How to make custom fiberglass parts start to finish

Hey Fabricators,
In this video I make some custom fiberglass fenders for my trailer. It takes you from the beginning of making the die, all the way to the finished product mounted on the trailer. Listed below are a bunch of links and details for most of what I used in the video.
Polyester Resin - fiberglasssupp... (This bonds great with gelcoat and is easy to use, but it stinks) I was mixing 8oz of resin with 3ml of activator. It was warm out, but I kept it out of the sun, until I was done. Then I would put it in the sun and it would cure pretty quick.
White Gelcoat - fiberglasssupp... (This is polyester, works best with poly resin) Same mixing ratios as the resin.
Fiberglass cloth 6oz - www.plasticare.... (I use 6oz anytime I use cloth. It's easy to use and takes shapes well)
.75 Chopped Strand Mat - fiberglasssupp... (Good for mild strength, but doesn't absorb as much.
2oz Chopped Strand Mat - (very thick) - fiberglasssupp...
(This is good for building up thickness, this is almost 1/8" thick)
Partall paste (Wax) - amzn.to/3wfGXqr
PVA - amzn.to/3LUMNo7
Bubble roller - amzn.to/3dIVKk8
Epoxy Resin - fiberglasssupp... (I use this because it doesn't stink and doesn't dissolve foam)
Vinyl transfer tape - amzn.to/3w5uOUY
Drum sander - amzn.to/45PIW5c
Tube sander - amzn.to/44GzDmY
These are the body washers I used to attach the fenders to the trailer frame - www.kartek.com...
Here is a link to my shared folder if you need anything in it. drive.google.c....

[@ryancooling4473]

I do a lot of fiberglass repair work (rv’s, jet skis, etc). I’ve been wanting to learn how to make parts and this is a great video showing the process in a timely manner. Appreciate you showing this start to finish.

[@DougBugBuilder]

Glad the video helped, thanks for the comment.

[@chriswicburg2527]

Great job! I appreciate the complete start to finish in one video, and with the important details you included

[@DougBugBuilder]

Thanks, I appreciate the comment. Glad you liked the video.

[@katykab00m]

Omg the satisfaction when the fiberglass just pops off of the metal die!!😍

[@jamesfield4479]

1st video i chose to watch to learn how to do this and I don't need to watch anyone else's. Great stuff. Thank you

[@DougBugBuilder]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the comment.

[@user-tireauction]

Great video I really enjoyed it. Been trying to get my head rapped around how to build my mold. Thanks

[@mikeygifford]

Awesome! Making some fenders too. Thanks for the information

[@daxinventor3542]

Amazing! I am learning to make my own molds to make a lot of different parts for my truck. One of the things Thanx a whole lot bro. This info is perfect for me.

[@DougBugBuilder]

Glad it helped, thanks for the comment.

[@billybike57]

Awesome work, lots of great ideas, thanks for sharing!

[@DougBugBuilder]

Thanks for watching! 👍

[@MonticelloMagic-yv1qu]

.. yeah Kool you included your dawggie Happy Dawg eye appreciate this video you made Thanks a million though the process is painstakingly time consuming your end product money saved and boy your absolute joy when the fender popped on out of the mold was beyond exclamation just pure delight Awesome Be Well God Bless and Thanks again ...

[@DougBugBuilder]

Glad you liked the video and my dog. 🐕 👍 Thanks for the comment.

[@Eli-zg3tj]

You're a real artist my friend and that's a cool dog you have! 👍

[@DougBugBuilder]

Thanks!

[@kevinhamling1963]

G'day, It's been a long time since I've done any fibreglass work. But from what i remember of it your job is outstanding. A+ From me. Thanks for sharing ✌️Peace from Melbourne Australia.

[@DougBugBuilder]

Hello Kevin, good to hear from you as usual. Fiberglass is awesome and horrible at the same time. 😁 But the results are worth it. 😉 Peace! ✌

[@kevinhamling1963]

@@DougBugBuilder I can still feel the itching. 😵‍💫

[@pedrobalduci7754]

hey! adding a flange to the mold also increases tremendously its stiffness

[@fremanpool4575]

I think to start fiberglass work business. This is really helpful videos

[@DougBugBuilder]

Thanks, good luck with your business.

[@Flatstepcreator]

Beautiful work man I learned a lot from this, I don't know anything about fiberglass but I'm interested for making hard toe caps for protective work boots

[@DougBugBuilder]

Thanks 👍

[@DaveHyooz]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing and explaining 🤟🏼

[@DougBugBuilder]

No problem 👍 Thanks for the comment.

[@cursetrynd461]

thanks man, that's help me alot

[@brcron007]

Great step by step Thanx Doug !

[@DougBugBuilder]

Very welcome, thanks for the comment.

[@brcron007]

Hi again,Doug I have a Question for you-could the vinyl tape be used to cover the entire area of the shape I'm making a mold of (my area is still in epoxy primer) (I'm making a shell skin of an interior crew cab roof, front n rear sections) so the release doesn't soak into it and cause future Ron issues. Thanks again. @@DougBugBuilder

[@DougBugBuilder]

@@brcron007 Hello, You can use vinyl tape, but, you need to make sure that the resin you are using doesn't react with the tape. So I recommend you do a test piece first. And keep in mind that you will transfer the tape lines into the gelcoat, so you'll need to deal with that. But I've done it before, it does work.

[@brcron007]

thank you again for your insight. I appreciate it. @@DougBugBuilder

[@FastSoCal3D]

Amazing tutorial - thank you!

[@DougBugBuilder]

You're welcome, thanks for the comment.

[@TurbineResearch]

Composites are so cool ❤ good work !

[@DougBugBuilder]

Yes they are! Thanks for the comment.

[@anuradesilva9966]

Good job sri❤

[@DougBugBuilder]

Thanks!

[@ntdracing]

Great video!...We need to do the same thing on Honcho's fenders. Thanks for the info.

[@DougBugBuilder]

Sounds like a project for Bear! 😁

[@ntdracing]

@@DougBugBuilder reading my mind.

[@speedbeagle6498]

Ive done a few small scale parts, but the time involved has kept me from making the body parts i need for my woodsbuggy or copying my baja kit which is starting to crack and look rough. Thanks for making me wish i had more time! Lol

[@DougBugBuilder]

Glad I could help... 😉👍

[@TheBrando60]

Bellissimo lavoro, lo hai fatto sembrare facile. 👍

[@DougBugBuilder]

Grazie amico, apprezzo il commento. 👍

[@honestauto3490]

Very informative thank you very much

[@DougBugBuilder]

Glad you liked it, thanks for the comment.

[@CharmingCheek]

Thank you so much for this video! I have a new beetle I’m working to customize and this will help immensely. Question: Any issues with making my die from carved foam insulation board?

[@DougBugBuilder]

No, but Polyester resin usually reacts with most foams. So you'll need to do a test. And possibly use Epoxy as first coat, or add something to protect the foam if the polyester attacks it.

[@aemrico]

Thanks for the info 😎👍🏾

[@DougBugBuilder]

No problem 👍

[@steveshepard]

Do you do a spray of PVA or anything on your last coat of resin to let it cure? Or are you using resin with wax? Also, why did you choose cloth over mat for this one? I have never used cloth myself. Thanks Doug!

[@DougBugBuilder]

My resin has wax, so it fully cures on its own. My gelcoat does not, but as you know it gets sealed in by the resin. Cloth is way more flexible and easy to lay in place than mat. So usually I start with cloth so I can get good coverage to the part. Then once I have a couple layers done I might switch to mat because it cheaper than cloth. If I'm doing something flat then I usually do it all in mat because again, it's a better bang for the buck.

[@steveshepard]

@@DougBugBuilder thanks for the response and all the videos on the subject. I recently copied some parts out of fiberglass using your older videos as a guide. Didn’t see too much cloth back then so I was curious if you learned something new! Thanks again

[@DougBugBuilder]

@@steveshepard If I remember I used cloth for the roof, and the beginning of the one piece front end. But the doors and quarters I think I used mat, those were mostly flat with just a mild radius. But the radius on these fenders was actually pretty tight, that's why I used cloth mostly.

[@Belvedere-vm9ep]

Awesome video! I like the way you explain things! Thanks for the mixing ratios! Just wondering what’s your advice on how to fiberglass outer wheel well areas onto metal quarter panels?

[@DougBugBuilder]

Are you asking how to make fiberglass wheel wells? Or fender flares?

[@southpawsgarage]

a little blast of air works great for demolding....

[@jmeladams]

Very cool and well done…but I have to ask why? Maybe I missed something, but what’s wrong with robust steel fenders for a trailer? Weight?

[@DougBugBuilder]

Here you go asking serious philosophical questions. 😁 Locally I was looking into buying steel fenders, but they were $200 each, so it was going to cost me $400. I wasn't happy about that. I did all the fiberglass panels on the Baja that's on the trailer, so I have a lot of surplus fiberglass supplies on hand. So I was able to make these for no cost. And.... I just like doing custom parts like this.

[@maxpower9631]

nice job...missed some steps...your time would be better spent on something else than common fenders tho

[@stumpymeadows5217]

I watched your vid cuz I’m at a critical point finishing a transom replacement on my fiberglass boat. The top lip of the transom is 2” thick with virtually no radius and it has a notch cutout for the outboard motor. This makes for a difficult transition for the cloth. Seeing your relief cuts work so well was an eye opener. They seemed to produce no ridges what type of cloth did you use?

[@DougBugBuilder]

If I remember that was 6oz cloth, which is pretty thick for cloth. But it builds up quicker. Remember if you make relief notches on outside corners you'll need those "band aid" pieces I used to get the strength back. Good luck.

[@BillKnight-tj2rs]

I’ve never done fibreglass so I have no idea if this would work, but could you use your air compressor gun to blow air between the part and the mould to help it release? If that does work you could even potentially add holes in the mould for the gun to fit

[@DougBugBuilder]

I've never done it, but I've had people tell me it works great. But for me I can always pull and pry my parts to release, so I've never had to try it.

[@DosntMatter666]

I want to make a personal watercraft for fishing and leisure. Is this method appropriate for such a craft?

[@DougBugBuilder]

Yes this would work.

[@cwmotorsports4497]

Very nice!!!! How many hrs do you think it took?

[@DougBugBuilder]

Hmm, I would say realistically 15-20 hours.

[@user-xq7ez5pj5o]

Most of the links say page not found. Is that because they are only good for so long?

[@DougBugBuilder]

It's just because over time mfgs. change their websites or slightly change the part numbers. I believe I fixed the links that aren't working.

[@philleitzell2809]

Nice job but how do you go about making a fiberglass piece when you dont have a metal pieces your essentially making a fiberglass copy of? I want to make some ~4" wider rear fiberglass fenders/quarter panels for a prerunner xterra like they make for the ford explorers

[@DougBugBuilder]

You have to get creative. I've used cardboard, foam, wire mesh, wood, fiberglass, and metal, you just need to use whatever you have to. Then just make sure you can smooth it out and cover it with something that will not react with your gel coat.

[@choimdachoim9491]

Informative and useful video but why fiberglass instead of metal?

[@DougBugBuilder]

Just to be able to make a slightly different shape, and now I can remake as many as I need.

[@camcutcnc]

Hi, nice project! I will probably build a set. I didn't see a link for the mounting bolts in the description. would it be possible to get a link? Thanks much.

[@DougBugBuilder]

Hello, I just added them in the description at the bottom, thanks for letting me know. Good luck with your project. 👍

[@scor440]

Can the paint stay on or is bare metal better?

[@DougBugBuilder]

Old paint is usually ok, but be careful, there is a small chance it might react with the poly. I recommend doing a small test first.

[@davedavidson8408]

I’m really new to this & don’t understand why you are making a mold from the fenders to then make some fenders rather than just use the existing fenders as the mold. Can anybody explain why please?

[@DougBugBuilder]

The actual fenders can't be used as a mold. The mold has to be an "outside" copy of the part I want to make. Make the mold off what you want to make, in this case the fenders. Then when you make the fiberglass part it will be a copy of the original piece.

[@davedavidson8408]

@@DougBugBuilder Thank you, it just seemed like a lot of effort for ‘only’ some fenders but I understand what you mean - this is the only way to get an exact copy. I do appreciate you taking the time to not only produce these videos but for replying too. Cheers 👍

[@cringram1003]

Mike, looks like brand new tires on Ratchet what's the deal? Peace

[@DougBugBuilder]

I was wondering if people would catch that. At the beginning of the video Wratchet has old tires, but by the end he is sitting on all new rubber. 👍 My next video will be testing the tires at the track.

[@guncalinhosiqueira8547]

👏👏👏💯💯💯

[@DougBugBuilder]

Thanks! 👍✌