Technical Glassing metal louvers into fiberglass!

I would have made panels the size of the flats on the tail gate then put the louvers in where I wanted, then bonded the panels on the gate. The panels could be painted or if made of aluminum polished with no body work needed.

 

Would be easier and better to make a steel or aluminum louvered tailgate as mentioned above.

 

Buddy of mine was building a fiberglass bodied T modified. He cut out and fit a real steel door on the passenger side. He wanted to “trick” (fool) people into thinking it was a real steel body. He wanted the body to have authentic bullet holes in it too!!! He brought a 6” by 4” piece of 16 gauge steel he had bent up to fit the curve of the back of the body. He asked me to shoot three .45 slugs into the piece in a triangle pattern. After I shot it he insisted I come back to his house to see what he was doing.

He cut out the body to the size of the steel and with a sander cut a notch into the body for the steel to sit flush with the outside. He then used panel adhesive to bond it to the body and body worked it out. It never cracked and he drove that car into the ground.

As far as fooling people. It worked like a champ. He would even put a magnet on it to prove it!!!!


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If You go to my web site www.hotrodlouvers.com, look at the last picture on 2nd page. I did this about 10 years ago. I just recently did another job for him and I asked him about the strips cracking due to expansion etc, he says they still look the same as when he installed them.

 

Hey, Meteor!
Are you talking about the Golf Cart?

 

49meteor's reference -
http://www.hotrodlouvers.com/index2.htm

I think the magic words here may be epoxy ...... ,
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/booklets/55smri/index.html

and as always surface preparation.
http://www.hotrodlouvers.com/index2.htm