DIY $40 make you holla fiberglas radiator shroud with bondo kit

[saylor]

if i was doing a hood, i think id try to mold it. but thats one fking big mold.

@GJS you know what kind of thread/string I can add to provide strength? ployester? ski rope? etc.

i saw a pic of where a guy added string in between under the layers. i was thinking of going around the square box edge with a piece of string, give it a good edge and more solid and whatnot.

 

[GJS]

if i was doing a hood, i think id try to mold it. but thats one fking big mold.

@GJS you know what kind of thread/string I can add to provide strength? ployester? ski rope? etc.

i saw a pic of where a guy added string in between under the layers. i was thinking of going around the square box edge with a piece of string, give it a good edge and more solid and whatnot.

I wouldn't go with string. Fiberglass works due to the long, stretched glass fibers so using anything other than a glass fiber would be counterproductive. Theres a chopped fiberglass and silica in resin compound that you add catalyst to... it works like a body filler does but cures as hard as fiberglass resin does .. anyway, use it to sort of round out your inner corners when you pull it from the mold, then lay up one more strip of roven or mat, whatever is there, over top of it. That'll have your corners as strong as you could need.

 

[MarPar]

I wouldn't go with string. Fiberglass works due to the long, stretched glass fibers so using anything other than a glass fiber would be counterproductive. Theres a chopped fiberglass and silica in resin compound that you add catalyst to... it works like a body filler does but cures as hard as fiberglass resin does .. anyway, use it to sort of round out your inner corners when you pull it from the mold, then lay up one more strip of roven or mat, whatever is there, over top of it. That'll have your corners as strong as you could need.

something like this?

we calls it tiger hair round here...

think of it as a fiberglass bondo of sorts. sandable and paintable...

 

[GJS]

something like this?

View attachment 131810

we calls it tiger hair round here...

The very same, sir. We call it Bear ****.

 

[MarPar]

The very same, sir. We call it Bear ****.

 

[Carmine]

Going with the theme here...

I'm not shitting on the idea of a fiberglass hood if somebody wants one, but in terms of market to sell them; you'd be further ahead to do some in-demand plastic parts. How about some hardtop B-posts? Inner 1/4 panel trim for late B-bodies? Yes please!

 

[saylor]

ya +1 kick panels may be next

 

[Samplingman]

....I want a repro of the Hurst hood....

 

[GJS]

Perhaps I'll play a bit when I get my shop together. I'm lucky in that the plastic parts on my Monaco are in remarkably good condition.

I think the real area of experimentation would be the finish texture of the pieces. It's a fine detail and I know resin would flow well into it in the skin coat but I wonder about air bubbles and release agents.

A hood you can bring to mold quality and polish with a good release wax... due to its smooth quality, you can pop a reverse mold off of something like that, but to lay up on the outside of an original plastic piece and adhere to it ... or melt it entirely... would be a trick.

 

[saylor]

so here we are with another layer of pookey

 

[saylor]

then we heat cure that bad boy out in the good ol texas heat.

 

[saylor]

teh hairs are everywhere. but the trash bag held up. i blame the 'mat' - i say use the 'cloth'. it was much easier to work with. i tried the mat for a 2nd time and ended up peeling a chunk off. also got a bunch of air bubbles. bah.

 

[saylor]

i know this was the $.20 question:
is using an aired up bike wheel a smart thing to do?

YES!

 

[Samplingman]

If the tire is stuck, there's you reinforcement!

 

[GJS]

i know this was the $.20 question:
is using an aired up bike wheel a smart thing to do?
View attachment 131822

YES!

Gotta say, man. Well done!

 

[saylor]

its sitting out there in the hotass garage curing . . .

 

[GJS]

View attachment 131823its sitting out there in the hotass garage curing . . .

View attachment 131824

Trim it, grind it, drill it, paint it black, go to town.

 

[saylor]

so, fiberglass isnt so bad. its too bad its kinda pricy. if it was cheaper i'd make everything with it. the mat sucks. the cloth is the way to go. fleece is a common base, but soaks up a lot of resin. t shirts and panty hose are better for a lighter foundation to start off with. corners suck. i suck at wrapping presents, so i sucked at that part too.

when the resin starts to cure, it goops into gel. also mixing a new batch into the current container made some gel.

use plastic water bottles / gatorade bottles / etc for mixing cups. cut them down to 3" or so and single use them. use plastic. no wax coat paper. bad.

i have a lot of sanding to do.

i guess tomorrow ill get a pint of the bondo filler crap and give that a try - never done that yet either...

oh - i have to cut this thing down to around 3 1/2" deep/tall.

and clean the front edge flat.

then split it in half.

then test fit and adjust.

then add weatherstripping around the mouth and at the split.

 

[saylor]

Trim it, grind it, drill it, paint it black, go to town.

it looks sorta like a radiator fan shroud huh ?

 

[saylor]

well 2 hours later and its still tacky to touch, not like imprint fingerprint into it tacky, but sticky still. its not dry smooth feeling. i am going to let it sit all night and just work on it more tomorrow.