Need some help with fiberglass materials

[Rkrajnov 10+ year member]

I'm gonna be building tweeter mounts onto my a-pillars. Here's what I have as a lift of what I need to get. However I notice not many people say where to get it. I'm new to this and well I'm sure I could find some of this I don't know about all of it. If you could just list where to get this (and possibly what kind to get) that would be great. Also, if there's anything I'm missing.

epoxy resin (really need something cheap but quality here.... just thinking of buying like half a gallon maybe? where to find? don't know if i trust home depot with this)

hardener (where to find? how much?

body filler (what kind? where to find? how much?)

mdf (home depot)

sandpaper (will probably get at home depot but what grains should I use?)

steel mesh? (i don't even know what this is but someone told me I might need it)

mixing containers/brushes (getting at home depot)

latex gloves (assume these are at home depot too)

cheap fabric (just using old t-shirt)

paint (really need help here? what to get? and how should I properly apply for a good finish?)

glue (what kind of glue? carpenters? or something else?)

masking tape (got it)

acetone (home depot?)

spray adhesive (where to get this?)

Click to read more...

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

You don't have to use epoxy resin unless you are blending the pods into the structure of the door panel and making it all one piece. If you're just making pods that surface mount polyester works just fine and is much more readily available. I've used Elmer's or Bondo brand in the past with good results. The hardener comes with the resin but it doesn't hurt to have an extra tube; you'll find it right next to the resin at Home Depot, Lowes or most autoparts stores like Checker or Pep Boys. Bondo body filler works just fine on fiberglass. You can get it at the same place you get the resin. You'll ideally want heavy duty sandpaper for autobody work, so an autoparts store is a good source. Get a fairly coarse grit for initial shaping and knocking down the high spots. Follow that with progressively finer grit. I use 600 for final sanding and sanding the primer coat and 1000 and 2000 between coats of paint and coats of clear. Prime before painting. I like Duplicolor high build primer. I have used Duplicolor paint and clear coat in the rattle cans with excellent results. I've never used spray adhesive making pods, but I have used hot glue to stick the fabric to the backer. You'll need some fiberglass mat or cloth, get it when you get the resin. Depending on how big the pods are going to be, one or two packages should be plenty.

 

[Rkrajnov 10+ year member]

I am actually blending the pods with the pillars. so anywhere specific to find that? should I still just check home depot, lowes, etc?

I'm guessing I could probably actually find atleast most of this stuff at those stores.

Thanks for the help

 

[subzero 5,000+ posts]

Make sure you take pics and do a build log. Good Luck

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

You're going to have to order epoxy resin most likely. I've never seen it at Home depot or Lowes. You need chop mat made for epoxy resin as well. I used to have a link to a couple of different places that sell epoxy glassing materials but that was on an older computer. Try eBay. If you want the filler to stick to the panel, you need epoxy based filler as well.

 

[Rkrajnov 10+ year member]

I read that i don't need mat with epoxy resin. so can I just forget the mat?

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Why wouldn't you need mat? The resin provides no strength on its own regardless of type. You don't need much, just enough for one layer over the t-shirt.

 

[Rkrajnov 10+ year member]

I don't know, I'm obviously new to this but I've read now from several sources that epoxy resin can be (and actually should be) done without a mat because it is strong enough to hold together on its own.

 

[Rkrajnov 10+ year member]

either way i already ordered without mat so is there anywhere that sells epoxy mat in an actual store where I might be able to pick some up if I actually need it?

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Resin adds rigidity. The fibers add strength. Regardless of what resin you use unless you layer coat after coat until the resin itself is extremely thick, it isn't going to be very strong without some purpose made reinforcement to give it real strength.

 

[nineball 10+ year member]

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