Printer Friendly Forum Posts - Fiberglassing Trunk Lid

im doinga whole custom system in a 2000 BMW 3 Series.
i want to fiberglass the cover of the trunk lid. and take out the tool kit thats there. considering its platic covered in trunk cloth can i just lay some resin on that and then another coat of maybe speaker mesh and then resin that ,fill dand and srpay that the color of the car?is it that easy?
also for the first coat of resin should i leave it on the car so it doesnt warp?? and the next layer and filling it can be taken off.
if someone has done this or has pics of it that would be a big help
thanks

I think you need to explain a little more what your doing. Right now it sound like your just making a mold of the trunk lid and painting it.

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Learning the trade one fiberglass creation at a time!

i dnot wantto make a mold of it
there is a cappeted pice that covers the inside part of the trunk on the bmw
i want to take that soak it in resin add some fiberglass or speaker mesh and fill with bondo and paint to match the car.im just going to use the existing piece can i do that ?

Sounds like you just want to turn carpet into something smooth and paint it the same color as the car? I believe all youd need to do is just resin it, add body filler, sand, prime, & paint. I dont think theres a need for speaker mesh to do that. Does this help?

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Im a fiberglass whore!!

yeah thats what i want to do. i was gonna use mesh to smooth it out more and fill in some hole hthat i dont want. but esentially thats what i want. what type of filler and sanding steps should i take
also put the resin on while its still in the car so it doenst warp right??

i would strongly suggest adding a layer of either biaxail weave fiberglass cloth or some similiar thin fiberglass cloth to it before filler and primer...the carpeted piece will crack badly over time...adding a thin layer of fiberglass mat or cloth will stop this from happening...hopefully the carpeted piece is not glued down..cause the resin will most likely eat the glue and separate from the plastic..

the easiest thing would be to strip the carpet off..clean the glue off. and then sand and prime the plastic and paint from there..there is also ABS fillers and stuff you can buy at hardware stores that will help you smooth out the surface...high build etching primer for plastics and fiberglass will be a must for this project..

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Fiberglass Guru.

im not to sure if there is plastic behind it i really dont remember to well i have to look but it feels stiff like theere
is
you know those panels on the BMW's.
ill add a layer of fiberglass mat cause there are some voids that are going to be there that i dont want on the final product.
but am i right about doing the first layer on the car so it doesnt warp???
any other tips trick or maybe a site that has pics step by step on how to do what i want
thanks

why waste a perfectly good floor/carpet? trace it onto mdf or plywood or masonite and paint it. I think if you do what you want you'll end up with a ruined car BMW carpet and a funky new floor. mdf would save you hours of sanding and it'll take paint mighty fine.

- trig

i cant csue its not just a single flat piece its molded on the trunk lid
thats y i wanted to use the factory one to make it look like it was made for it
ya know
that oem look

a picture says a thousand words. take a pic bro and i'm sure someone will have an answer for you. I kinda get what your saying but it seems like your leaning more towards ruining the thing then making it better. If I understand you right, then i'd say protect the exsisting cover with painters tape and foil and make a copy. Then use those holes that you want to cover up, to hold the new one in place. Trust me it'll make it much easier to sell the car later on this way too.

- trig

car guy i see what u are trying to do yes u can use the existing I would remove the lid from the car then remove the carpet and cover lid with plastic and replace carpet and lay on the resin fiberglass mesh is a good idea it will help strenghten it and give u an area that needs less sanding. after the resin has harden, all sanding and bondo is finished remove the plastic from the lid and replace ur newly glassed lid cover .

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4-15" RF T2
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a picture would definately help....unless it is somehow sucured into your car all the way around...fiberglassing inside the car or out side wont make a difference...

Is this like a cargo cover or something? does it flip up? or like i said is it secured down all the way around somehow?

i would just take it out of the car and do it...cause i am sure you would be p****ed to spill resin in your Beemer..

it will only warp badly if you try to do too much resin at once...use a roller if you can to squeeze out any excess resin...the endothermic reaction is what causes it to warp..some section cure faster then others and then it warps...

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Fiberglass Guru.

thanks
hes comin tom and were gonna take some pics of everything so once i get them ill post it up maybe with an example i do in photoshop or shomethng
thanks again

the gray carpeted piece is what im talking about and im going to remove the tool kit.
this is not actually his trunk found the pic but its very similar
hope this helps

That's what I thought you were talking about and I'd still say cover it in tape and foil and make a mold of it that you can easily remove from it. With your idea you only get one try before you f*ck it up. I'm not saying you will but I wouldn't take the chance in my old beater accord, so why take the chance in a BMW. Make a mold sand the outside of that and find a way to attach it to what you got. I'd bet money you'd end up alot happier and so will the guy who ( if ever ) in the future decides to buy the car and doesnt like what you did.

oh that is the piece your talking about....go to https://www.hzemall.com/our_gallery/installs_demo_cars/Sony_folder/srt-4/cover.htm and check out the bright blue SRT4...it is in the projects section..then clik trunck lid...you will get an idea of where to go from there... the above like should lead right to it...

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Fiberglass Guru.

thank you every one for your help
just a few omre questions
to fill some holes and the dip caused by the tool kit should i just fill it all up with bodyfiller
is that ok it seems thats what that guy did..
also can i use regular bondo or better off with the rage gold stuff?
and what grits in what order shouold i use when sanding
thanks again

ohh the other thing is can i make a mold of the lid while it is off of the trunk
i know we went over this if i was fiberglassing the trunk lid itself but does the same thing apply if im making a mold of it.
can i do it off the car.it wont wtist or warp any will it
thanks

JUST DONT POOR BUCKETS OF RESIN OVER IT AND YES IT WILL BE PERFECTLY FINE OUT OF THE CAR

ok kool ill do a few light layers..
also should i get chopp mat or should i get the full mat thats one sheet?
and for the finnal layer should i use that speaker grill mesh to smooth it out?
and whats better rage gold or just plain bondo??

thank you for all the help

you should use chop strand mat...1.5 oz will be fine, that is the widely available at any parts store even wal mart...whatever you do dont cut the mat...you have to tear it appart...if you cut it you will get nasty seems that are a pain in a** to sand out...tearing it will leave it very frayed on the edges, which will let the piecees blend together better...as for filling the dips...dont use body filler, i would cut out some cardboard that is the shape of the dip you want to fill, and then lay the fiberglass over all of itbasically prefill the voids with cardboard before laying glass down....dont forget to tape and foil EVERYTHING...

using one full sheet will not provide as much strength as pieces...if you wish to use one full sheet i would use cloth, since it will provide a considerable smoother surface to try to finish..

and yes working out of the car ith this piece will not nly be easier it will be fine...i would spread a thin layer of duraglass over it before removing it from the panel though..and allow it to dry for several hours before breaking it all appart...atleast 8 hours after you check it for stickiness...basically once it is no long sticky to the touch adda 8 hours..and then you should be good...

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Fiberglass Guru.

rage rold is considerably better and easier to work with then bondo brand...

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Fiberglass Guru.

ok thanks alot
they didnt have rage gold so i bought the kitty hair instead
and filling the voids first thats what i was goona do i thought of it today when i looked at the piece
i both the mat at the marine supply store so instead of lying that whole piece down just rip it up and glass it that way...
how manny layers you think would i need i was goona go for about 2 or 3
thanks again

thickness/ strength are not directly related as you may think..first there are different weights of chop mat you can buy from 1.5 oz/ sq ft upto 3 oz/sq ft those willdefinately provide different strengths to the piece...also the amount of resin used will also factor in...you can make a piece 1/4" thick butif you only have one or 2 layers of 1.5 oz mat in there it will be weak as heck..

So provided you have have bought 1.5 oz mat and squeeze out all the unnecessary resin with a roller and build it about 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch thick you will be fine...if your just building a copy of it with no intended use other then show 3 layers will be fine.(approx 1/8" with 1.5 oz mat)...if you plan on having it somewhat useable for speakers and or monitors you may want to thumb test for weak spots....

and you will need some sort of light filler for this project...though rage gold is pretty much the best...there are other generic brands of light weight body fillers that are just as easy to sand...for the most part they all include gold in the name some haw...like duragold for instance.."Bondo" even has a gold grade filler out now too..i haven used it though..

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Fiberglass Guru.

carguy411 wrote:

ok thanks alot
they didnt have rage gold so i bought the kitty hair instead

just so you know these are completely different products...kitty hair is a structural filler that is incredibly hard to finish...Rage gold is quote unquote bondo...or a really light and easy to sand filler, effectively used to fill heavy scratches and small voids.

EverCoat now has a 2 part finishing putty that should work well for filling pinholes in, but i just use a high build etching primer to do that...(Proform 649)

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Fiberglass Guru.

ok thanks. so should i bring back the kittyhair and get just regular body filler? it will be easier to work with. also its just gona be fore show the only think im thiking of id trying to mold in a neon tube at the top but havent figured out how to do that yet
thanks

very wierd how some of my posts are being eiter deleted or lost...

anyway... the neon can be done a couple ways..one with a dowel or two with the actual tube..i would use the tube and wrap it in foil...tape it up first then foil it...mount it where you would like it to be on the trunk...when you take you mold of the trunk then you will have a bump in it right where you want the neon...simply glass and sand everything to perfection adn then with a router or dremel cut out the portion of the tube you would like to see..and your done.

i would kep and use the kitty hair and also pick up a cana of filler to use over top of it...the kitty hair will help the piece from warping, once you start working on it outside of the car..

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Fiberglass Guru.