sunbird filler panel mold pictures

[79440bird]

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Well I'm finally done with the sunbird filler panel mold. Now I just need time to make a part and see how it fits. I have a old tail panel for free if anybody wants it you will need to glue it back together see picture lol.

[zeke]

Very cool!

[marco_1978_spyder]

excellent work someone needed to do this!

[OldsStarfire]

Very cool! I would love to learn how to do this.

[bugdewde]

I dont even have a Sunbird .....and I'm excited about it. Probably ought to put me an order in for one, too!!! Lol.

[79440bird]

I'm excited too but my work is busy right now. Working alot and with work an family right now I'm not working in my garage/storage unit. It's a 4 car garage with 5 cars stored in it for the Michigan winter lol. Minimum space to work. And I always hear from my friends I don't know how you do it. Lol. Sometimes I wonder the same thing when I stand around and look at all the @$#& I accumulated in the passed 30 years. Lol

[wheels777]

IMG_20130511_074956.jpg

IMG_20130510_095220.jpg

20141003_172313.jpg

20141010_105840.jpg

20141010_105750.jpg

Well I'm finally done with the sunbird filler panel mold. Now I just need time to make a part and see how it fits. I have a old tail panel for free if anybody wants it you will need to glue it back together see picture lol.

Looks great. Keep the progress pics coming.
I did not have anything more than crumbs to work with on mine, or I would have tried to make one. I changed mine to a Monza tail panel.

[zzip]

Really a nice job .

I'm also interested how you do this .

Peter from Antwerp

[zeke]

From wiki:

Fiberglass molding is a process in which fiberglass reinforced resin plastics are formed into useful shapes.

The process usually involves first making a mold and then using the mold to make the fiberglass component.

Mold Making

The fiberglass mold process begins with an object known as the plug or buck. This is an exact representation of the object to be made. The plug can be made from a variety of different materials, certain types of foam are commonly used.

After the plug has been formed, it is sprayed with a mold release agent. The release agent will allow the mold to be separated from the plug once it is finished. The mold release agent is a special wax, and/or PVA (Polyvinyl alcohol). Polyvinyl Alcohol, however, is said to have negative effects on the final mold's surface finish.

Once the plug has its release agent applied, gelcoat is applied with a roller, brush or specially-designed spray gun. The gelcoat is pigmented resin, and gives the mold surface a harder, more durable finish.

Once the release agent and gelcoat are applied, layers of fiberglass and resin are laid-up onto the surface. The fiberglass used will typically be identical to that which will be used in the final product.

In the laying-up process, a layer of fiberglass mat is applied, and resin is applied over it. A special roller is then used to remove air bubbles. Air bubbles, if left in the curing resin, would significantly reduce the strength of the finished mold. The fiberglass spray lay-up process is also used to produce molds, and can provide good filling of corners and cavities where a glass mat or weave may prove to be too stiff.

Once the final layers of fiberglass are applied to the mold, the resin is allowed to set up and cure. Wedges are then driven between the plug and the mold in order to separate the two.

Advanced techniques such as Resin Transfer Molding are also used.

Making a Component

The component-making process involves building up a component on the fiberglass mold. The mold is a negative image of the component to be made, so the fiberglass will be applied inside the mold, rather than around it.

As in the mold-making process, release agent is first applied to the mold. Colored gelcoat is then applied. Layers of fiberglass are then applied, using the same procedure as before. Once completed and cured, the component is separated from the mold using wedges, compressed air or both.

[79440bird]

Sounds easy enough thanks lol The gel coat is a pigment added to the resin. Pigment is not needed in my opinion. Sure it makes a part look nice but you will be putting primer,paint an clear over it. I guess I can put pigment resin on first and sell them for $$$$ lol So to keep cost down. I don't use pigment but I do use a marine grade fiberglass resin. I know these top notch fiberglass companies use pigment. I really don't see why. Unless your not painting it?? I watched a episode of how it's made and didn't see them use pigment on carbon fiber. I know carbon fiber is stronger than fiberglass but I have talk to people on this and they said (not a problem) The fiberglass hood I made for my sunbird turned out good. I haven't painted it yet and I'm sure it will need sum prep work. The filler panel will be test fitted on my own personal car before I make a part for anybody else. Kool Thanks Doug

[zeke]

Gelcoats are designed to be durable, providing resistance to ultraviolet degradation and hydrolysis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelcoat

From what I've been reading, the gelcoat pigment is what provides the ultraviolet protection.

[79440bird]

Isn't that what your paint does? My brother use to fix a lot of corvette and when they did fiberglass repairs. He repaired the damage with resin an matting, sanded it, filler primer, sanded more, surface epoxy primed, painted , clear coat. No gel coat used. If it's a boat your going to sand and polish a gel coat. Gel coat is a pigment an that is what's in your paint. Still not seeing the need for it. I bet most people that have had good body work done to there fiberglass hood or other parts that were made with a gel coat. I bet they sanded through the gel coat in one area or another to get the part the way they like it. So since I have no gel coat on my fiberglass hood (what do you think is going to happen?) I have already proved you can make it without a gel coat. (As wiki know all says I need it to release it out of the mold.) They didn't use it on the carbon fiber on how they do it an then they painted that part. Doug

[Monza Harry]

When I started my apprenticeship (Mould Maker) we were still using models (made from Fiberglass) I had to do a turn in the model shop making these "models". When we started we would do a good Carnauba paste wax buffed on the "Plug" and then the green release agent the same Release-All you used Doug and then we would re-wax with the paste wax, we used a brush and dabbed so as not to peel the release agent (pretty delicate). And even with all this "lube" they usually put up one H L of a fight to separate the lay-up from the plug. We however used Epoxy (not the usual polyester) which consisted of a surface resin (a gel-coat) and then laminating resin all two part 50/50 by weight if memory holds. Even in polyester there are different Grades as Doug pointed out, you have the general grade, marine grade, and tooling grade, and I am sure many others now, each with different strengths and shrinkages. I have seen lots of parts made with out the "Gel Coat" which is a thicker resin and is usually tinted for un-painted products, it can be built up quite thick but that adds weight and very little, strength. The strength comes from the cloth (fiberglass) and the resin impregnation, porosity is "death" in FG. This is the reason for the Air bladders (in low volume hand lay-ups) and vacuum (In permanent tooling applications) used in the Carbon Fiber process and now compression moulding (vacuum in permanent steel tooling for FG). I hope this answers some questions/doubts. Harry

[zeke]

After reading some more, I believe the gelcoat is more for un-painted FG parts and then it becomes important for UV protection and finish.

[79440bird]

Ya that's basically what my brother an friends were saying. Kool Thanks Doug