This blog took a backseat for a few weeks while I worked on Christmas gifts for the grandkids. The work covered here was wrapped up in October so I’m a bit behind now.
The next step is to get the surface covered in fiberglass cloth. To get ready, the wood needs to be sanded smooth. Any scratches left behind will be visible through the fiberglass.
The wood strips do slip a bit during glue up and the surface has to be faired out. I put together a fairing board from a piece of ¼ inch Masonite about 3 inches wide. Two strips of 80 grit sandpaper are mounted with spray on adhesive. A 1.5x1.5” block is attached to each end to act as handles.
The first passes over the panel are to grind down the edges of strips that slipped up a bit. Then it is time to find the high spots and low spots. I used a grid of pencil marks to see them.
A few passes and the high spots are significantly lowered. There are a few low areas than I am comfortable working out locally rather than take wood off the whole surface. I move to a sanding block and work through the grits to 220.
After a few days off I start to look for scratches. Starting with 100 grit I work to remove each one – there are plenty!
Once the scratches are gone I sand the surface to 320 grit and get a nice polish on it. The next step before the fiberglass cloth is to pre-coat the surface with epoxy. Getting a clear layer of fiberglass requires attention. There is an excellent summary on getting a transparent layup by Rob Macks at Laughing Loon. One key is to have the room warmed up. Here is my set up for laying on the epoxy.
I’ll go through each item starting on the left.
1. 3” foam roller. I buy 9 inch rollers and cut them into 3 pieces.
2. Paint tray lined with aluminum foil.
3. Room temperature. Rob recommends 80 degrees or more but this should be good enough.
4. West Systems epoxy with slow hardeners.
5. Foam brush for smoothing out the epoxy from the foam roller. I use the good quality brushes from the marine store.
6. Clear pill bottles. I use the small one to set the amount for a single part. Then I pour in the correct number of parts for the resin into the larger bottle and mark the level. I then add 1 part for the hardener and mark that level.
7. Plastic squeegee cut from a yogurt container.
Cutting the foam rollers into 3 parts creates a bit of sawdust stuck onto the foam. A bit of tape lifts them off.
Working with epoxy can get messy. One way to keep control is to punch a couple holes in the caps. The epoxy pours out much more slowly with a lot more control.
Now the seal coat goes on.
The foam brush does not get rid of all the texture from the roller. That’s okay. The next layer will cover it. Once the epoxy is no longer tacky I can spread the cloth on. I use a 6oz cloth. Things are moving pretty quickly at this point and I didn’t use the camera so no picture of the bare cloth laid out. Once the cloth is in place I roll on a layer of epoxy.
Two more coats are added after the epoxy cures for a day between coats. I use a squeegee to add on a 3rd fill coat but I’m not too thrilled with that result. Next time I’ll use 4 fill coats with the roller.
Now it’s time to repeat the sanding routine. I start with the fairing board with a fresh layer of 80 grit and follow that with the sanding block and finer grits. You can see that this sanding block has a layer of foam from an old mouse pad. This helps sanding on the compound curves.
I took the sanding grits to 400 and then moved to wet sanding all the way to 1000 grit. The result is a nice polished surface.
Now I can move on to adding ash trim on top of the panel. Total hours are now at 133.
The amount of time going into this project, the volume of knowledge required for the various processes, and the dedication required to see it through is phenomenal, and you have hit a home run on all. Fantastic work Steve.
Looking good, Steve! With kayak building, when glassing is behind you know you're nearing the end of the project. With your car panels, I imagine there is still quite a lot left to do. The end result is going to be fantastic.
Striving for perfection! Great thing is you are at the point where I'd start getting bored and slack off on the surface prep steps, you keep on truckin' 👍
You should check out the mystery box of PSA rolls from Klingspor. I needed some wide 120 so I ordered a roll (about $9) and to fill out the order I got the mystery box for $12. Not only did it include the same roll I had bought separately, it had a dozen other same and wider rolls of various grits and abrasives. Basically a dollar a roll. Now I never have to spray glue paper to sanding blocks and don't hesitate to refresh the paper since it is so easy to replace for a few pennies.
Petey - Thanks for the comment! Dave - for some reason I like fiddly stuff😀 Oldtool - I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I'm going to end up with some steps that are going to be new to me - mainly mounting these panels on the ute. I'm gathering information but I don't have a clear winner yet Ron - Thanks! Lazyman - Wet sanding is done by adding water with a soaked paper towel. The most epoxy used is when I soaked the cloth - that was probably 5-6 ounces. The other coats were more like 2 or 3 ounces. The foam roller ends up wasting almost an ounce Ross - You are correct - although the glass is still a big milestone. Here's a list of what's left:
Add ash trim on top of the panel (several steps there)
Fiberglass the back side (panel comes off the forms for this). The back only needs one or two coats on the glass but all the wood ahs to be smoothed
Cut the panel apart
Add holes for door and side light
Mount the panels to the side
Repeat for Driver's side, both sides of the bed and the tailgate
pottz - Thanks for the comment! There will be a bit of a wait - I've got a lot left to do. I had originally estimated 400 hours for this but I think I'll need to double that Ken - Thanks! Many more hours of entertainment to come😀 Ryan - Thank you SplinterGroup - Thanks, this is definitely one of those "eat an elephant one bite at a time" projects. Thanks for the tip
