The newbie guide to custom kick panels

[Bumpin03]

can you give an estimate of how much this costs for materials?

[Gauntlet]

I'll try and recall the prices off the top of my head...you'll have to go to Home Depot to get an exact figure

- A gallon of fiberglass resin - around $20 per gallon
- A coupe extra tubes of hardener - $1-2 per tube
- 2 or 3 packages of fiberglass mat - $5 a package
- A big box of disposable gloves - $8 bucks
- Lots and lots of cheap brushes (use bristle brushes, not foam) - 99 cents a brush
- A dropcloth, painters tarp, or garbage bags - I had some lying around
- A Dremel with a fiberglass cutting bit (#542) - $50 for the dremel, $10 for the bit
- Painter's tape - around $3 bucks
- Fleece - $5 a square yard
- Spray adhesive/liquid nails/epoxy/hot glue gun - spray adhesive (3M 90) - $12, liquid nails - $4
- Wood dowels - $2
- Sandpaper - $3
- Body filler - I used some I already had....I think quarts are like $7, and gallons are $20
- A mold release agent (WD-40, vaseline, a non-stick cooking spray, astroglide, petroleum jelly, etc) - I used some Pam I had
- Carpet or vinyl or paint and primer - carpet was $7 per square yard I think
- Coarse thread drywall screws - $2

[Def Jukie]

dude. slug is amazing. i im a standing 4 year atmosphere fan. anything rhymesayers/defjux is all im about. i even got the new RSE phoenex logo tattooed on my shoulder.

[EzekialPhoenix]

I have never done any fiberglass work myself, but am very interested. My newbie *** is wondering how you secure the kickpanels to the floor? Or do you just let them sit there? Probably a stoopid question, but I have always wondered that.

[Gauntlet]

^ Read the last paragraph of the tutorial, I screwed them in using drywall screws.

[eaglemn05]

two questions...
1 how much room for error does this give you?
2 can you plastic coat it, or make it look like a plastic coat?

[JeffG]

What could i put in the kick panels to help the sound quality? I was thinkin of lining the inside with sound deadening then stuffing them with fibre fill. Any comments or suggestions on that?

[ss3079]

What could i put in the kick panels to help the sound quality? I was thinkin of lining the inside with sound deadening then stuffing them with fibre fill. Any comments or suggestions on that?

I believe that is recommended.

Stuff with polyfill, and use some sound deadening material on the inside.

- Steve

[Gauntlet]

I added some polyfill and sound deadening a few months ago to my kicks....I don't notice any audible difference.

*shrugs*

[smullen]

Great Job Gauntlet thanks for sharing...

I'm thinking this should be a sticky...

I know I'm gonna be looking at it again for refrences...

[ditto985]

just one small hint, while fleece is a quick way to build up matterial, if it gets warm, the fiberglass breaks real easy, in the long run it is better to use fiberglass mat or cloth and be sure that it is durible.

[Gauntlet]

Smullen - It is sticky.

Ditto - What are you talking about?

[ditto985]

If you don't believe me then believe this- Quoted from Car Audio and Electronics Magazine. October 2003 issue pg 97-98 "Thick matterials will build up quickly, but they also have the tendency to warp and crack easily"

[Gauntlet]

I never said I didn't believe you.....I said I had no idea what you were talking about/why you even brought it up.

[smullen]

What kinda heat does it take to crack, like engine heat or summer sun or what???

I read that same isue to and it kinda threw me cause I love and respect Car Audio MAG, but I have seen hundreds of people using stuff stretchable material as thick as Flecce and thin as regular t-shirt material and never eard anyone complain about shrinkage or crackage...

I'm always looking for tips to help me learn and get better at glassing, so what would be a better solutiion. We need some type of fabric that is really stretchy to be able to stetch it over stuff and get the cool shapes...