Bending Fiberglass

[kruzer52]

Is it possible to apply heat to bend a pre-made fiberglass part?*hmmm*

 

[ydeardorff]

Heat will not help you. In fact heat may damage the fiberglass.

I you want to say take a straight board of fiberglass and make it curve. Then like wood you must relief cut it from behind. Then you find a way to hold it in that position and glass it back in over your relief cuts to hold the new shape.

Think of fiberglass more like reenforced plexiglass than plastic. If you heat it, it will burn. It will flex up to a point and return to its original place, take it too far it will crack.

 

[letterman7]

Yaughn's correct to a point. Straightening a warped panel can be done with heat and a little time. I've "straightened" panels on a dune buggy and other kit parts by simply laying them in the yard on a hot sunny day, and using boards/weights/ratchet ties tweaked them where they needed to be over the course of a few days. But those were panels that were ultimately bonded or bolted in place - try that on a free-floating panel, like a hood, and it will eventually return to it's pre-tweaked state.

What exactly do you need to do? Fit the doors?

 

[kruzer52]

It's the inner door flanges that are so out of wack. I guess I'm going to have to do some cutting and reglassing.