Ive been trying to get my hands on a fiberglass hardtop for my ute for a while & the quotes I've been recieving have been upwards of $2000....

I cant Justify this cost & am considering trying to fabricate my own. I have little to no experience with fiberglass so I would appreciate any tips or knowhow about the process. Does anyone know much about how to go about it?

The other option may be to organise some sort of mass buying of ute hard tops... It might get the price down a bit.

Any feedback (even to tell me im crazy) would be appreciated
-John

have you tried the auburn canopy centre?
ph.02 96484284

yeh in theory it cant be that hard, just manufacture a frame, stretch some type of stretchy material over it so its tight and then lay fiberglass sheets over it and put the resin on. i used to use fiberglass to make custom door pods for speakers a while back and using although messy isnt that hard. ive never tried anything of this scale though so good luck to ya.

I think making the flat part wouldnt be too hard, but curving the sides, back and corners over the edge sounds like it might be an issue. Any suggestions?

well like i said if you make a frame first then it cant be all that hard because the fabric on the frame will cover the entire frame and you can make just how you want it. if you get my drift..... i think i just confused myself. basically make a frame, cover it with fabric (women's stockings is a good example of the material you want but you would need alot more) and you should have the shape of what you want, curves and all. then just cover it with fiberglass.

Although i don't have a huge extence of experience with fiberglass i have worked with it quite often and i know a few facts about it.

1. if someone has a mould (ie profesional hardtop makers) it will always be a lot cheaper for them to makethe product than you.

2. the idea of constructing a frame is a good one BUT you would need to cover it with a thin plywood as the stocking material would sag. although it does works for speaker pods.

3. the 'lay up' of the fiber glass is easy getting the mold perfect is hard.

i have though alot about making a fiberglass hardtop for my ute and it aslways ends up that it will cost to much. In glass and resin alone you would spend $300. and the prep of the mould would take days. but doing it yourself could be rewarding, and definatly cheaper than $2000.

Would it make sense to use a large sheet of perspex for the large flat area, cover that with fibre glass, and work on the curves from there. Maybe use some alloy window framing for support.

I agree, making the flat bit is the best way to start... But two questions arise,

1How do i actually make these curves? any sugestions?

2. Ive noticed that most hardtops have that vinal covering, to cover inperfections I figure- I guess the big problem is sanding such a large, flat object smoothly. Any suggestions?

Well i got nothing for sanding it, but for the verves, How would a piece of tube go? like i was thinking maybe a picec of 50mm PVC..... And cut it into four, and put rivet tot the perspex? wat you guys think?>

yeah perspex would do fine but i think it would be a lot harder and more expencive to buy a sheet big enough to cover the whole frame, i have just finished making a street luge and i made the bodypan out of carbon fiber, i used the frame itself to mold the carbon around, if that makes sense. when making a hard cover for a ute i'd probably make the frame in the tray so it fits 100% you would have to cover the bits of the bodywork the fiberglass would touch with gladwrap so it didnt stick though. PS getting it smooth would be fairly simple if you cover the mold with one big peice of plywood and paint it with spray putty or other stuff to get it smooth. other stuff you'll need is PVC relece agent and this special wax stuff to stop it sticking to the mold.