RE: Anyone have any experience with heavy body work?

["L. M. Lloyd" <ubik@austin.rr.com>]

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> I have never heard of laying up vinyl mesh or polyurethane mesh. It
> doesn't seem like it would work, since they are plastics and so is
> the resin that you would be using. Is there any info online I could
> check out?
> > 

Impregnating a vinyl, polyurethane, or ABS mesh is a fairly common
industrial manufacture method. I don't know any web pages that cover
it, but I have designed products for customers before who said that
this would be the manufacture method used.


> If you pour the vinyl mold the resulting piece will be extremely
> heavy. To get a polyurethane piece similar to Zender, you would
> have to use injection molds, which is prohibitive in cost. 
> 

Most OEM car fronts now days are vinyl. For that matter, the stock
16v kit looks to be entirely vinyl. Why do you say it would be too
heavy? As far as the castability of the shape goes, I work with
polyurethane resins on a daily basis, and I simply don't see why you
say it would have to be injection molded, especially since the stock
fiberglass looks to be using a polyurethane to begin with. I am just
looking at duplicating the stock materials with something a bit more
flexible, so the kit won't be completely ruined if I bottom it out.


> IMO your best bet would be to create fiberglass molds and then lay
> up the piece in carbon fiber or kevlar. Fiberglass is only
> "unhealthy" if you totally disregard basic safety precautions, like
> a mask and
> coveralls. 
> 


I have never worked with carbon fiber, but it was my understanding
that carbon fiber had to be heat treated to cure properly, and I
don't have access to that large an oven/kiln. As far a Kevlar goes, I
know nothing about working with it, so it had simply not occurred to
me.

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