71 'stang
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 95
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Nassau County, Ny
- My Car
- A 1971 Mustang Coupe was my first car,
Now rebuilding a '72 Qcode Mach 1.
351/4speed
After coming to realize that no one has a pair of used fiberglass fenders ready to give up, and that the going rate for a pair with shipping was out of my reach, I decided to start from scratch and try and make my own. The results so far are a lot better than I had thought possible. Its a simple yet time consuming process to make anything out of fiberglass.
What I did to make the fenders:
1) Pulled the fenders off of my '71 and examined them for rot holes, dents, and anything that looked bad. The fiberglass will show all of these things when it is laid out.
2) I used masking tape to cover up any rot holes from the outside, and any attachment holes from the inside. I knocked out the dents and stretched tape over the remaining smaller dents form the outside.
3) Having accounted for all dents, attachment points, marker light, and rot holes, I proceeded to wipe down the fender with a wax and grease remover. This took away all debris from the road; dirt, tar, road salt, etc.
4) Using "Meguires Cleaner Wax", I coated the entire fender with wax. The wax will act as a mold release, as resin and fiberglass will not stick to it. Very important to do this step and make sure that all parts have been coated thoroughly. (ask me how i know! :whistling: )
5) I then cut down a sheet of fiberglass matting to roughly fit the fender. I made sure it was over sized so the entire fender would be easily covered. With the layer of fiberglass laid over the entire surface of the fender, I mixed up some resin and began soaking the fiberglass. When the fiberglass is soaked, you will be able to have it stick to most angles, as long as its not upside down of course!
---It is important to note that you cannot do the entire fender in one shot. If you were to glass in the area where the front trim or the top area where the fender attaches to the apron, you'd never be able to pop the fiberglass off of the fender!-----
6) I let the fiberglass sit and harden overnight. (you can heat it for speedier drying and curing times) I then cut the excess fiberglass off using an air saw, cutting exactly around the edges of the metal fender.
7) I was then able to free a portion of the fiberglass off the metal fender. I blew compressed air into the gap between the metal and fiberglass surfaces , freeing the rest of the fiberglass from the steel. (this is where the wax preparation comes into play)
8) Walla! I now have an outer fiberglass skin for my fenders!
The next step is to reinforce the fender. I will apply 2 more layers of fiberglass matting to the INSIDE of the fiberglass shell to give it a stiffer structure, and then I will use fiberglass cloth strips for further bracing and in the areas of mounting holes.
When that is dry and formed, I will sand the external fiberglass down smooth with 80 grit sand paper, and then shoot the fenders with a hi0build primer to fill any sand scratches. The fenders should weigh approx 24lbs as a pair said and done. A big improvement over the stock weight of 50lbs each!
Here are a few pictures of the process:
What I did to make the fenders:
1) Pulled the fenders off of my '71 and examined them for rot holes, dents, and anything that looked bad. The fiberglass will show all of these things when it is laid out.
2) I used masking tape to cover up any rot holes from the outside, and any attachment holes from the inside. I knocked out the dents and stretched tape over the remaining smaller dents form the outside.
3) Having accounted for all dents, attachment points, marker light, and rot holes, I proceeded to wipe down the fender with a wax and grease remover. This took away all debris from the road; dirt, tar, road salt, etc.
4) Using "Meguires Cleaner Wax", I coated the entire fender with wax. The wax will act as a mold release, as resin and fiberglass will not stick to it. Very important to do this step and make sure that all parts have been coated thoroughly. (ask me how i know! :whistling: )
5) I then cut down a sheet of fiberglass matting to roughly fit the fender. I made sure it was over sized so the entire fender would be easily covered. With the layer of fiberglass laid over the entire surface of the fender, I mixed up some resin and began soaking the fiberglass. When the fiberglass is soaked, you will be able to have it stick to most angles, as long as its not upside down of course!
---It is important to note that you cannot do the entire fender in one shot. If you were to glass in the area where the front trim or the top area where the fender attaches to the apron, you'd never be able to pop the fiberglass off of the fender!-----
6) I let the fiberglass sit and harden overnight. (you can heat it for speedier drying and curing times) I then cut the excess fiberglass off using an air saw, cutting exactly around the edges of the metal fender.
7) I was then able to free a portion of the fiberglass off the metal fender. I blew compressed air into the gap between the metal and fiberglass surfaces , freeing the rest of the fiberglass from the steel. (this is where the wax preparation comes into play)
8) Walla! I now have an outer fiberglass skin for my fenders!
The next step is to reinforce the fender. I will apply 2 more layers of fiberglass matting to the INSIDE of the fiberglass shell to give it a stiffer structure, and then I will use fiberglass cloth strips for further bracing and in the areas of mounting holes.
When that is dry and formed, I will sand the external fiberglass down smooth with 80 grit sand paper, and then shoot the fenders with a hi0build primer to fill any sand scratches. The fenders should weigh approx 24lbs as a pair said and done. A big improvement over the stock weight of 50lbs each!
Here are a few pictures of the process: