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00:48:48 - 12/20/2024
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CJ35021
Dodge Dakota
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1/06/2004
21:32:55
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 Subject: Fiberglass Help
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I'm looking into building a custom center armrest to house two 8" subs. Where would I be able to find out more about fiberglass? I think that It would be the best thing to use, since I want it to match my exterior color. Would a auto parts store have a kit or something to build it thick enough?
What about cast fiberglass, the roll stuff? Would I be able to use that for the base and then just go over it with something to smooth it out, or should I stick to auto/boat supplies?
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
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1/07/2004
01:09:11
| RE: Fiberglass Help
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I just did my first fiberglass sub box a couple of months ago and by the time I was done I was pretty good with the stuff. Pick up the supplies at Checker, AutoZone, Home Depot, or for a better selection try a boat place like Boaters World. I spent about $40 in glass and resin for the bottoms of the 2 10" boxes, the sides and top were MDF.
If your going to build the entire box from glass then your going to be using a lot of supplies as the sides should be a minimum 1/4" thick, that's a lot of layers of glass. Why not use MDF for the sides and bottom, glassing the complex curves? Do a search for "glass bottom sub box" or "fiberglass sub box", there are a couple of helpful sites out there.
Some advice I can share is measure the resin realy good and clean the measuring cup out with a spatula to get it all out before mixing, my fisrt 2-3 mixes of resin kicked realy quick because there was a lot of resin left in the measuring cup. The pump style resin/hardener kit is probably the best way to go, but it's $$. Also don't go overboard with the resin, you want just enough to saturate the cloth, puddles of resin are very weak, the cloth is what makes fiberglass strong, the resin just binds it together. I found it best to paint it on heavy in one section and then work it out into a thin saturating layer. Stimpling or dabbing the cloth with the end of the brush helps work the layers together and get air bubbles out. You have to work quickly unless you cut down on the hardner a little. Quickest set I had 5 min in the beginning, slowest set 20 min at the end. Might be good to practice on something small first.
A must, resin/hardner, glass mat, glass cloth, lacquer thinner, couple of cheap brushes, mixing bowls, rags, measuring cup & spatula or measuring pumps, stir sticks, aluminum foil or saran wrap or plastic, something that will protect the truck from spills and help form a mold.
Don't know what the rolled fiberglass is that your talking about, if it flexes it won't work for a sub box. Man that was a long post, I could have made it 3-4 times longer, but why repeat what you can find on some site.
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CJ35021
Dodge Dakota
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1/07/2004
16:06:54
| RE: Fiberglass Help
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Thanks, man. I really apreciate it. You said that you can use MDF for it, but can I use auto paint to paint that? The reason that I want to go with fiberglass is that its the only thing I can think of that can be formed around a frame and then painted with car paint and clear. Plastics are out, since I would have to get that made, and so is any kind of sheetmetal work.
I want to do something with a few curves, so could I just use MDF for the flat parts and fiberglass any curves, then prime and paint the entire box at once with auto primer and paints?
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
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1/07/2004
19:39:54
| RE: Fiberglass Help
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You got it man, sounds like your in the right direction. Make sure to scuff the MDF with 80 or 100 grit sandpaper to break the glossy surface where the glass is going to bond the MDF.
I sealed the exterior of my box with polyurethane, sanded, and painted it with some $6/can Krylon gloss black. I wasn't worried about looks since the only time you see the boxes is when the seats are up, but the paint job on the boxes looked perfect. If you take the time it will come out looking great. It's realy important to seal up the MDF and I used poly since I had some in a cup gun. I have heard of using glass resin to coat the box and the resin should realy bond the fibers of the MDF together and make the surface realy tough.
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
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1/07/2004
19:51:46
| RE: Fiberglass Help
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Oh yeah, you can use auto paint on the MDF if it's sealed up. I would use glass resin and not poly or wood sealers to seal the MDF since your going to shoot auto paint. Don't try to use auto primer directly on the raw MDF as it might not have good adhesion and take too many coats to seal the MDF.
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BillPa
Dodge Dakota
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1/07/2004
20:48:41
| RE: Fiberglass Help
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CJ,
All the fiberglass you run into will be polyester
resin base. Resins come on liquid or gel. The liquid is better to fully saturate the mat or cloth and the gel won't run all over the place. The fiberglass in either a mat or woven cloth. The cloth will work best over curved surfaces while the mat will give better strength. You can use either one or both together depending which works out the best.
If you use a lacquer primer, apply a few thin coats instead of one heavey one. Lacquer will disolve polyster resins is applied too wet. Reguler good old Bondo or other body fillers can be used to fill voids,etc.
Best thing is to get some supplies and play around with it before for tackle your project. I had a business repairing fiberglass bath tubs,boats,trucks and a Corvette or two. You'll be amazed what you can do with a little practice.
Hope this helps and good luck !
Bill
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CJ35021
Dodge Dakota
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1/07/2004
20:53:12
| RE: Fiberglass Help
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Wow, man. Thanks. That's saves alot of trouble. I want it to look nice because it's replacing my middle arm rest (I got a 40-20-40 bucket seat setup, reg cab with a stick. So no one can fit in the middle seat.) It's pretty much useless, so I figured I should do something cool with the console, thats why I want to use auto paint to match my factory color.
Thanks alot DSW, you really helped me out.
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