front grill?

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OHsolow

Member - Posts: 17

Joined: April 16, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: April 16, 2004 at 11:38 PM / IP Logged

ive have heard that if fiberglass gets air pockets in it, and if they are not fixed they can tend to absorb water? if so how do i go about fixing this? I am wanting to fg a front grill just because im tired of looking at my old one and the only other kinds of grills i have to choose from are the billet and 91-93 sonoma front grill upgrade....im trying to be a lil custom and i want something different but i want it to last. im wanting to put a set of fog lights in it also if possible....please help if you have any ideas...

audiomechanic

Silver - Posts: 388

Joined: November 09, 2002

Location: United States

Posted: April 18, 2004 at 10:04 AM / IP Logged

the easiest way to do this is to make a mold of what you want first. you can actually make the exack piece out of wood and fiberglass or what ever. make it so it looks exactly like you want it to. the make a reverse fiberglass mold of it. then when you lay the glass over the mold, you can take the time to make sure it is exact. use a roller or squeege to get all of the air bubbles out of it. that way it will be lighter and stronger. it will take a bit more time to do, but if you keep the mold and something happens to the grille you can always make another. or if someone wants one you can make them one too.

OHsolow

Member - Posts: 17

Joined: April 16, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: April 18, 2004 at 11:18 AM / IP Logged

i understand making the mold for it and all but im just wondering with it being on the exterior and all if it does have some small bubbles....would it make that big of a difference?

defective

Silver - Posts: 642

Joined: August 20, 2003

Location: Canada

Posted: April 18, 2004 at 12:40 PM / IP Logged

no.... boats are made of the same fiberglass.... it's all about finishing.

soup

Copper - Posts: 79

Joined: October 09, 2003

Location: Canada

Posted: April 18, 2004 at 6:06 PM / IP Logged

defective wrote:

no.... boats are made of the same fiberglass.... it's all about finishing.

Maybe I didnt understand this right.. but ummm... boats are not made out of the SAME fiberglass.... Boats use epoxy resin which can hold up to water... polyester resin, which is what is used in the automotive industry, does not hold up to water

audiomechanic

Silver - Posts: 388

Joined: November 09, 2002

Location: United States

Posted: April 18, 2004 at 7:41 PM / IP Logged

but autos are repared with polyester resin........and bodyfiller and primer and paint and clear.........all of the things that you will be using to do your project.

body kits are also made with poly resin then painted. if you are worried you can also use urethane plastic to make it.

OHsolow

Member - Posts: 17

Joined: April 16, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: April 18, 2004 at 9:35 PM / IP Logged

urethane plastic? please elaborate...how would i go about getting this and how hard is it to work with?

Melted Fabric

Silver - Posts: 509

Joined: October 24, 2003

Location: California, United States

Posted: April 19, 2004 at 1:07 AM / IP Logged

http://users.lmi.net/~drewid/urethane_faq.html wrote:

Urethanes are a huge family of rubbers as well as plastics which are easy, economical, and quick to work with. Rubber elastomers and hard-plastic urethanes are extremely similar chemically, but the hard types have a plasticizer in their formula. It is easy to find urethanes which can be painted on and have great tensile strength, exceeding that of silicone rubber.

http://www.urethanesupply.com/ is one site I found for getting urethane supplies. They have a nice How To section that goes into visual detail as well.

Here are a few more sites for fiberglassing and things related to it...

Fiberglassing...

http://www.fibreglast.com/

http://www.shopmaninc.com/

http://www.fiberlay.com/

http://www.graphitestore.com/

Autobody...

http://www.eastwoodco.com/

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.

audiomechanic

Silver - Posts: 388

Joined: November 09, 2002

Location: United States

Posted: April 19, 2004 at 7:20 AM / IP Logged

the urethane plastic is a pourable plastic. you can use it to make just about anything. it comes in different strengths or hardnesses. an easy explination is to make a mold, mix part A and part B then then pour it in, let it cure. then remove it. it is pretty easy to work with. you just have to think about your mold and if the piece will be able to be removed from it.

OHsolow

Member - Posts: 17

Joined: April 16, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: April 19, 2004 at 9:30 PM / IP Logged

i dont think im good enough for urethane yet...ill stick with fiberglass...my main problem is wanting ot know if some...and i mean not a whole lot of bubbles woud severly affect or even ruin an exterior fiberglass peice?..i was thinking today the if it was covered in primer and paint..(the kind you can get to match your car from autozone..since i got that sweet 20 percent discount cause i work there)....that it wouldnt let any water in...am i right or wrong?

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