I used to make some crazy parts for car shows in fibreglass. What we would do is similar but different. Metal strapping (the stuff used in shed building or far bracing roof trusses) has heaps of holes in it and it rigid enough but still pliable. So like you did with the tape we would do with metal strapping. Then cover the whole shape in speaker cloth. You can then bend the shape and move it around and see it in 3d space to get what you want. Then cover the whole thing in resin and it would harden. Obviously it would have some sharp corners where the speaker cloth would pull over the edges of the metal strap but that could be knocked out with thick fibreglass and a lot of sanding.
Yeah you can't do this sort of work without a lot of filler & sanding - but when you spend time in a custom body shop where they only work with metal you see the same thing.
You're inspiring! I'm strongly contemplating picking up a Formula Ford 1600 car and your body work tricks have me feeling confident I could make some parts where needed.
@@joeyg369 a buck is the positive form of what you want to make. Use that to make a negative mold over it, and then use the mold to make the actual part. Yes it is a lot of steps and material to do this. The video shows an interesting way to do it without all those steps, he usually makes a buck and mold for his projects (btw, he is THE MAN). I try to make bucks->molds->parts now as it is just better even if it costs more and takes longer, worth it.
@@murraymadness4674 appreciate the detailed response. I don't know much about fiberglass but I have been looking into making a body for a go kart I have. your idea of chicken wire sounded like a great method.
Good work, i see few ideas that could added to this idea. 1. You should have incorporated "thread nuts" or made metal studs inserts for location point where you fiber glass mounts to your frame.. then the fiber glassed in to place. This would save time and fustration aligning body it back onto the frame. 2. You should have made ribbing on the foam this would give the fiber glass more strength less material less and thinner shell. By simple using foambacker rod or even beads of silicon over the foam you would create a embossed lattice in your fiber glass. Once you glass over it.. greatly adding stiffness to the fiberglass.
1. I had decided from day one to use a different mounting method to that, which you can see in th-cam.com/video/fk9B4RXOWvA/w-d-xo.html The bodywork was sculpted so exactly to fit the car there were NO alignment issues at all. 2. I am all too aware of how to incorporate laid in ribs to strengthen race car panels, but I also know where & when they are, or are not, needed. The SHAPE of a panel can also give it rigidity. When these panels were all fitted to my chassis they had all the rigidity they required.
Great video, it seems SO Easy for you to design and create something out of nothing, per say. You sure make it look easy. I have a Corvette body that I have cut in half, I need to add 4" to the width, do you have a video showing anything like this? Just wanted to check with a pro first. Thanks, GREAT WORK and thanks for sharing!!!!
G'day Randy. No - I don't have a video showing widening a fiberglass body - probably because you can't properly just cut & re-join fiberglass, as it doesn't stick well to itself. It relies on the overlap of the fibers for its strength, and you don't get that intertwining with cut & join. It will hold initially - but soon crack & separate. Epoxy resin instead of the usual polyester resin will give a slightly strong bond, along with holes drilled between the two parts to allow the resin to lock in. But you end up with a heavy job, and it will still crack anyway. The only way to do this is to cut & widen your body & use it as a plug/die on which to make a multi-piece flanged mold of the whole car. Big job - but the copy out of those molds will be strong, and uniformly thick. I know you didn't want to hear that... but you don't want to put the time and money into cut & join, and then having it all fail.
@@BillsBuildandRace thank you SO MUCH!!! This is why I ask a professional, and I greatly appreciate your wisdom and reply. I was just hoping to fill in the thickness of the void, then overlap the "top and bottom" some 10 inches both sides for the strength and bond-per say.... but, if that will fail, it is not something I want to do. Thanks!!!
Just finished watching your 6 part video series showing how to sculpt custom car bodywork. I was just curious if aluminum honeycomb panels could be used to achieve the same affect? I do realize with multiple compound curves, that it might not be even feasible. Especially since aluminum panels are rigidly flat, one of the more desirable aspects of them. However, they would be significantly stronger without adding an abundance of weight. They would weigh more than basically anything in fiberglass but still less than anything in steel or even tin. Thanks for any advice, or opinions.
TRying to make a compound curved shape out of rigid paneling would be impossible. With alumininium honeycomb panels there is the additional problem that the nylon inner core is highly flammable... think of those terrible hi-rise building fires where the cladding caught fire! For that reason they are not even suitable in race cars for flat panels like floors - but of course I've seen a number of race car builders using them because they are unaware of how dangerous they are. Once they catch fire you cannot put them out.
The term/technique of "wiring it" isn't immediately obvious to me. When placing the rubber mat onto the tires, was the "wiring" part just to anchor the foam to the wheel? Is there a version of this wiring technique to add sharp edges on some panels? I really like the concept and ideas to make this work, I just need a little more foundation for understanding how and why things are done in a specific way. The only real experience I have with fiberglass is making cubic subwoofer boxes back in the mid 2000s.
"Wiring" just describes fastening the foam to the wheel with wire. No - it is not used to add sharp edges. If you have limited experience in this sort of fabrication I suggest we watch my first fiberglass tutorial, which covers all the basics. You will find it in my playlist of fiberglass tutorials at the top of that list.
Bill you are an absolute genius!!! I hate that TH-cam never puts you on my feed. I have to go to your channel to watch. You should have a half million following you. If they only knew.
I am getting ready to do almost the same thing except i am going to use the body to propel me and cool the engine at the same time, Great ideas mate! if I need info can I holler at ya?
Late to the show but valuable to me 3 years later CAN A GUY USE CARDBOARD AS A BUC M? Will the fiberglass stick to it or will I need to mask tape each cardboard buc? Thanks Sir
Fiberglass will soak into cardboard, weaken it, and cause it to bow or collapse. Use Coreflute sheet instead - the stuff real estate agent signs are made of. Some have been known to follow me home, but most big hardware stores stock it. It is not only stronger - fiberglass will not stick to it. Just tape things up with a plasticky duct tape, on both sides where you can. I would still coat such a buck with brush on PVA release, but release wax would not be needed.
Need giant blocks of hard foam and a really large NC sculpting rig that removes everything except your perfect digital design. Someone could start a business renting time on it and selling the blocks of foam....you just hand them the initial design and 20 minutes later your full size car body plug is complete! Then you take it next door where you pay to have a number of fiberglass body shells made....one for you and 9 more to sell so you actually make a ton of money and get a free a custom body
Wow - that would be a BIG project. Get a set of high quality drawings and transfer them to overhead projector transparencies. Then project them onto plywood to be able to mark out and cut profile boards. and follow what this guy does. Watch as many videos as you can on this rib & foam method and look for one that shows HOW the builder gets the drawings onto the plywood. th-cam.com/video/TM14CKSEKFM/w-d-xo.html
450gm (16oz) chopped strand mat fiberglass, with LSE General Purpose Poly resin. I don't cover basics like that in a Masterclass. All that is covered in my first fiberglass tutorial th-cam.com/video/iOZkwrfpit8/w-d-xo.html
Not really. Expanding foam is generally the tool of beginners. It is extremely porous and impossible to get a smooth surface on for molding. I use it myself for particular body shaping jobs, but to say "It's ALL done" with foam is just not accurate.
I cut it into three parts & remove it from the chassis in the next episode as I planned from the beginning, and you will see me do this. That whole rear section then stays as a 3 piece body section, with two to be permanently mounted and the main piece over the engine being easily removable.
If you invest in some equipment and pay someone to edit for you, do voiceover, i'd bet you will go from 49k to 100k subscribers quick. Content is great
I actually have 70k subscribers & rising, and am a retired professional videotape cameraman and editor, with experience in the film industry since 1967. My videos are some of the best photographed & edited car videos on TH-cam. Go watch the loud mouthed ego driven "garage comedian" commentators on other car videos compared to my no nonsense, no bullshit hosting. Show me the other car videos that speed up the slow jobs like I always do, or who put picture in picture composites, or who use titling to clarify and enforce things. I don't do this to get subscribers or make money (although those both come my way), I do it because I love what I do and want to share my skill sets with others. TH-cam uses algorithyms to promote certain videos. It's not just video quality that creates large subscriptions - there are MANY factors that determine that. I appreciate your suggestions & motivations, but you are unaware of the time & effort that already goes into my videos. Each one gets edited & checked at least 12 times before it goes to air.
I dunno, I love all your videos mate. But this seems too rushed and not up to your standard. I'm sorry but I don't like it. Evesn though I know what the end result isn't supposed to be some show car, I just feel this is too amateurish for you, too wobbly looking in some spots ( best I can put it)... It's cool either way to see your methodology behind it and I know you are capable of some extraordinary results being a subscriber to your channel for YEARS now, I love watching an older fella crafting some seriously cool stuff in his shed & taking the time to chuck it up on TH-cam for the world to see! That said, I understand how long this project has taken etc, and the just get her done attitude, I totally get it!!! I just felt I had to comment. Just my 2 cents mate, sorry if it offends ya! If ya ever make a plug of GQ patrol parts let me know, bonnet with big scoop and flared front guards in carbon fiber would be great!!!!!! 🤣 Cheers, Rob
I'm not offended by your comments. However firstly - I was in no rush doing this job (in fact it took many, many months to complete it). Secondly Rob you need to remember that this was experimental - an attempt to try something new, and innovative ideas rarely succeed from the get go. New inventions usually look clumsy in their initial stages (consider the first aeroplanes), but the end result in my shed speaks for itself. I have a fantastic body that has a unique, flowing shape... and now my buggy does too!! I have finished this video series but am releasing them at one a week. In the the following episodes in this series you will see me give honest feedback on what worked and where improvements were needed, and these are addressed and overcome when I have a second go sculpting the front nosecone. Either way I have a unique buggy with a flowing shaped like no other that will be a guaranteed head turner because of the fiberglass body I made for it. Who knows - you might even like the end product yourself?
I used to make some crazy parts for car shows in fibreglass.
What we would do is similar but different. Metal strapping (the stuff used in shed building or far bracing roof trusses) has heaps of holes in it and it rigid enough but still pliable. So like you did with the tape we would do with metal strapping. Then cover the whole shape in speaker cloth. You can then bend the shape and move it around and see it in 3d space to get what you want. Then cover the whole thing in resin and it would harden. Obviously it would have some sharp corners where the speaker cloth would pull over the edges of the metal strap but that could be knocked out with thick fibreglass and a lot of sanding.
Yeah you can't do this sort of work without a lot of filler & sanding - but when you spend time in a custom body shop where they only work with metal you see the same thing.
You're inspiring! I'm strongly contemplating picking up a Formula Ford 1600 car and your body work tricks have me feeling confident I could make some parts where needed.
This is the smartest thing I've seen in a while. I've made fan shrouds with masking tape and copper wire. But I never thought about this. 🎉
As an upholsterer with a garage fill if this foam, itching to learn fiberglass....this is freaking genius lol awesome idea!🤘😎🤘
Have you tried using chicken wire? it shapes easily and holds the shape. I've done this a few times. then cover it with cloth.
How would you get the chicken wire from the fiberglass once you apply resin? Or do you just leave it?
@@joeyg369 I'd make a buck using the wire, then a mold from that, so final product comes out of the mold.
What is a buck? Yeah i guess it wouldn't matter if you just had the wire part of the mold. Wasn't sure if the wire was the mold.
@@joeyg369 a buck is the positive form of what you want to make. Use that to make a negative mold over it, and then use the mold to make the actual part. Yes it is a lot of steps and material to do this. The video shows an interesting way to do it without all those steps, he usually makes a buck and mold for his projects (btw, he is THE MAN).
I try to make bucks->molds->parts now as it is just better even if it costs more and takes longer, worth it.
@@murraymadness4674 appreciate the detailed response. I don't know much about fiberglass but I have been looking into making a body for a go kart I have. your idea of chicken wire sounded like a great method.
Mate, you are an absolute legend. Thank you for sharing the knowledge 🤝♥️
Good work, i see few ideas that could added to this idea.
1. You should have incorporated "thread nuts" or made metal studs inserts for location point where you fiber glass mounts to your frame.. then the fiber glassed in to place. This would save time and fustration aligning body it back onto the frame.
2. You should have made ribbing on the foam this would give the fiber glass more strength less material less and thinner shell. By simple using foambacker rod or even beads of silicon over the foam you would create a embossed lattice in your fiber glass. Once you glass over it.. greatly adding stiffness to the fiberglass.
1. I had decided from day one to use a different mounting method to that, which you can see in th-cam.com/video/fk9B4RXOWvA/w-d-xo.html The bodywork was sculpted so exactly to fit the car there were NO alignment issues at all. 2. I am all too aware of how to incorporate laid in ribs to strengthen race car panels, but I also know where & when they are, or are not, needed. The SHAPE of a panel can also give it rigidity. When these panels were all fitted to my chassis they had all the rigidity they required.
Diggin the innovative ideas 😁👍
This is just amazing! This is goig to help me alot for my upcoming projects. Thanks and keep up the good work
I love your job.
You are a freak mate..and i love it.!! Off to the shed to try another one of your ideas. Thanks.
After doing fibreglass for many years this is the funniest thing I've seen 😂
Just what I was looking for on my X19 build
Thanks for the data
Intriguing 10 layers of resin/woven roving for 1 fiberflass layer
Great video, it seems SO Easy for you to design and create something out of nothing, per say. You sure make it look easy. I have a Corvette body that I have cut in half, I need to add 4" to the width, do you have a video showing anything like this? Just wanted to check with a pro first. Thanks, GREAT WORK and thanks for sharing!!!!
G'day Randy. No - I don't have a video showing widening a fiberglass body - probably because you can't properly just cut & re-join fiberglass, as it doesn't stick well to itself. It relies on the overlap of the fibers for its strength, and you don't get that intertwining with cut & join. It will hold initially - but soon crack & separate. Epoxy resin instead of the usual polyester resin will give a slightly strong bond, along with holes drilled between the two parts to allow the resin to lock in. But you end up with a heavy job, and it will still crack anyway. The only way to do this is to cut & widen your body & use it as a plug/die on which to make a multi-piece flanged mold of the whole car. Big job - but the copy out of those molds will be strong, and uniformly thick. I know you didn't want to hear that... but you don't want to put the time and money into cut & join, and then having it all fail.
@@BillsBuildandRace thank you SO MUCH!!! This is why I ask a professional, and I greatly appreciate your wisdom and reply. I was just hoping to fill in the thickness of the void, then overlap the "top and bottom" some 10 inches both sides for the strength and bond-per say.... but, if that will fail, it is not something I want to do. Thanks!!!
for moulding i'm using stereofoam then finishing with epoxy resin
Just finished watching your 6 part video series showing how to sculpt custom car bodywork. I was just curious if aluminum honeycomb panels could be used to achieve the same affect? I do realize with multiple compound curves, that it might not be even feasible. Especially since aluminum panels are rigidly flat, one of the more desirable aspects of them. However, they would be significantly stronger without adding an abundance of weight. They would weigh more than basically anything in fiberglass but still less than anything in steel or even tin. Thanks for any advice, or opinions.
TRying to make a compound curved shape out of rigid paneling would be impossible. With alumininium honeycomb panels there is the additional problem that the nylon inner core is highly flammable... think of those terrible hi-rise building fires where the cladding caught fire! For that reason they are not even suitable in race cars for flat panels like floors - but of course I've seen a number of race car builders using them because they are unaware of how dangerous they are. Once they catch fire you cannot put them out.
You are genius!
The term/technique of "wiring it" isn't immediately obvious to me. When placing the rubber mat onto the tires, was the "wiring" part just to anchor the foam to the wheel? Is there a version of this wiring technique to add sharp edges on some panels?
I really like the concept and ideas to make this work, I just need a little more foundation for understanding how and why things are done in a specific way. The only real experience I have with fiberglass is making cubic subwoofer boxes back in the mid 2000s.
"Wiring" just describes fastening the foam to the wheel with wire. No - it is not used to add sharp edges. If you have limited experience in this sort of fabrication I suggest we watch my first fiberglass tutorial, which covers all the basics. You will find it in my playlist of fiberglass tutorials at the top of that list.
Fantastic Idea!!!
Brilliant cardboard aided design!
Bill you are an absolute genius!!! I hate that TH-cam never puts you on my feed. I have to go to your channel to watch. You should have a half million following you. If they only knew.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR SHARING!
I am getting ready to do almost the same thing except i am going to use the body to propel me and cool the engine at the same time, Great ideas mate! if I need info can I holler at ya?
Facebook links are on this channel's home page whenever you need to contact me.
I'm planning on building a crosskart
Late to the show but valuable to me 3 years later
CAN A GUY USE CARDBOARD AS A BUC M? Will the fiberglass stick to it or will I need to mask tape each cardboard buc?
Thanks Sir
Fiberglass will soak into cardboard, weaken it, and cause it to bow or collapse. Use Coreflute sheet instead - the stuff real estate agent signs are made of. Some have been known to follow me home, but most big hardware stores stock it. It is not only stronger - fiberglass will not stick to it. Just tape things up with a plasticky duct tape, on both sides where you can. I would still coat such a buck with brush on PVA release, but release wax would not be needed.
Need giant blocks of hard foam and a really large NC sculpting rig that removes everything except your perfect digital design. Someone could start a business renting time on it and selling the blocks of foam....you just hand them the initial design and 20 minutes later your full size car body plug is complete! Then you take it next door where you pay to have a number of fiberglass body shells made....one for you and 9 more to sell so you actually make a ton of money and get a free a custom body
how much fiberglass material does a job like this require thank you
The rear plug took 15 litres of resin and about 9 metres of cloth.
Awesome mate
Can someone explain to me how I would attach epoxy shape to my old snow mobile,will it just stick thank you
I would like to make 34 Ford 1/4 scale body. I wonder how do I start
Wow - that would be a BIG project. Get a set of high quality drawings and transfer them to overhead projector transparencies. Then project them onto plywood to be able to mark out and cut profile boards. and follow what this guy does. Watch as many videos as you can on this rib & foam method and look for one that shows HOW the builder gets the drawings onto the plywood. th-cam.com/video/TM14CKSEKFM/w-d-xo.html
Respect you sir
please can anyone tell me whats the materials he used to cover the foam at time 10:30 ?
450gm (16oz) chopped strand mat fiberglass, with LSE General Purpose Poly resin. I don't cover basics like that in a Masterclass. All that is covered in my first fiberglass tutorial th-cam.com/video/iOZkwrfpit8/w-d-xo.html
i thought the resin would dissolve the foam rubber
😂It's, all done with expanding foam now
Not really. Expanding foam is generally the tool of beginners. It is extremely porous and impossible to get a smooth surface on for molding. I use it myself for particular body shaping jobs, but to say "It's ALL done" with foam is just not accurate.
Do you plan on cutting it in two parts later so that it can be removed from the chassis?
I cut it into three parts & remove it from the chassis in the next episode as I planned from the beginning, and you will see me do this. That whole rear section then stays as a 3 piece body section, with two to be permanently mounted and the main piece over the engine being easily removable.
Good video but please get rid of that AM radio you used to film it with 😂
It’s perfectly fine
Upgrade your Samsung to an iPhone champ
U goin da vinci bro like my dad
Curfin
Coffee?
Big daddy rat would love dat
If you invest in some equipment and pay someone to edit for you, do voiceover, i'd bet you will go from 49k to 100k subscribers quick. Content is great
I actually have 70k subscribers & rising, and am a retired professional videotape cameraman and editor, with experience in the film industry since 1967. My videos are some of the best photographed & edited car videos on TH-cam. Go watch the loud mouthed ego driven "garage comedian" commentators on other car videos compared to my no nonsense, no bullshit hosting. Show me the other car videos that speed up the slow jobs like I always do, or who put picture in picture composites, or who use titling to clarify and enforce things. I don't do this to get subscribers or make money (although those both come my way), I do it because I love what I do and want to share my skill sets with others. TH-cam uses algorithyms to promote certain videos. It's not just video quality that creates large subscriptions - there are MANY factors that determine that. I appreciate your suggestions & motivations, but you are unaware of the time & effort that already goes into my videos. Each one gets edited & checked at least 12 times before it goes to air.
So oviedo there no taking this hoody work off....
I dunno, I love all your videos mate. But this seems too rushed and not up to your standard. I'm sorry but I don't like it.
Evesn though I know what the end result isn't supposed to be some show car, I just feel this is too amateurish for you, too wobbly looking in some spots ( best I can put it)...
It's cool either way to see your methodology behind it and I know you are capable of some extraordinary results being a subscriber to your channel for YEARS now, I love watching an older fella crafting some seriously cool stuff in his shed & taking the time to chuck it up on TH-cam for the world to see!
That said, I understand how long this project has taken etc, and the just get her done attitude, I totally get it!!!
I just felt I had to comment.
Just my 2 cents mate, sorry if it offends ya!
If ya ever make a plug of GQ patrol parts let me know, bonnet with big scoop and flared front guards in carbon fiber would be great!!!!!!
🤣
Cheers,
Rob
I'm not offended by your comments. However firstly - I was in no rush doing this job (in fact it took many, many months to complete it). Secondly Rob you need to remember that this was experimental - an attempt to try something new, and innovative ideas rarely succeed from the get go. New inventions usually look clumsy in their initial stages (consider the first aeroplanes), but the end result in my shed speaks for itself. I have a fantastic body that has a unique, flowing shape... and now my buggy does too!! I have finished this video series but am releasing them at one a week. In the the following episodes in this series you will see me give honest feedback on what worked and where improvements were needed, and these are addressed and overcome when I have a second go sculpting the front nosecone. Either way I have a unique buggy with a flowing shaped like no other that will be a guaranteed head turner because of the fiberglass body I made for it. Who knows - you might even like the end product yourself?
😡
Thank you for everything you have showed us your in inspiration 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🫡