make your own bodykit?

[khartley]

Okay, I've heard that you can make your own bodykit by shaping styrofoam and coating it with fiberglass. I want to know if anyone has done it, if it looks good, if it's worth it, and how you actually do it.

 

[khartley]

I've heard that you can make your own bodykit by shaping styrofoam and coating it with fiberglass. I want to know if anyone has tried this, how it looked, if it's worth it, and how it's actually done.

 

[HighPsi92GST]

its basically done the same way as a custom sub enclosure is made. you make a mold and fiberglass it. iv thought about it but never made a complete bumper or anything, i have made my own z3 fenders as well as modified a fiberglass body kit to my likings.

the thing that youd have to pay special attention to is strength. granted a sub enclosure is usually pretty tough, a bumper is a diffrent story. i forget now how many layers of fiberglass body kits use, perhaps some one else knows. but its quite a few

as far as a project, it will take ALOT of work, but if you pull it off, you will have one very unique car.

 

[swing lo]

If your gonna make one, you might want to consider using plaster of paris ( if that's correct). The same stuff they make arm cast out of, then pour it over your design, then fiber glass the design. That's all i can tell you man. Call JT-AUTOSTYLES or any body kit producer and ask them how they make thiers.

 

[Wicked96GS-T]

I belive that most bodykits have 7-10 layers of fiberglass for strength. With my knowledge of fiberglass, i can safely say that would be a difficult process.

 

[pinknuggit]

i think plaster of paris would be too heavy and prone to cracks.

wouldn't the glass resin eat away the styrofoam?

i've always just heard of people doing bodykits like they do a glass speaker enclosure. make a wooden skeleton, cover it with some sort of elastic cloth, and glass over it..

 

[swing lo]

You make the mold out of plaster of paris, and then lay the fiber glass inside the plaster. Once it dries, then you take the fiber glass out, and there you have it.


Did you think i ment to make the actual kit out of plaster?

 

[Defiant]

It's not styrofoam, but closed-cell urethane. Styrofoam is melted by fiberglas resin. It's easy material to work, but it's not an amateur pursuit. If you're not already skilled with sculpture and glassing -about three yers' worth- it'll be a real trial by frustration, depending on your aptitude.

And DO NOT crosspost.