Thread: Am I Headed In The Right Direction???

Okay got a few question here regarding the attempt to totally create a jaw dropping interior for my truck......

First, this whole idea came about when i pulled my panels and dash to clean and fix my heater fan squeek....and let me say diiiirty!

So i started experimenting on the kick panels and dashboard speaker grills trying to bond fiberglass to them wich i now know doesnt stick just to the plastic, and the one kick panel i went out and got some blue styro insul from hardware store glued it on with 3M PP, poly, plastic glue and carved it into a shaped i liked.. then found out polyester resin disinigrates the foam, lost the shape haha and then pulled the fiberglass off the panel again!

Did some reaserching on how the pros do this cause im going to make it look pro when im finished no matter how much resin im peeling off my skin at the end of the day lol

So heres the deal on how im going to approach this again without wasting 2 bills on resin and glass thats now inna garbage box(had a feeling it was gonna take a few trys and "some" waste)

Iam a proffesional cabinetmaker by trade so i take pride in my work and thought since i have access to MDF and other such materials can i use this to my advantage? So i think im going to add 1/8 to 1/4 mdf to the back of the panels riveting the hell outta them so they aint ever comming off!! so i have a bondable substrate to adhear to this a good idea?.....make speaker grill parts and other slim plastic parts using mdf fitting them nicely in place and then glassing the mdf?? is it neccisary to glass it?? other options??

is the foam idea a trade practice??saw that mayebe i should wrap the part with "fleece" actual cloth then apply resin to it then glassing onto it after...not just putting the mat soaked in resin and trying to form it to the original part and not getting results i thought i should have lol...if this the case how can i prevent the foam disinigrating, is fleece enough or no?

For largeer component like the dash i was thinking makingthin panels to clip into it after so when i do future work i can take the panels off if romoving the dash to minimize possible damage this legit?? if so im sure i will have to cast these parts what is an easy inexpensive way to do it?? (if not ill still do what it takes)

Finally, materials.....i live in calgary alberta any place to order materials in bulk for good price??so i dont have to make a million trips to crappy tire for more stuuf?? i will order it from elsewhere if could be purchased online for cheap...last polyester resin proper?? i got a tub of Bondo brand gold premium bondo for over the glass thiss correct?? i have tons of finishing experience so should not need to much info on finishing....any other suggestions on different materials to use??any suggestions on how to keep this somewhat tidy during the process so i dont have resin everywhere like i do now?? hahaha SOoooooooo.....if you havent passed out yet from reading this and are willing to give me a few nudges along the way that would be greatly greatly appreciated!!!

Thanx a bunch for reding this and sorry it being sooo long just firm beliver in good communication cuz it works well when done right!!! OH YEAH THE TRUCK IS A 94 GMC SIERRA