hey fiberglassing masters i've never fiberglassed before but i still wanna try to do this, sort of like a learning experiance basically what i wanna do is put this........


into this



somethig like this


i know i'm gonna need to cut the middle but how should i mount it and all that i have the resin and matt is there anything else im gonna need'?????

basically this is the finished product that im looking for

its really hard to explain, so ill point you ot this thread from dsmtuners:

http://ww.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48792

alhough its not the same piece or application, it should give you an idea of whats involved. basically, youll need to make a frame that you can attach the creen to, then affix the frame to the factory panel using hot glue and supports (i like to use thin dowel rods), and then you fiberglass; there are two ways of doing this:

1) use tape to create the side walls and transition from the frame to the factory piece. this is a good method if you have sharp angles or if the second approach would require too much work. then you can "lay" fiberglass over the tape/frame/factory piece and build up a couple layers. then remove the fiberglass and tape, then re-attach the fiberglass to the frame/factory piece so that its perminant.

2) use a fleece-like material to stretch over the entire frame/factory piece (secure it with spray adhesive and/or hot glue) and just slather resin on. this is a far easier way, but you might find that the natural curves created by doing this interfere with viewing the LCD or just dont look good. if this is the case, refer to #1 above.

i just found another thread on dsmtuners that shows a little bit of process #2:

http://ww.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49756

then you sand, sand, sand some more, lay some more fiberglass, sand, sand for another few hours, lay down some bondo, sand, sand a little more, woops, need some more bondo, sand, sand, and finish sanding a little more. then you can primer/paint, vinyl, tweed, carpet or whatever eles you want to do.

what would be the best way to build a frame

a very thin flat piece of wood and and some fiber glass to prop it up from the back.

^^^^^^ well, thats up to you. i would suggest making it out of 1/2 material (i use MDF) so that it holds up fairly well. all i can say is that the inside needs to accomidate the needs of holding the screen in place, while the outside needs to accomidate the proper structure and form you wish to achieve with the fiberglass. it always helps to router (or sand) the outside edge to a slight curve to blend things together a bit.

ive got a q. for you SPL ive always wanted to no what i can use after its been sanded to give it the stock texture of are vinyl panels?

^^^^thats a good question, and i dont have an answer for you. i would imagine could possibly create some kind of roller and move it over the surface of the bondo before its completely dry to imprint a pattern, but im not even sure that would work.

i read an artical a few years ago where an installer (think it was fishman) managed to create "vinyl-looking" fiberglass pieces. he said he wouldnt give away his secret, only that he used a pencil in a creative way to do it. i was thinking WTF?!?!? :P

At the arts and crafts store I've seen kits for making molds that use flexible latex as the mold material. What about putting that latex mold material over a sheet of matching vinyl so the latex has the inverted imprint of the vinyl texture. Then once the piece you want to create is in the desired shape apply a thin layer of bondo and press the latex mold over the fresh bondo to texture it?