How-To: DIY Fiberglass Projects

CasopoliS

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05 Legacy GT, 06 Accord SE, Civic
Below are many links, which describe the fiberglassing process while stepping through some actual projects. Some of these projects are for custom-fit applications, while others are not. Many of them do not apply directly to Mazdas, but I came across new ideas after reading each of them.

Link 1 - Protege 5 Project (good materials list)

Link 2 - Sound Domain - Kick Panels and much much more

Link 3 - Car Domain Kick Panel Project (basically just pics)

Link 4 - Random Site with many projects (mostly trucks)

Link 5 - Car Domain - Dash, Glovebox, and Trunk work

Link 6 - STi Sub enclosure - just pics

Link 7 - Large PDF from JL Audio, another cool enclosure

Link 8 - Good writeup with materials list and pictures

NOTE: You can get large pieces of dense foam, and piece them together with hot glue to form a cube, then you can shape the cube with a utility knife. This will give you a 'mold' that you can now coat with fiberglass. You coat the foam with tape and foil as you see in some of the projects. The difference is, you can cut the foam and pull it out when your piece is fully fiberglassed (assuming your item or enclosure has a hole in it somewhere). Your entire piece will then be made of fiberglass, rather than a wood frame with fiberglass on the outside.
 
Fiberglass is not suitable for flat surfaces which is why MDF or birch plywood is used for the back and other flat surfaces of a box. When curved it can be very strong but across a flat surface it will flex too much.
 
I will be updating this thread once I make my custom SRI air box and subwoofer enclosure. Possibly an amp rack... I dunno. After reading all those I was surprised as to how many people do it the same way. It actually seems pretty easy, but of course... you will have to get used to the process in order to do it well.
 
i am i the process of building a custom enclosure in my trunk. i am making it completely out of fiberglass because it is very curvy (wood is also heavier).
 
I have seen them use styrofoam, then mold that evenly somehow... then cover that with fiberglass. It is much harder and requires more experience and detail.
 
Working on a CF upper hardpipe for the stock SMIC now. Two prototypes molds made. One is made of standard flower arrangement foam taped together and shaved smooth. Over this I have laid two layers of fiberglass which I will continue to shape to get a perfectly smooth base over which to lay the CF. The other mold is actually a mild steel hardpipe prototype that had bad welds (my first attempt at arc welding). I grinded down the welds and JB Welded the pits. I will file this down to a completely smooth surface this weekend. Then I will lay the FG base and the CF over top.

I am doing a FG/CF composite at this point to test out the process. I have enough CF to do both totally in CF, but CF is rather $$$ so I want to practice the technique first before I commit myself to a completely CF unit.

I'll post the results when I'm done....hopefully some time next week.

R
 
My first instinct was to do something with a foam, but if you build the foam mold to fit like a glove into a panel, then once you start layering fiberglass onto it, the dimensions of the fiberglass mold immediately exceed those of your available space (uhm) .

The first writeup was awesome. I would remove the panel if possible, that would make it easier to remove the fiberglass piece because you could pull on both the fiberglass and plastic, and then use MDF for the flat base.

Great links. Thanks CasopoliS.
 
Most shapes that car audio enthusiasts want to make can be done with a simple wood/mdf frame and stretching fleece. If done correctly, there is very little shaping that needs to be done and a thin layer of bondo will make it smooth as glass.

Once you have mastered the stretch-n-glass technique you could try experimenting with foam but I wouldn't jump right in.
 
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