Amazing work as usual !! Learning allot from you , I'm in the middle of creating my plug ( dye). My question is; I am priming my plug with primer 2k, now can I seal it with automotive clear coat ? Insted of Famowood Glaze or still use the glaze also ? Thank you as always , You always answer my questions and I truly appreciate it !!!👍

@@autowingsthingsmike8954 normally when using a 2k primer you have to use a 1k color/paint layer which you afterward seal with a 2k clearcoat. I would not use the 2k floor coat after a 2k automotive clear coat. But I will recommend that you use PVA and mold release wax. Good luck with your project. Greetings from berlin

@@madmen2505 Thank You ! from USA

@@autowingsthingsmike8954 good luck fallow builder. Keep me posted if everything went well. All the best 👍

I will keep u posted !! Thank you !!👍

Wear a very good nose mask. I heard that fibreglass is quite dangerous, as you can breath in the dust and it get stuck to your lungs.

How you did the mold for the front lip?

I crack up at the attitudes & antics of the resin infusion & vacuum bagging fanatics who think weight levels in basic club cars are as critical as in the aerospace or F1 industries. I can honestly say I've never sat in the pits thinking "Oh shit if only I'd minimized resin in those panels of mine I woulda beat that guy."

I'm as bad as anyone else about getting as light as possible, but I've definitely picked up an overflowing handful of time-saving tricks from you that have kept my projects from getting stuck. I still groan whenever you glitter up your epoxy or when you make cheesy jokes, but I absolutely love every video you've put out. Even on the other side of this rock we all live on, you're an inspiration. Keep up the great work, mate!

Thats the old, she'll be rite approach hahaha

The best material is Alginate used by dentists. It will not stick to anything, but put a plaster mold over the top of it to add strength.

Im trying to make one for my Pontiac solstice as well

The mild heat of catalized fiberglass resin is incapable of melting dried & hardened clear automotive paint. In a case like this I would apply FIVE coats of release wax, polishing each coat. This will build up a good protective layer, and leave your car with a fantastic shine after the fiberglassing process. Then apply PVA release. The more important issue is to make your fiberglass molds so that their shape will not cause them to be difficult to release off your car due to under locking edges.

thank you; now is the time to make my moulds !!!

Now it is starting to be sunny in france, can you tell me which product i need to get rid of the wax applied on my original metal car panel, once i have taken the moulds off ? thanks

Glad you found the video helpful. If I was to add an extra layer of cloth for stiffness on a large, fairly flat piece I would use 600gm Double Bias fiberglass cloth. It does not take up curves, but it great for quick thickness & strength in a single layer. II would lay in stiffeners on molds the size you're looking at. What I use these days is the rubber tubing used to insulate hot water pipes, available at most hardware shops and in various sizes. I just cut it in half longitudinally to get a half round shape that the cloth covers easily, and being rubber it conforms to any compound curves & shapes. On a flat object I'd put stiffeners around the edges a couple of inches in, and maybe diagonally. Then just covers in two layers of 450gm csm cut into strips.

Thank you for your reply, especially the advice on using pipe insulation stiffeners! Ingenious. After watching a few more of your videos, I have the confidence to mold a bedside. For a mold of that size, can I use the same amount of layers as for your hood? How many would you advise for the finished panel (how thick would it end up?). Though large, it will be firmly fastened on the top rail, tailgate area, front of the bed, and a rather stout wheel well arch. Again, thanks.

PM me pics to Redline Fiberglass facebook

Bought it off the shelf and incorporated it into many bonnets since.

I'd have to see pics to advise you. PM me via my Redline Fiberglass Facebook page.

Yes.

Yes this method it the best way to go. Your biggest task will be sculpting the bodywork you want to copy, and part of that will be then figuring out where you need to divide it into molds. I have found chicken mesh or similar over a very minimal frame then covered with foam rubber which is then fiberglassed lighlty and used as a basis for final sculpture is a quicker method. But using stock panels a a sculpture base and modifying or building onto them also works. Either way - a full body sculpt & mold (then copy) is a BIG job! Here is my foam rubber method: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jcpzZ9yev5nKin0.html and my current build series from part 6 shows me sculpting my own bodywork for a Civic by heavily modifying factory panels, and ending up with a one piece flip up front for the car. You should watch all of this build from part 6 forward: kzfaq.info/sun/PLh5B6MCXRHiFalCU0qKyDltcBxNVZCLS1

@@BillsBuildandRace wow cool ok thanks

Hey brother I have sort of the same idea to replicate a vintage roadster on a modern car base like a Miata. Perhaps depending on where you’re located I can help you and learn in the process. I’m definitely going to try to contact WJP004 whenever I can start my project. His videos are full of lessons and got me motivated to achieve my dream of owning a vintage roadster looking ride. Good luck 👍🏼

It would do if you only did one layup to make a bonnet - but thinking this way you're leaving out a stage in the work. This is a TWO stage not a single stage manufacturing process. First stage is to make a fiberglass mold off the original. Second stage is to make a copy (which goes on the car), WITHIN that mold - guaranteeing the finished part will be EXACTLY the same size as the OME part.

I presume the repetition you are referring to is first layup which creates a mold, and the second lay-up of a copy in that mold. If so, the reason you have to do it twice is because the first creation has the smooth, finished surface on the wrong side. It is, if you like, a female copy of a male part. By then copying that you end up with a proper copy of the original which - in the case of car body panels - gives you the smooth, finished side with the Gelcoat on the outside surface which is to be pained.

What you are talking about is a job demanding the highest levels of fiberglassing skills and experience, and a VERY complicated and expensive, time consuming project.... one even I would be most hesitant to consider taking on. Respectfully... thinking about doing this is punching above your weight. There are far more easier & rewarding car projects to take on than this.

By the "hood hook" do you mean the mounting point for what we call the factory "bonnet latch"?

ahhh yess i mean bonnet latch, sorry for the bad English Bill@@BillsBuildandRace its the things that just look like a "U" shape steel where u cant remove it from the factory bonnet, the only way to remove it by cutting the legs

Make a tine template of the position of the factory catch relative to the edge of the bonnet. Then cut the factory u bracket off and weld it to some 25mm flat steel. When you lay up your bonnet use your tin template to position your u bolt in the right place & at the right angle, then put two layers of cloth over it while the main bonnet is still unset to lock it in place as part of the bonnet. Don't do this as a second process AFTER the bonnet has hardened. You must do it as the final part of the bonnet layup to get the strongest cementing of it into the bonnet. But you need that tin template because you can't re-position it once your fiberglass sets & it's locked in place. If you need adjustment you can usually do that on the catch it goes into on the car.

You have slightly misunderstood my method here. I didn't make a second mold of the bonnet underside. For a racing car you only need a single skin, so I only made a single piece into which I then laid in re-enforcing tubes. I don't leave steps out of my tutorials. That would be unwise. You didn't see me make an underside mold because I didn't make one. There is a later tutorial of mine on how to make a double layer car panel, and you see me do that there... but not here. Neither is the copy larger than the OME part. The sizing of the MOLD is "slightly larger" - but the copy then made within that mold is EXACTLY the same size as the bonnet the mold was made off, and this SECOND generation lay-up is the panel that goes on the car.

WJP004 i got ya. I appologize, I wasn't trying to point out any wrongs, simply asking for my own knowledge. I think I see what you did here. It just took you explaining it in that way for me to realize. I didnt think you would leave out steps..... but wasn't quite sure what was going on is why I ask. Thanks for your reply

No need to apologize. No offense taken at all. You were just asking for clarification. That's how we all learn.

Absolutely agree with you sir... thank you for your vidio

Gelcoat only goes hard & stops being sticky when poly resin is applied over it, so you never use it as a filler. Just use auto body filler, sand it when fully hard, but you then MUST coat your repairs with Wattyl 7008 or a coat of Famowood Glaze coat. If you don't all you filler will come away in the gelcoat of the copy you make in that repaired mold. But either of those 2 clear epoxy two pack clear floor varnishes will prevent that.

WJP004 thank you so much for the help i did the bonnet of my rx7 fc3s and did the vent seperate.. the vent snapped when taking it out the mould guess because its plastic and 30 years old and english weather... mould was nearly perfect apart from a little part that snapped off.. thank you so much for all your videos and help

It can be done using the methods I demonstrate but you need to polish wax on wax off about six coats of wax before the PVA release is applied. However I never guarantee an OME part will be perfect as a little damage is always possible. Instead I advise guys to get that panel from a wrecking yard & copy that instead. That's t he only 100% risk free way.

Thanks

Danny Mooney aluminum tape on top

@@BillsBuildandRace wait you're saying i dont have to drive around without my truck hood for 3 weeks,,, thats great then resell the used part for a little money back

In fiberglassing I always use unwaxed, general purpose polyester resin. I have used Vynylester but found it more expensive and way too fumey, so I prefer Low Styrene Emission), not for environmental reasons - but because it doesn't smell as bad. Glad you find these videos encouraging. An industry myth is that you can ONLY use polyester resin with fiberglass, and ONLY epoxy with Carbon Fiber or Kevlar - but this is rubbish. Yes, that it the way it is most of the time, but you can mix it all up as needs be.

@@BillsBuildandRace Thanks Bill for that information. I remembered reading that in your comments way back and I am sure you said that in a video once. I am building a body to cover my tube frame buggy with doors and a floor and wanted to know what your thoughts were. I will be using fiberglass on some parts and carbon/ kevlar on others. I have searched your site for several days in my spare time looking for what you had to say on which resin to use. Thanks for all the knowledge you share with so many. Even though they have been around for years, it takes some of us longer to find them than others. And they are still as valuable as they were the day you put them up! Thanks!

I Googled "Car body kits" and found a manufacturer in Sydney who had one in his product listings under "scoops".

Neutral Gelcoat is coloured with paint pigment - the stuff paint shops have in their carousel mixers, but you buy it from fiberglass suppliers, like where I used to work. You can order online or by phone, pay by card & they'll post to you (it looks like you're in Tassy). trojanfibreglass.com.au/product-category/pigments/

WJP004 thanks mate I just bought 100g of pigment down in Tassie and it was $17. It's $20 for 1kg at Trojan. Much better price 👌🏻 love your work!

Freight from Australia makes that uneconomical, plus you can buy those off the shelf if you hunt around.

I have used pallet wrap as a release agent on test pieces, and also on frozen carcasses when making fiberglass molds as a pro taxidermist. But wax & PVA release TOGETHER is always best as you always get wrinkles with plastic film.

Thanks!

i:ve seen a video where a guy used aluminum food wrapping sheets : better than pastic ?

My answer is... No, because the sizing of the MOLD is what you are describing here - but the copy then made within that mold is EXACTLY the same size as the bonnet the mold was made off, and this SECOND generation lay-up is the panel that goes on the car.

yep

Hot Heat - You Tube

The point of a wax and PVA release is NOT "to prevent gelcoat from biting into any filler". Rather, those products are designed to aid release, not form a barrier to absorbent fillers. You don't "seal an original panel if taking a copy" because there are o fillers in them - just metal & paint. The paint "doesn't strip away when you pull the mould away" because the paint is not absorbent like fresh car body fillers used in shaping dies/plugs to be moulded. My taste is not questionable at times - just different to yours. There is a part of me that likes being outrageous at times & pushes the envelope ... hahahaha!

@@BillsBuildandRace you never know what is under a layer of paint unless you put it there. I Googled my question to you while I was waiting (very different timezones) and the alternative answer was, you seal a plug to reduce the pores in the piece. So in theory depending on your timeframe and area of expertise, a decent paint job with a mirror finish is sufficient to prevent the gelcoat from gripping what is beneath using a mechanical lock, there was no mention of a chemical lock. Questionable taste is what separates the unique from the mundane. My dad once wallpapered the outside of his car with a large floral print paper and sealed it with polyurethane varnish. Bizarre but magnificent.

@@RUSSIANUK You are talking about two different jobs. The sealing needed for a sculpted die/plug with copious fillers in it to shape it is quite different to what is needed to seal a panel that is just painted. The key issue is the gelcoat locking into the absorbent sculpted fillers - a situation not present in a painted panel.

@@BillsBuildandRace Bill, the panel that I'm about to copy was originally the grille and surround, I want a different look. So I filled the grille lattice with polyester filler, sand, fill, sand fill, then a coat of resin and filler (that was tough to sand) then 2k filler primer and sand followed by more 2k filler primer as I wasn't entirely satisfied the first time, then a gloss base coat (cellulose) wet sanded and soon a two pack acrylic clear coat, a final wet flat then a good buff so it's gleaming. My problem was you name a product in Oz and one in the U.S. but I live in Britain and can't find anything cheap, but I do have lots of paint and I think I can get an almost flawless finish with paint. I just wondered if maybe the epoxy varnish works well for you given your necessity to get on and finished and the softness of your fillers, obviously the softer the filler the weaker the bond to the panel. I'm not arguing, my dad was into GRP, unfortunately he's no longer around to ask, but you are, so I'm picking your brain instead. I also found a polyester sealer / filler primer designed for sealing plugs, which can't be much different from any 2 pack filler primer. I just presume most of what you can buy is a con.

@@RUSSIANUK With your over attention to detail and (I suspect), being a perfectionist worrier, you have over done things on preparing that plug and made extra work for yourself. I only use two fillers when sculpting dies, automotive body filler, and then Gyprock/drywall joint filler for the final filling. You can't use this more than 4mm thick as it will crack, but you can gently hand sand it super smooth with a handkerchief! The Wattyl 7008 I seal my plug/dies with is just a equal two parts polyurethane clear floor/table gloss. Go to a big hardware or paint store, and look for an equivalent.. a TWO part clear polyurethane. These products are all self levelling, so spraying is unnecessary. Just paint WILL NOT seal your plug, no matter how many coats you give it. Do not over complicate this - just g Get the right product.

Yes. Funny car drag racers have been doing that for years. But it takes a LOT of skill & experience to make such a die, mold it's pieces, then lay it up.

i saw on TV and photos but wanted to verify thanks

check koenniserg

Yes, just go to my library lists here (screen left) where you will find more than twenty fiberglass tutorials showing you how do do those exact jobs step by step.

Thank you

Why are you asking this question? Is it because you are thinking this is a way to save money? Tell me what sort of things would you like to make in fiberglass, and that will help me answer your question.

@@BillsBuildandRace I'm asking that question because I want to use fiberglass that have pattern for first layer (that's visible) and second and third I want to use chop strand mat

@@user-sx6qh3xd9g But what are you wanting to make?

@@BillsBuildandRace a wing but I want the fibers to be visible like carbon

@@user-sx6qh3xd9g This is a clumsy way to communicate about this. If you have Facebook there are links to me on this channel's home page. Are you planning on making the wing by laying up two halves together in a mold, or are you planning on over laying fiberglass onto a wing shape of some kind?

The brush marks are only visible on the top the surface which gets overlaid with resin & cloth - so they don't matter. However gelcoat will copy the surface of your mold exactly on it's other (bottom) side. What method did you use to proportion the catalyst?

@@BillsBuildandRace thanks for taking the time to reply. I fear the brush marks are where the gel coat is applied a little too thinly, but it was very hard to cover them once I had applied the gel coat. I followed your video and just did it by weight on the scales, however being a novice I wonder if pouring the catalyst into a separate weighing pot may be an idea first before adding it to the gel?

@@edwardmurray8507 Ok - so you mixed your catalyst by weight. Good. What percentage did you use and what were your weather conditions?

@@BillsBuildandRace I tried to get it as close to 1% as I could. Sadly weather here is cold ish at the moment - about 10c.

@@edwardmurray8507 You've done the measuring correctly. The cold should have slowed catalisation right down. How long did you mix the gelcoat, how long between when you mixed it and when you applied it, and how long did you spend applying it?

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r6mXfalytNKxiI0.html

No. If it's all metal just release wax & PVA release will suffice.

Ok thanks

As thick as you make it. My standard layup for car work and making molds is one layer of 225gm cloth then two layers of 450gm cloth. This gives a thickness of around 3mm.

Thank you

I want to make a complete polyester body for my toyota mrs spyder, the primary reason is loosing weight ( not me, the car...); if I do the above mentioned, will i lose weight compare to the original metal part , or will i have to make 2 layers instead of 3 ? Thanks

YES!!! Stop looking for shortcuts. here aren't any.

Okay thanks! Great vid!

he keeps having to reupload because of music used

better not use at all few reports of copyright infringement by owner and account is removed by google itself

Wonderful video, great cost-cutting endeavour that can be done by most people. The thought of making Fibreglass items always crossed my mind. At long last I got help from your video. Thank you a thousand times.

I really do not understand why you would ask that question, when this video shows you how yo make this bonnet step by step all the way through.

@@BillsBuildandRace I’m sorry sir..I mean the evo scoop

@@843Keen I just made a mold off one, so now I could make copies of it to put on any bonnet I liked. You can just buy them like that to add onto any car, and there are many other manufacturer's scoops available like that from after market Fiberglass custom body panel suppliers. Just look up "fiberglass body kits" in your area.

@@BillsBuildandRace cool..thanks