fiberglass components

I'm considering building several fiberglass components for my truck.  One will be a center console that flows from the stock one to the dash (there is a gap between the two of about a foot, and would make nice space for a CD holder, and bass remotes), and an amp rack.  But while considering these upgrades I need to know several things:1.  How costly can a fiberglass build be?  Materials, time, tools, etc.  How much money and time, including EVERYTHING THAT I"LL NEED am i going to spend?2.  How strong is fiberglass? The amp rack I plan on making is going to be quite different than any others you may have seen.  In order to keep the functionality of my SUV, I'd like to mount a thin amp rack, as high as the wheel wells (about 3 inches).  It should be able to hold at least a box weighing over 100 pounds, a 86 pound german shepard (yes, my dog) and be strong enough to hold various other cargo.  Also, strain tolerance is important.  I would like to lock the lid, so as to prevent theives from gaining easy access to my amps.  Can it withstand a prybar, or a hammer? 3.  Mechanical ablitly/complexity.  Should I choose to build using fiberglass, i'll probably wish to add hinges and lids molded to a nice, small gap look.  How much harder will it be to incorporate molded lids and such?  Is cutting fiberglass after it cures difficult?  How well do screws work on fiberglass?  Can I use hinges and harware (handles, locks) that i could use on regular wood, or do I need special hardware?  How well does adhesive hold on fiberglass?  Can I glue carpet on?I realize that  other posts may have these answers, but some don't have all the answers to my questions.  Please help!~wayland

1: Depends on the size of the project. I've build a dual 12" sub enclosure before and it cost around $160 for all the materials (it was 6 layers thick). You'll have to take in mind to I carpated it so it only cost like 10 to finish where as with a painted box it'll take 3-5 cans of spray paint, plus a can or 2 of finish and a can or 2 of primer, again depends on the size. As for time, the sub box took about 32 man hours to finish over the course of 2 weeks, that not including drying time as you'll need between 2 and 3 hours after each layer is laid to let it harden. You'll need a few tools too, just for small projects you'll need a sander, a rotary tool is invaluable, scrapers, cheap paint brushes and a respirator to start. 2: VERY STRONG. One or 2 layers is strong enough to stand on but it will flex. Once you get up to 6 layers it gets VERY STRONG. I could put stand on the box without any flexing after 4 layers, so 3 layers of glass should be enough to hold 100 lbs without flexing. 3: I dont know how well screws work on fiberglass, I've always used MDF attached to the fiberglass to screw into stuff. As far as lids and such, cutting cured fiberglass can be tricky, but it is possible with the right blade. Its best to get as close to the size you need as possible because you can sand it down to a good fit. well, those are my views on your questions, hope they helped! :D

If you dont have any tools your looking at a lot of out of pocket expense.  I started out a while back with a set of kick panels the material for them only cost about 60 dollars but the tools i NEEDED and keep in mind i still didnt get everything was about 300 dollars probly more.