Ok guys, here comes the walk-through. First, go to some auto parts store or even walmart. I got my stuff at Advance Auto. They sell kits at those places for about 7 bux, comes with everything you need to get started (resin, hardener, fiberglass cloth, spreader, and some other stuff). You can always get extra of the stuff if needed. You will also need a small can of Bondo (this is the key), spot puddy, cream hardener for the Bondo,rubber gloves, filler primer, normal primer,clearcoat, and paint (whatever color). Also get various sand paper if you don't already have it (80, 220, 400, 800, 1500).
Start by taking whatever you want to fiberglass and making a frame out of some material that's fairly easy to work with (i.e. foam core, cardboard, maybe even 1/4" plywood). The frame will consist of templates of whatever you're putting in and about 1/2" to 1" of extra material around the hole. Make sure this frame is anchored to the stock piece very well. It needs to be sturdy. At this point you can take something like panty hose or speaker cloth and kind of get the form you want by anchoring it on the templates and the stock piece, or you can just say screw it and form the biatch with the first layer of fiberglass (as I did).
*SAFETY*- Before you lay the fiberglass wear rubber gloves and a face mask, this stuff is nasty and will burn your skin if you leave it on long enough!
*MAJOR TIP*- Use craploads of wd40 on your rubber gloves while laying the glass to keep from sticking to it.
For whichever method you choose, pre-cut pieces of fiberglass cloth that will fit well wherever you need them. Mix the resin by the directions on the resin bottle. Too much hardener and it will dry crazy fast, too little and it will take forever. Once that's mixed you won't have more than 10 minutes to work. Completely drench a piece of the pre-cut cloth in the resin (I suggest to only mix enough resin for one of the pieces of cloth). Lay the piece of fiberglass in the predetermined location and continue doing this with the other pieces until you do one full layer. Try to keep it as smooth as possible but any mess-ups can be sanded off so don't worry. Now you're done with your first layer, the scariest part is over. Sand of any major imperfections as these will screw u up in the long run.
Continue this same process until you get it about 1/4" thick. Watch out for air bubbles. If you get any in between layers try to smooth them out while the resin is still wet. I've found that if one is being stubborn, slother some of the extra resin in the mixing container on your finger and slap it on the air bubble. It helps. Sand off the major imperfections in between layers. Don't worry about cutting out the holes for whatever is going in your fiberglass. That can all be done at the end with some skilled dremeling.
Now it's time for Bondo if you're happy with the basic shape. Don't worry about the fiberglass being wavy or not smooth, Bondo will fix it all. Mix a little bit of Bondo with the cream hardener until its light pinkish. Don't mix too much cause this $hit dries crazy fast. Apply the bondo in thin coats with a plastic spreader (If you want it to be easier to apply, add in some fiberglass resin). Sand afterwards, maybe start with the 80 for major stuff, then use 220. Bondo, sand, Bondo, sand, Bondo, sand until you get it how you want it. Bondo can also be used if you need to mold onto a stock panel like in my application. There will still be slight imperfections. For the bigger scrapes and such, you can put a little bit of the spot puddy on your finger and smear it over the scrape (no hardener needed). Wait for it to dry and sand smooth. If it's a smaller scrape you can just use the filler primer to fill it right in.
Filler primer is great for filling in small imperfections or the stock grain on the interior panels for complete smoothness. Apply this and sand with 220, then 400. Keep doing this until all the more major stuff is filled in. Next, I used normal primer to fill in the small stuff and ultimately create the super smooth appearance. Sand the normal primer first with 400 then do 800 wetsand, then 1500 wetsand. Again, do this as many times as needed for desired effect. Once you think it's smooth as GLASS, you can move on to painting. I usually put on 2 coats of paint then wetsand with 1500 then about 3 more coats. Next is clearcoat. Put it on in fairly thin coats. Do 1 coat then lightly wetsand with 1500. Do 1 more coat and lightly wetsand with 1500. Then apply the last coat and it should be incredibly shiny.
Written by Super95awd at DSMtuners.com
That is a write up on how to do the HVAC control. I will post my HVAC control with picture by picture steps when I complete it.
