How to strengthen ABS plastic parts

[Water Bear]

I just bought some of these speaker pods for my '02 Tahoe.

They are well made but a bit flimsy. I initially planned to fiberglass their back but I read that the resin won't bond to ABS.

What can I do to stiffen these things up?

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[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I just bought some of these speaker pods for my '02 Tahoe.
They are well made but a bit flimsy. I initially planned to fiberglass their back but I read that the resin won't bond to ABS.

What can I do to stiffen these things up?

not straight flat abs but if you scruff/scratch it up to have a nice surface to grip to, it bonds just as well as any other type of surface.

 

[Water Bear]

not straight flat abs but if you scruff/scratch it up to have a nice surface to grip to, it bonds just as well as any other type of surface.

Awesome. I can definitely scuff the back side of it without issues.

I am a complete newbie with fiberglass. Everything I've read seems to indicate that I don't need a respirator to work with the resin as long as I wear gloves / long sleeves and work in a ventilated area. Correct?

I don't plan to sand the fiberglass once it's on there but will cut the mat with scissors and drill holes through it. Do you think a paper mask is enough for that?

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

I'd still use a respirator when working with fiberglass resin. Its the odor and gases not so much particulate matter.

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

If you do any sanding wear one as well because the fiberglass particles can get in your lungs and cause respiratory damage ..you’d just need one of those that are slightly nicer than a basic dust mask with the replaceable filter they are made by 3m and you can get them at Walmart or Lowe’s..it’s not worth getting sick over not wearing a $20 mask

 

[sherwood71]

Scuff the ABS up with a red scotch pad, 3M https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/Scotch-Brite-Hand-Pad-7447/?N=7581709+3293241244&rt=rud, clean the dust off the panel and spray a coat of Duplicolor adhesion promoter, https://duplicolor.com/product/adhesion-promoter, on the panel and let dry. This will help the fiberglass resin bite onto the ABS panel.

When applying the resin definitely wear a respirator, the fumes are not good to breathe in.

 

[Water Bear]

Scuff the ABS up with a red scotch pad, 3M https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/Scotch-Brite-Hand-Pad-7447/?N=7581709+3293241244&rt=rud, clean the dust off the panel and spray a coat of Duplicolor adhesion promoter, https://duplicolor.com/product/adhesion-promoter, on the panel and let dry. This will help the fiberglass resin bite onto the ABS panel. When applying the resin definitely wear a respirator, the fumes are not good to breathe in.

I just put the first layer on one of the speaker pods. I scuffed it using 150 sand paper, since that's what I had on hand. If it doesn't take, I'll try that adhesion promoter.

I didn't use a respirator...the guy at Home Depot said he wouldn't bother, and I didn't see Steve Meade use one in his Youtube series where he builds the car door. I'm not saying you're wrong, just hoping that I won't get brain cancer because I was exposed to those fumes for 5 minutes. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

Edit: I should add that I'm not planning to sand it, just concerned about the fumes from the resin here.

 

[Water Bear]

Well you guys talked sense into me and I got a pretty decent respirator from Home Depot. Really helps a lot with the fumes. I've also got some paper masks rated for fiber glass, since I will at least be cutting the excess off to trim the pieces.

Scuffing the surface worked. The resin bonded nice. Got 2 layers on there and I think that's enough. It's still got a little flex to it but it's noticeably stiffer than the basic ABS construction.

Thanks for the help everyone, job is almost done.