Build Thread Dustys has a new friend

RaggedGT said:

Your fiberglass work looks great buddy . As a fiberglass noob. I have some questions -How hard is it to work with?

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Its not that bad it all. The key is to support the fiberglass mesh.

The first time i used it it was a PITA. I didn't understand that it needed to be supported. Also, tried to mix it on cardboard like filler.

The fiberglass resin can be runny and drip. 80 grit cuts through it pretty easy.

I used to use it to make those hideous body kits of the 90s and early 2000s. The ones with spray foam behind fiberglass with a couple buckets of Bondo on top.... with the sheet metal screws. ( i don't miss those days. ) I've also used it to make sculptures and other visual arts stuff.

I'm no professional at this.... Dave could probably give a little more advise.

Davedacarpainter said:

ok Scott, I'm so confused.

Are you trying to make this spoiler one unit? Or are the quarter pieces separate from the main spoiler?

I think @BMW Rider made his three separate pieces, am I right?

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BMWrider made his one piece. I'm going to leave mine three pieces but they'll all raise with the hood. I could chop of the stud stands for the end caps and fiberglass them together that way....but... i want to use the outer studs on the end caps to help support and secure the ends. The center section is getting some really strong two sided bonding tape.

Here's where I've gotten so far....





Now.... back to sanding....glaze and spot puddy....sanding...priming.....sanding....more spot puddy.....sanding....more...primer.....sanding...more sanding....sand again....and paint.

I've still got to make the mounting surfaces for the center section. I've got to grab an empty antifreeze jug from work tomorrow.

This is it for tonite. Got all the pin holes and imperfections taken car of. Just a few coats of primer away from having the exterior done.



@Davedacarpainter .... I decided to leave the end caps alone. Once the wedges are put on the underside the points will be a little further away. I'll use some stick on felt just in case theres a little contact but it should be minimal if at all.

The hard part is going to be making a mold for this thing. It would be alot easier to mold it in one piece.

I'm on Dad duty by myself this week and the wife's birthday is Wednesday so who knows how much I'll get done thise week.

The wing keeps getting better...



I made a template for the wedges that will go under the wing. This is a worthless pic.... jus' tryna keep this thread alive.

Got some more done. Had to make a mold for the 5 wedges that i need to put under the wing. This is what the two sided tape will hold on to.

I had to cut triangles out of an old piece of plywood left over from my shed. Then i sanded them to perfectly match my cardboard template.





Used an old antifreeze bottle to make an insert. Carefully scratched the surface along the bend lines to match the template.



The only thing left is to mix up the fiberglass and jam it in there. The trim nails i used kept backing out so i put tape around it to hold it secure.

The woman is back home.... her birthday is tomorrow. probably won't get any more done until Thursday evening. This process is moving slower than i want... but it's getting done.

Thats all that matters....

Got some more done today. I attempted to put the resin in the mold first, add hardener, and then fibers.



That didn't work out too well...

This was after it sat for 2 hours. Seems the hardener didn't mix well. It left alot of liquid holes in the wedge. Some parts turned out perfect.... but...



I changed it up and decided to lay weave in the mold first, mix resin with hardener, add resin mix, then fibers.



This one should turn out better. We'll have to wait till tomorrow to find out. I've got 5 of these things to make... if it takes over 2hrs to cure then it won't be done until July... lol

BMW Rider said:

Looks good. I'm interested to see how you get it all finished up. I really like how it changes the look of the coupe.

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It looks really good on the car. The wing evens out the cowl hood. When the cobra front lower bumper gets back on we'll really see how well it ties in.

Theres a bunch of fiberglass work coming in this thread. I've got to fix my hood cracks.... and fix the factory fiberglass trunk and wing from my convertible.

Ok...so i lied.....people do it all the time...



The new way works great !!!! Production is down to a half hour. Got two done... and one in the mold.

Lots of trimming sanding to do when these things are done. Hopefully, i can get into that tomorrow...

CarMichael Angelo said:

Stay tuned readers...next we start sanding and shaping the fiberglass.

And we'll learn first hand as to why people hate to work with this stuff.
*itch-itch,.....scratch-scratch.
Wear a long sleeve shirt, definitely wear a mask, and if you can see though them, goggles that seal your eyes.

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Guess i have no problem wit the stink.... or da itch...

Well that was fun.

I looked like a snowman. Smh

The wedges are cut out and sanded. Came out pretty good. The trunk lid isn't flat enough for 7in long pieces so im going to have to cut them down to 3 1/2in. No biggie.



Found out they're 30° each...





Now just a little cutting and a little more sanding. I haven't decided whether to use fiberglass or PBA to stick these to the wing. Seems like the PBA would be stronger. Resin by itself can shear.

Maybe @Davedacarpainter can chime in...or someone else with more bonding knowledge.

Edit; I know PBA will hold it better.....I just want Dave to keep an eye on my thread....incase i do something stupid.