fiber glass fab

[NCC74656]

i did a search online and found many threads on fiber-glassing on here so i thought id ask some questions. i would put this under the proper section but the web admins thought it a good idea to make new people jump through hoops to be part of the community. in either case...


I need to make a snorkel so i need to build a fiberglass tube that goes through my fender and up the A pillar. how should i go about building a fiberglass tube in this manor? also what is the customary way to attach such a thing to the outside of the vehicle?

thanks.

 

[DJ Raydiate]

Does it need to be fiberglass and out the fender? what car? What is the purpose of the snorkel? I take it that this is for mudding or something? Best bet would be pvc pipe right to the tb and out the hood right up the a pillar.

 

[NCC74656]

see i was thinking of PVC but i want it to be molded around the A pillar to look nice and be easy to attach. I thought about fiber glass because you can make pretty much anything with it.

its for a dodge ram 2500 cummins turbo desiel. its got a few purposes, one is a cold air intake, second is to get the air intake out of the dirt and third is to give me room to put the engine under water. last month when it flooded around here i had water up to my door mirrors and was worried i was going to hydro lock it.

now if i do PVC pipe it needs to be 5" diameter and then i would need to bend it with a 90 or 45, im just not quite sure how to make it blend in nice or how to line it up, i thought fiber might be easier but maybe its not?

 

[DJ Raydiate]

Umm, this forum is for dsms so you may not get much help. At home depot there is flexible piping plastic and metal that would give you nice bends. An option for fiberglass, you could go to a place that sells cardboard tubes for shipping and cut that to mate to the a pillar. Then you could fiberglass that to give you your pipe.
Btw, I was born in Thief River Falls, Minnesota

 

[NCC74656]

ooo the cardboard option sounds very nice. perhaps i will go to menards and check out there pipe, see what i might be able to make. i just dont think i can make it fit with what a plumbing store is going ot have available. its a tight space in there.

i wouldn't think the fiber would need to be very thick? maybe make it 1/8" and that would do it? i will need to look into this tomorrow.

 

[shhh i know]

Good luck with your project man hope you find what your looking for.

Kind of curious, do you own a DSM, I mean how did you come to find yourself asking about this on DSMTuners?

 

[DJ Raydiate]

I just did a Google search for "diy truck snorkel" and seen some good ideas as well. give that a shot and good luck.

 

[NCC74656]

i do not own a dsm but i do have some friends that do and ive raced a few dsm cars with my dodge. plus we use-to be the same company back prior to 91 so its like a reunion, no?

i found many topics on custom fiber glassing on this forum so i figured id give it a go and see what people had to say. so far its been a help.

 

[DJ Raydiate]

I have been around many platforms so the way I look at it is, if I can help a vehicle enthusiast, I will. . My main DJ gigs each year are for a Mustang club.

 

[NCC74656]

nice, yea i would love to buy a lancer and mod the crap out of it but at present im busy with this truck, its been a year long project so far but im almost done with mechanicals.

its sitting at 487HP and 998ft/lbs of torque at the moment.

 

[Miasma]

To add to your fiberglass question.

What ever you use to make your pipe mold, you need to remember to apply a quick release compound or you will never get the fiberglass intake off of the mold, especially if it is card board.

I would find an industrial supplier in your area that deals with carbon fiber and fiberglass supplies, and ask them what they have for a quick release compound. It's the same kinda stuff manufacturer's use when making any fiberglass piece, such as body kits or hood's.

Make sure you get the proper resin for the type of glass you buy, some are polyester based and others are epoxy, so again just make sure to ask the supplier you have the right stuff.

Just another thought, but had you considered welding an intake pipe?

 

[NCC74656]

im not sure i could weld the thinner tube with my stick welder. i need to get a mig before i start on such welding i think.

 

[DJ Raydiate]

Back in the day, We didn't use a release compound on cardboard. After the fiberglass was set, we just either soaked it in water or ran a water hose over it. With the cardboard, the water would make it soft and just peal the paper layers away from the fiberglass. Was it the best way, perhaps not but it worked like a charm.

 

[Archer Fabrications]

How are people fiberglassing their hood/fenders/ bumper like marco @ magnus? I'd like to try that some day

 

[DJ Raydiate]

Something like that, I believe that they do use a release compound on what ever they are making a mold of. After the mold is made, they put the compound down inside/outside the mold (depending how the mold was made) and fiberglass on top of that.

 

[NCC74656]

i would like to try and make body panels with fiberglass at some point. if i could make myself new doors that would be awesome! but i dont quite know how to go about such a large project

 

[lasthope05]

Look into the lost foam method if you want a custom one of piece. You can shape and form the piece any way you want.

 

[Miasma]

How are people fiberglassing their hood/fenders/ bumper like marco @ magnus? I'd like to try that some day

They make a mold of the shape either directly on the car, or out of another material. Then before fiberglassing a mold on it, they use release compound. Lay a bunch of fiberglass on top to creat the mold, and then pop if off. Then you use a release compound again on the inside of the mold and start fiberglass your piece.

Carbon fiber hoods are made in a similar way for making the mold, but when they make the actuall piece most people use a vacuum system to pull the resin through the fiber with as little imperfections as possible.

I've made fiberglass pieces in the past like this, but never done a full carbon fiber one.

 

[Breezio69]

I don't think fiberglass is going to hold up in this situation, especially at only 1/8" thick.

Figure out how to use metal. It can't be that hard, and maybe you need to relocate something in the engine bay to get a straight shot out the fender.

Think of this, when that 75+ man hour fiberglass project snaps off/breaks/cracks in high wind/rain, you just turned it into a large straw for your Cummins. And you won't be goins, anywhere.

 

[NCC74656]

i have seen others use fiberglass on there snorkel or body parts so i assumed it would be strong enough. on a side note however i spent 5 hours last night researching a possible project.

vacuum forming carbon fiber using molds to make new body parts. i did the math on cost (excluding labor time) and building new doors, fenders, hoods, bed sides, and truck cab out of carbon fiber would be about 40% more expensive than a raw used part or about 12% more expensive than a reconditioned used part and 65% cheaper than buying a new body part.

i would want to get experience working with carbon before i spent 500 on the parts needed for a vacuum mold so could i use carbon to reinforce the snorkel or should it rather be made out of 100% carbon?

 

[Miasma]

Unless your just after the look of carbon fiber for the snorkel I wouldn't worry about it. You won't need that high of tensile strength for this. I would just use fiberglass and paint it black. Just make sure to sand it smooth afterwards.