Gt-12

[Boggin]

yee haw

 

[gwaii]

ok,first a warning;
anyone who has heard that fiberglass is a quick or cheap way to make something is going to be dissapointed.once you have a mold it's not too bad pricewise or timewise,but making the mold is expensive and time consuming.

there's several ways to make an item from fiberglass,and the method will depend on what is being made.in this instance i will be making a negative mold from a positive plug.

this means that i'll be making an item that has the shape and surface finish of the finished part as it will look on the car,but without the durability to use as is.this is called a plug.

once the plug is formed and finished i will use it to make a mold of it's shape.the mold will have the finish on the inside,like the finished part turned inside out.this is why it's reffered to as a 'negative'.

the final part will be laid out inside this negative mold,when it sets it will be removed,leaving a perfect copy of the plug....but in a durable material.

the mold will also be useable for more parts to be made,should this be desired.the plug is usually damaged making the mold,and is discarded.


so here we go...

this is the beginning of making a plug.i'm using 3/4'' plywood as it's easy to work and has a very low moisture content.i'm making it by cutting a whole whack of profiles and glueing them together so i have the endgrain to carve-this is a more consistant grain for working.
i don't use nails or screws anywhere on this as i don't want to run into any metal while carving the wood.
the carving is roughed in with a grinder and a 24 grit fiber disk.

i carve the plug to rough shape and a little undersize,as the next step will be to use body filler over the wood to get the finish needed.

it's a good idea to check the fit regularly while making this as it would suck to get a nice mold made and have the final part not fit the car.

 

[BONES]

Sweet!

I know it can be pricey especially if you don't have any of the required tools, materials or supplies to begin with, but that won't stop me from trying. My plan is a set of fenders for the Bronco similar to copycats. Figure if I can make them for less than a couple hun I'll be ahead and then can see how well they hold up to me. I like the negative mold idea to get the finished surface smooth and glossy. I'm watching and learning buddy!!!

 

[gwaii]

Sweet!

I know it can be pricey especially if you don't have any of the required tools, materials or supplies to begin with, but that won't stop me from trying. My plan is a set of fenders for the Bronco similar to copycats. Figure if I can make them for less than a couple hun I'll be ahead and then can see how well they hold up to me. I like the negative mold idea to get the finished surface smooth and glossy. I'm watching and learning buddy!!!

i was looking for copykat's fender build yesterday to see what method he used,but couldn't find it.

this build on the mold will take a few days,so keep tuned,it'll get there.

 

[martin]

Might be an idea to make the part where the plate goes removeable, to aid in de-molding. You've probably already thought of that though.

 

[gwaii]

Might be an idea to make the part where the plate goes removeable, to aid in de-molding. You've probably already thought of that though.

actually the top and bottom plates will be molded seperately and added after the face is molded.
if i mold the plates on at the same time i won't be able to get in the tight space above and below the licence plate recess to roll out the air bubbles.

 

[ranger_mclaren]

i was looking for copykat's fender build yesterday to see what method he used,but couldn't find it.

this build on the mold will take a few days,so keep tuned,it'll get there.

Here ya go:

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21600&highlight=fender+build

I'd say ask him but after all the drama over the trs video. He went missing.

 

[gwaii]

Here ya go:

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21600&highlight=fender+build

I'd say ask him but after all the drama over the trs video. He went missing.

thanks...alwaysfloored sent me a link to it on another forum too,i see he used the glass-over-foam-core method like the ones i showed earlier in this thread.

it works good for one-offs,and is fairly quick to set up for.if you want to make more pieces the finished part can be used as a plug to pull a mold off of.

 

[ranger_mclaren]

thanks...alwaysfloored sent me a link to it on another forum too,i see he used the glass-over-foam-core method like the ones i showed earlier in this thread.

it works good for one-offs,and is fairly quick to set up for.if you want to make more pieces the finished part can be used as a plug to pull a mold off of.

No problem, that front end is going to be bad ass I can't wait to see it finished!

 

[gwaii]

No problem, that front end is going to be bad ass I can't wait to see it finished!

me too.the downside of doing it this way is waiting for glue to dry on the wood.i'll be able to do some shaping tomorrow when everything is solid.probably get the first layer of filler on,too.


oh,and by the way...feel free to use any pics i've got up here in any vid you want to do.i'm not shy.

 

[ranger_mclaren]

me too.the downside of doing it this way is waiting for glue to dry on the wood.i'll be able to do some shaping tomorrow when everything is solid.probably get the first layer of filler on,too.


oh,and by the way...feel free to use any pics i've got up here in any vid you want to do.i'm not shy.

cool will do!

 

[MountainMike]

cool will do!

Same here man, I uploaded some high res pics to my rangermilitia page, feel free to grab whichever ones you want

This air damn is going to look awesome, I can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

[gwaii]

after getting all the laminating done,about 10 minutes with the grinder got it rough shaped.i still need to take the size down a little,it has to be about 1/4'' undersize all over to make room for filler.the wood is just a backing,the filler will be finished out to shape,then primer and paint as with normal bodywork.like i said before,the plug must be an exact representation of the desired product...right down to the gloss.

 

[Josh40601]

that sir, is bad ass.

 

[RangerSVT]

Tom, that's a nice model you have built in your basement! I can't wait for you to get some model paint on it, it'll look real kool then. Are you gonna hang that one on the shelf, or make a clear box for it to sit in dust free?? Sorry, from the looks of it I had to, looks awesome work!! Keep it up
SVT