custom gauge pod

[Rootie524]

hello. i have a malibu and they dont exactly make a gauge pod for that car. so i found a picture where someone custom made one for the malibu and im trying to do the same. i cut the individual pods down and im ready to mount them to my a-pillar but dont know how to do it properly. ive attached a photo to see if you can help me figure out what they used. (and i dont feel like fiberglassing anything)

[bszopi]

That looks like bondo to me.

[Weatheralls Auto]

could be bondo over fiberglass though

[neo71665]

Either are still gonna crack loose. You wanna epoxy the cups in place before you do anything. I was suggested a product called fusor for use on plastics and have been sold ever since I tried it. I've used it on everything from door panels to cracked plastic bumpers with good luck.

[Rootie524]

i always thought bondo was red..but ive never really used it all that much..

but if i use a good adhesive like fusor and then bondo over that you think it would turn out well without having to fiberglass?

[Schmieder]

I haven't done anything like that before, but I imagine fiberglass resin with fiberglass cloth would work well. I've made many art pieces with that stuff and it can be very strong if used right.

It can also be sanded down. Nice thing about fiberglass resin is it can be shaped well and dries with MEK, not air.

I would try wrapping the design in fiberglass cloth, sew the edges in and brush on the fiberglass resin mixed with MEK and let cure. Maybe do a second layer if it feels it needs it. Sand down, prime and paint.

But that is just an idea. I'de let others chime in before trying my method.

[neo71665]

Bondo brand is red. Polyester filler material (common called bondo) can be any color the manufacture decides to put in it.

And no you do not want to put poly filler over the top of Fusor products. Fusor is an adhesive and filler so use it to glue and shape.

The problem with most adhesives (like fiberglass resin) is plastics emit natural gas and oils and sorta "breath" over time. If not designed to deal with this it will crack loose. The loosing of oils is why vinyl drys, cracks, and shrinks and other harder plastics get brittle.

Also since fiberglass heats up as it cures it can warp panels pretty bad if you don't keep an eye on it. I ruined a dash once trying to smooth and paint it by using fiberglass on a hot summer day. It warped so badly I had to get a new dash and start over.

[Schmieder]

i always thought bondo was red..but ive never really used it all that much..

but if i use a good adhesive like fusor and then bondo over that you think it would turn out well without having to fiberglass?

lol, I didn't see your wishes to avoid fiberglass resins.

Why not use fiberglass?

You could try drilling small holes for steel zip ties or some other securing clamps then use a strong caulking to hide the ties. Prime and paint.

Other then using fiberglass, I don't know.

[Rootie524]

so i could use the fusor to do it all? when it dries is it sandable and paintable?

[Schmieder]

Bondo brand is red. Polyester filler material (common called bondo) can be any color the manufacture decides to put in it.

And no you do not want to put poly filler over the top of Fusor products. Fusor is an adhesive and filler so use it to glue and shape.

The problem with most adhesives (like fiberglass resin) is plastics emit natural gas and oils and sorta "breath" over time. If not designed to deal with this it will crack loose. The loosing of oils is why vinyl drys, cracks, and shrinks and other harder plastics get brittle.

What about using a plastic welder? That might work out great. But I never used a plastic welder. Only the mig welders for steel.

[Rootie524]

lol, I didn't see your wishes to avoid fiberglass resins.

Why not use fiberglass?

You could try drilling small holes for steel zip ties or some other securing clamps then use a strong caulking to hide the ties. Prime and paint.

Other then using fiberglass, I don't know.

idk ive just never really fiberglassed before. there are alot of different fiberglass products and things out there i wouldnt know where to start. that seems like the best possible method to fiberglass then bondo over..but im try to explore other options before i resort to that.

[Schmieder]

idk ive just never really fiberglassed before. there are alot of different fiberglass products and things out there i wouldnt know where to start. that seems like the best possible method to fiberglass then bondo over..but im try to explore other options before i resort to that.

General fiberglass resin isn't hard to work with. You just need to be prepared. If you secure the cloth well, all you need to do is mix the resin and the mek supplied with most resins sold at many hardware stores.

Just be sure to brush the resin/mek mix quick enough with a disposable brush.

As far as securing the cloth, spend some time setting it up nice. Get out a sewing needle if you must, I would. Get creative, fiberglass resin is almost like paper mache.

If the cloth is secured well, I wouldn't worry about seperation from the plastic, the resin/cloth form will hold its own over the plastic.

Sand it down with a rotary tool to shape the edges if needed.

I admit, it is one heck of a detailing project.

Glowshift sells universal gauge pods like the one you are designing. Though, I never used the universal pods. link

[Rootie524]

ill definitely look into that..but since it is alot of work i just want to see what other options pop up..but no doubt that would be the best thing to do..so thanks for the tips!

and yeah..universal my ass..thats the pod i had only the two gauge version and it didnt even come close to fitting. and for the longest time it bothered me until i had enough of it and decided to make my own. why cant people make gauge pods for a malibu!! ugggh

[Schmieder]

ill definitely look into that..but since it is alot of work i just want to see what other options pop up..but no doubt that would be the best thing to do..so thanks for the tips!

and yeah..universal my ass..thats the pod i had only the two gauge version and it didnt even come close to fitting. and for the longest time it bothered me until i had enough of it and decided to make my own. why cant people make gauge pods for a malibu!! ugggh

Like I said earlier, I never built a custom pod so my idea may be flawed. Usually when I build something, plans may change in process.

But I can say this, break it down in parts then perfect each step. (1) physically secure pods nice and tight, (2) Cosmetic, cover up the securing methods. Rarely will a product do both well enough. That is coming from a pro painter of 10 years.

[robertisaar]

http://www.pliogripbyvalvoline.com/

you would NOT believe the shit plio-grip stands up to...

my dad occasionally does demos of it for his customers and he got two quarter panels and welded one to a frame correctly, then just plio-gripped the other.

then something was used to pull the panels away from the frame, eventually the welds broke after the panel distorted a bit, but the plio-grip held on long enough for the panel to look ~5 times worse...

after that, i was convinced.