First off im not 100% this is the correct place for this post if not... sorry

What I am looking to do is make a duplicate of a part of my console (roof rack) because i dont want to ruin my factory panel I will also be modding the panel slightly to make it work with my application.

So far the best way I have seen to do this is making a mold and pouring plastic into it as I cant figure out how to use fiberglass to make what I want. But I have never done this and I can't find a good write up on it. If anyone here has either experience with this or knows of a good website or maybe a better idea than making a mold and using liquid plastic please let me know.

Thanks in advance,
Joe

 

Casting plastic can be a complicated and expensive task, especially for one off applications. Most casting plastics are resins which can be quite brittle. check out http://www.alumilite.com. Their site has some good information and they're also nice people to work with and very patient with stupid questions (my stupid questions, anyway.

That said, you may be better off making a mold of the part you want to duplicate and use fiberglass cloth and resin. The end product will be a lot tougher and about a gazillion dollars cheaper.

Good luck.

 

Generally you can buy all the interior pieces from the dealership, and they often aren't too expensive, particularly compared to the time and effort you are mentioning investing in something that may not come out so nice the first time.

At least stop by the parts department and see how much it would cost to get a factory part to use...

 

Im thinking if i wrap the piece in plastic like a thin garbage bag or something then use a vac to suck the air out then pour a plaster cast of it since i need the internal portion to make the mold. Then build up with clay from there and pour some liquid plastic over that making a thin layer each pour to get my finished product.


Thanks for the replies more are welcome on my idea

 

the piece is about 80 - 100 on ebay. Making the insert I want im thinking i can get away slightly cheaper. I'm not trying to make a reproduction of the piece any longer just an insert.