Interest in Fibreglass Panels

[carrottop]

Hi mate am currently after a pair of front wings for my s12 and fiberglass sounds like a good solution when your ready let me know and i will definetly have a pair off you cheers Phil

[PukkaSilvia]

you only need to roll up some card or similer and make a corner to corner diagonal cross structure underneath and then another one on the front lip of the bonnet and then fibreglass over with the second or third layer. That will strenghten it enough for about 20p and it looks prefectly fine

then measure the bonnet thickness where the hinges bolt on and then put in some wood between the layers in the corners to the right thickness. You can then screw the origianl hinges to it


It wont be strong enough with out reinforcement unless your going to make it really thick and heavy

[t51rjohn]

I am currently working on a tailgate for the s12 but will be some time, dont expect immediate results as good results demand good preparation & planning.

As for reinforcements, i would not like to trust a piece of cardboard rolled up for reinforcement on these bonnets. I am looking at other methods of reinforcments, that are cost viable. There are lots available i just want the best suited for the job.

Thanks John

[PukkaSilvia]

Originally Posted by t51rjohn

As for reinforcements, i would not like to trust a piece of cardboard rolled up for reinforcement on these bonnets.

its not the cardboard that is the reinforcement. it is the laminate structure that drys over them that becomes the reinforcement.

This method is used in the race car industry. Its light and It works

[30psi]

Is it possible to get some fibreglass pistons and conrods made up too?

[CNHSS1]

have to agree with Pukka re the cardboard, works well
i use proper PVC foam sheet, usually 6mm, between the laminates and makes it mega stiff with very little weight addition. cheap enough too from glass suppliers. in fact its less than cardboard as it doesnt really absorb resin (the heavy bit of the process).
another really useful product is 3mm foam core. ive made a couple of bonnets and panels using it now, very very light although about £5/m2. does help make the panel quite resilient too. its full of perferations so you have to be careful not to use excess resin and 'soak' the core, best to lay up the resin with a pound shop paint roller rather than a piant brush to get a thin even light coat.
as an example a std fibreglass scimitar bonnet is 15.6kg, the ones i made weigh 5kg with no aramid or carbon
Aramid fibre cloth (kevlar) is mega resilient but a bit of a bastard to work with. it doesnt 'wet out' easily, and doesnt go round curves easily and defo doesnt do corners! real sod to cut too, you need shears rather than scissors and when its had the resin applied and cured, its a cutting disc in the angle grinder really. doesnt sand either.

[t51rjohn]

Originally Posted by CNHSS1

have to agree with Pukka re the cardboard, works well
i use proper PVC foam sheet, usually 6mm, between the laminates and makes it mega stiff with very little weight addition. cheap enough too from glass suppliers. in fact its less than cardboard as it doesnt really absorb resin (the heavy bit of the process).
another really useful product is 3mm foam core. ive made a couple of bonnets and panels using it now, very very light although about £5/m2. does help make the panel quite resilient too. its full of perferations so you have to be careful not to use excess resin and 'soak' the core, best to lay up the resin with a pound shop paint roller rather than a piant brush to get a thin even light coat.

i have seen a coremat that has been recommended for this application, so will use that, thanks for the advise

as an example a std fibreglass scimitar bonnet is 15.6kg, the ones i made weigh 5kg with no aramid or carbon
Aramid fibre cloth (kevlar) is mega resilient but a bit of a bastard to work with. it doesnt 'wet out' easily, and doesnt go round curves easily and defo doesnt do corners! real sod to cut too, you need shears rather than scissors and when its had the resin applied and cured, its a cutting disc in the angle grinder really. doesnt sand either.

Aramid is a b*tch to work with i have shears though which are specifically for this application, were costly though.

What fabric do you use? I use woven roving which is good for this, it is dearer than csm but far superior in amount of resin used compared to csm. So overall lighter weight.

[CNHSS1]

Originally Posted by 30psi

Is it possible to get some fibreglass pistons and conrods made up too?

yeah id like some too, to go with the windows ive put in the cylinder head so i can see whats going on