index2.htm Only problem . . . It's all in Japanese! haha
Posted By: Melted Fabric
Date Posted: July 03, 2006 at 4:09 PM
Damn, all I can say is damn............ That is preeeemo. As amazing as that looks, with the right effort, anyone of us can achieve equivalent results. In the early shots, the material looked like foam boards being used as a ideal skeleton. From there a basic boxie shape was gradually carved down into the desired shape. I did not see fiberglass photos, but I am sure they used it somewhere in the process. Jason, a while ago before I was even all that into fiberglass, I remember visiting a kit car site; full-size cars that are built from the ground up. They basically took a frame and built the body around similiar to that Acura NSX to Ferrari conversion. Here is a site [LINK] that focuses on kit cars, there is a link at the bottom that reads Build a body from Scratch. Just more material for you to see to get ideas as to how to approach your project. ------------- I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
When you do not know what you are doing and what you are doing is the best -- that is inspiration.
Posted By: pointjg
Date Posted: July 05, 2006 at 10:53 AM
I would just make the outer skin and once it is done then add some metal reinforcements to where the brackets will go (fab up some brackets out of flat bar)... Hope this helps.
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