cockpit surround

[MR JONES]

Hi all,
Did anyone get anywhere with fitting/modifying dax's mouldings, or making some for the pilgrim? I know its been a while since this was raised but i need to fit some because my cars come back from the painters with a beautiful paint job in pearlescent black with hint of purple, but only to the lip of the cockpit.

[breskit]

I managed to make some for my Pilgrim. Wasn't easy as fibreglassing does take some skill (which I seem to be lacking).

All I can say is that is was very awkward but the end results seemed OK.

I used duct tape to mask off the area I was applying the fibreglass to and ended up supporting the bottom lip of the glass as my attempts, the glass kept falling away from the underside of each surface.

If you want to know more, you can call me on 01793 635726.

Cheers,
Tony B

[Dan]

As Tony mentioned, They aren't too tricky to make, It just takes time and plenty of patienence. The tape over the lip is the best way to protect the car as you arn't after a mirror copy of the lip anyway. The additional padding of the tape will also help when fitting your final pieces once they have been upholstered in the leather or vinyl you'll use.

You'll want to protect against any unwanted resin spills so will need to mask the areas well. The use of carrier bags or better still bin bags split down the sides, If you do spill resin where it ain't supposed to be, You will need to remove it with acetone or a damp cloth/sponge before it hardens. You will need to check that acetone will not damage or react with the paint if removing from a painted surface.

I have found the best fibreglass material to use is a woven matt. This will help produce an even surface. With chopped strand the glass can form lumps that wouldn't make very good surrounds. I use cfs to supply me with fibreglassing stuff. http://www.cfsnet.co.uk

Once the area is masked and you have pre cut the woven matt to fit the areas of the surround. you will need to 'wet' out the area your wanting to cover. for this you will need to mix up a small amount of resin and apply fairly generously to the surface. by following the instructions on the amount of hardner to use, you should have a pot life of about 20 minutes. You need to wait for this coat to become tacky, which could take anything from 10 to 15 minutes. This should give you plenty of time to clean out the pot and brush you have just used with Acetone. Although some cheap brushes won't survive the dip so the best place for them is the bin. I find yoghert pots are ideal for small jobs like this.

Once you spy the top coat going tacky you will need to lay the first layer of matting on to the drying resin. Push the glass in to the resin and remove any creases or folds by rubbing them out. By wearing medical gloves you should prevent your self getting glass splinters.

Once you have the glass in place and pushed in to the layer of resin mix up another tub of resin to apply to the glass. You don't realy want to add to much, as resin isn't what give a laminate it's strength, simply paint it on to start with and stipple it until the cloth changes colour. Start from the top and work down.

Depending upon the weight of the matt you use, You may need several layers of glass. You can get hold of Woven matting with a Chopped strand on the back that will help laminations adhere to the layer below. I got away with using a single lamination for a lower profile surround (On my Sumo), but upholstering them in leather was a real b1tch. Although I did find a solution by upholstering the pieces in situ.

Additional layers can be applied with the same technique. You should allow the surface below to cool before laying up the next, It is possible (although unlickely) for the laminate to ignite from the heat generated so all precausions should be taken to avoid unnecessary heat build up. On larger pieces the heat build up can distort the piece.

Another good tip is when removing the cured article from your tub, Use several wooden wedges as they won't damage the surface of your body.

If it's your first time at fibreglassing then it will probably be a good idea to carry out a few experiments to get the pot life timmings correct. Try using a drainpipe as the plug to get the technique right... Good luck



Dan ~ http://homepage.ntlworld.com/danny.mann/

http://images.animfactory.com/animat...ood_md_wht.gif

[MR JONES]

Thanks, very helpful. I'll get on it this week

[Paul B]

Let us know how you get on and whether you are going into full production !!

I think you may well get a few orders.