fibeglass exterior objects?
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=92186
Printed Date: April 29, 2024 at 7:51 AM
Topic: fibeglass exterior objects?
Posted By: jpmontero98
Subject: fibeglass exterior objects?
Date Posted: March 27, 2007 at 12:17 PM
im plannin on making a frontend light mount for the montero...can i make a fiberglass light enclosure on the outsidethe same way u would do a sub box or is there different things i have to do( i live in NY ..road salt rain etc)
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J.A.P 1998 Mitsubishi Montero
Replies:
Posted By: jpmontero98
Date Posted: March 27, 2007 at 12:21 PM
im doing this so it would look cleaner onthe front of my car
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J.A.P 1998 Mitsubishi Montero
Posted By: speakermakers
Date Posted: March 28, 2007 at 3:17 AM
Great question. I don’t know exactly what you are trying to do, but things that come to mind are; moister, UV rays, and adhering to bumper cover material.
I have built some projects in the past that required me to consider these elements.
Frame your project using plastics like ABS, acrylic, or foamed PVC. Don’t use any MDF. I know this sounds stupid, but I have seen many try it. MDF melts and rots in moister, and expels gases in the summer heat that will mess up paint work. Don’t depend on massive amounts of body filler, like we do on interior projects. Due to the extreme temperature and moister differences encountered on the outside of a vehicle you will encounter expansion and shrinkage many times greater than you would in the interior of a vehicle.
Look into Marine grade epoxy. I use it regularly. It bonds directly to bumper cover material (polyester resin dose not), It is very UV resistant, Chemical resistant, and dose not expand and contract like polyester resin (2% vs 9%).
www.tapplastics.com
Marine grade epoxy costs twice as much as polyester resin but you only have to do the job once (piece of mind is worth a butt load).
With marine grade epoxy you have the choice of; fast, medium, and slow cure hardener.
I suggest the medium cure. It dose not take that much longer and it is much more forgiving.
Also worth mentioning is a plastic material called Quick cast. You can make your project entirely out of materials that you are used to working with and then cast a mould out of this stuff in just minuets. Then you can lay a glass/epoxy mix in your mould and end up with a product that you can bond right to your vehicle ready to paint!
Also worth mentioning is that polyester resin is not water proof. Many will argue this, but just ask a boat builder or check out the moister absorption specs from a supplier like tapplastics.
I pulled something similar to this off recently and will be posting about it in a few days.
I hope this helps. Let me know
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