Custom
Fiberglass Seat Tutorial:
1.
Mask area with masking tape; then
cover with aluminum tape. Do not apply aluminum tape directly to the frame and
fender. It will leave a terrible sticky
residue.
2. Cover around the area to prevent
dripping resin all over the bike.
3.
Find a girl that knows how to do the
work for you.
4.
If you can’t find one of these
elusive creatures, tear fiberglass mat into smaller strips. They will conform to the curves better when
you begin to lay the glass.
5.
Mix a small amount of resin
according to instructions on container. Do not mix the entire can at once. It
will kick before you are done making your seat pan. You won’t like paying the
additional $16 stupidity fee for more resin.
6.
Pre-wet the fiberglass strips on a
piece of cardboard. This will keep you from slopping resin all over the place
and give you a good glass to resin ratio.
That way you don’t end up with a brittle, resin soaked seat.
7.
Lay glass down one strip at a time,
slightly overlapping as you go.
8.
Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you get
your desired thickness. About 1/8” will work just fine. It will take 1 to 2
packages of fiberglass mat depending on the size of your seat pan.
9.
After the glass dries, unmold the
pan from the tape. It will take a little muscle, but it should be flexible
enough to work free without breaking it.
10. Place
pan back on the frame, after all tape is removed, and mark your cut lines.
11. If
you don’t have a fancy reciprocating saw, cut to desired shape using a hacksaw
blade. You can use a grinder as well, but the blade is much less messy. Less chance of being covered in fiberglass
dust and crying like a baby.
12. Once
you are happy with the shape of your pan, attach rubber trim with a little bit
of Loctite adhesive. This will prevent the glass from cutting into your upholstery
later.
13. Begin
lying and shaping closed cell neoprene foam using your handy dandy hack saw
blade. Layer the foam until you get
close to your desired shape. It may look hideous until you place the last full layer of foam over the top to
smooth it all out. 3M General Trim Adhesive works wonders at sticking the whole
thing together.
14. Sand
and smooth out the edges and you are ready for upholstery. The seat pan should be conformed well enough to the frame that all you need to attach it is some heavy duty Velcro.
