Lower Engine Cover Material

[dmc6960]

What exactly is the lower engine cover made of? Is it a plastic? A fiberglass? Perhaps just a resin?

I'm looking to fill in the two side vents with the same material to create a smooth continuous cover. The rear vents which match up with the bottom louver vents will remain.

[Rich W]

Fiberglass. (the early variation was all white, with top painted black and underside left white)

The white variation can be seen in the 1981 owners manual, in the engine compartment section.

Repair or modify as fiberglass.

[dmc6960]

Ok then, followup question. I've never done fiberglass before but understand the process fairly well. I'm a quick learn at about anything. I've also found that fiberglass resin has pretty high prices associated with it. I'm thinking its just my lack of experience which hasn't told me exactly how far a container of resin can go. Being budget conscious, would I be better off A)-Buying premade 1/8" cured fiberglass sheets (not even sure where I could get these though) and cutting them to size and using the resin to fill in the gaps/smooth it out, or B)- laying the whole thing up manually inside the openings with several layers of fiberglass matting and resin?

[Rich W]

Hey Jim,

As with many other topics (like Which is the Best Oil to Use in my DeLorean?), you will most likely get
a number of different approaches and answers, and many of them will all be a "correct" way to do it.

Keep in mind that all fiberglass resin has a relatively short shelf life, so make sure to check the date on
anything you buy. You may have the best luck buying a few quarts from a local fiberglass fab shop.

I would recommend "learning" with some other fiberglass pieces first, just so you get the knack of it
before you move onto your actual DeLorean project pieces. A fab shop may have some scraps as well.

BTW: This would make a great "Workshop" topic for an upcoming DCS, although I would not recommend
doing this outside, in the Summer, in Florida...way too many weather factors to consider. Future DCS?

Most of my fiberglass experience has been structural (not cosmetic), so much of my finishing work
has been with very light coats of filler (Bondo, etc.) to fill in small gaps and cracks between sections.

While you can fill many gaps and cracks with resin only, you may have to do some creative placement
and positioning of your work, to have gravity work in your favor (along with temp, humidity, etc.).

I would recommend starting with some pre-fabbed fiberglass material (even if it is only 1/16" panels),
such as bathroom shower fiberglass panels, however you need to grind off all the panel "shine" first.

Tape in the panels from the top of the engine cover and then do multiple lay-ups from the bottom side.

Lots of good process details can be found on the Internet for preparing the resin and doing the lay-ups.
Here is a good sample link to start with: http://www.garbled.net/tim/fiberglass.html

There is a certain amount of finesse involved in getting the desired results, so it may take a few attempts.
I highly recommend using a small stainless steel roller to work out any air bubbles (your worst enemy).

Make sure you are prepared to do plenty of sanding and grinding (where necessary) to get your results.
A small electric detail hand sander will indeed come in "handy". Lots of dust masks and rubber gloves too.

BTW: Get a "Doc Brown" Tyvek jumpsuit to keep most of the glass fibers out of the pores of your skin.

Later,
Rich W.