Nathan Ruffcorn wrote
>On to my topic-Is anyone familiar with any decent tech sites that shows how
>to make your own fiberglass parts? My car (67 2L conversion) is without an
>airfilter. I'm not going to dolly out the inner fender and scuff the new
>paint to make the stock filter work. Instead I may build a cold air box,
>also using the stock filter housing baseplate (to take advantage of
>airhorns). I've had a little experience with fiberglass but have never
>used/built molds. Any thoughts?
Hmm, seems like there should be a how-to site, doesn't it? I did some
searching but found nothing satisfactory. You need a shape to make a
mold from, or....
A "BUCK":
You can use dense particle-board to make your buck. Cut it out with a
bandsaw or saber saw, andround it over with a router. Sand it, prime it,
and make it as smooth as you want your final piece to be. You can also
use a urethane foam like Balsafoam. It's real easy to work with, but is
soft enough that it dings easily. you also have to seal the pores with
spackle, glazing putty or the like.
Will your piece havelots of contours and swoopy bits?
We need to decide whether you can make do with a rigid fiberglass mold,
or whether a flexible mold with a rigid fiberglass jacket is the ticket.
This might be best decided when your buck is finished. A flexible mold
will cost more, but you won't need much for an air cleaner cover (a pound
or two), and getting the glass part out of a silicone mold is MUCH easier
than coaxing it out of a fiberglass mold unless you've made a multi-piece
mold. The flanges are tricky on those so I'd steer clear (And do) also,
mold release is not much of an issue with silicone,.
I gotta pack for a trip to FLA, I'll check in later.
Hey Sid, What's your phone #? We can get together and cry over
non-running roadsters.
-marc
==========================================================================
Marc Tyler
Designer,
Animal Firm
830-324-6578
www.animalfirm.com
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