Thread: ***jojor512's fiberglass fab guide***

wrote these up a long time ago on my sounddomain page, dont have this car anymore, but you can never have too many fiberglass examples...

CUSTOM DOOR PANELS:

Here are the materials you will need:
1. 1 Gallon fiberglass Resin
2. 1 Quart body filler
3. 4 square yards fleece fabric
4. 1 package of fiberglass mat
5. Glazing putty
6. Disposable brushes
7. Latex Gloves
8. Bondo Spreaders
9. Sanding blocks (60,100,150, 220)
10. Safetey goggles
11. Primer
12. Spray bed-liner
13. Respirator



Tools you will need:
1. Router or Jigsaw (to cut out speaker rings, hole in door panel)
2. Random Orbit Sander
3. Hot glue gun w/ heavy duty hot glue

The first thing you need to do is plan. Make sketches, and if possible, mock designs on the door panels themselves. Try different positions with your speakers to get the best angle/location for the tweeters & mids.


Here is the basic layout I used. I cut the speaker rings out of plywood with a router, and the door panel with a jigsaw. The rings were angled and held in place with wood dowels & hot glue:


Next, you need to cover your door panel & newly added speaker rings in fleece. This is the type of fleece your grandma uses to make blankets, so you will need to muster up courage to go into a fabric store. Usually they have some fleece on clearance because of ugly patterns, which is exactly what you want.

Side-Profile shot.


This is the step in the process in which you have the most control in how the final panel will turn out. Take your time, and it may take more than one attempt to get the fleece placed perfectly. I found that glueing the fleece down by a thin strip of glue going diagonaly from the speaker ring up to the opposite corner of the panel to be the most effective starting position, because it provides two disting directions for you to pull the fleece tight. Glue often, and make sure there are no creases or any bunched-up areas. You want the fleece to be as tight as possible. Wrap the extras around the backside of the panel, trimming and gluing as you go.


One thing I highly recommend (which I did not do because my panel had previous damage) is to NOT wrap fleece around the upper part of the panel, where there are mounting holes. Try to stop the fleece right after the non-exposed part of the panel begins (i.e. where the upper armrest attaches and covers up part of the panel). This will make remounting much easier.


Finally, the step most people are apprehensive about: FIBERGLASSING. It really isn't hard. If you ever did paper mache as a kid, then you will have no trouble. You must use latex gloves and a respirator. First, mix up the recommended amount of hardener to about 16oz of resin. Stir for about a minute or two using a disposable brush, and then brush the resin onto the fleece. You want to completly saturate the fabric, although you do not want any pools to form. Work fast, because the glass will start to cure in about 5 minutes. A spreader is useful, although not necessary. Throw away the brush when you are done, and after the remaining resin cures in the bucket, you will be able to pop it out to reuse the bucket.



Next, flip the panel over and find all of the places that need to be reinforced (sides of the speaker rings, the pocket opening...). Next, mix up some more resin & hardener and cut the fiberglass matt into fairly small pieces, although no smaller than 3x3 inches. Next, dip the pieces into the resin, and thin off the extra resin by pulling the mat through two fingers, much like in paper mache. Stick these pieces into any area that looks like it needs reinforcement. Try to get two layers, it is not necessary to let them dry inbetween. Make sure everything is sufficiently covered in resin, and then let the panels dry.