Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I have been offered a 84 troopy, it is rusted out. I am looking at the fiberglass bodies made by Ozeast Fiberglass at
http://www.ozeastfibreglass4wd.com.au/
does any body have any experience with these bodies? i am concerned about longevity and toughness.
Any feedback would be appreciated

regards

Gerry

have you priced it yet?? it makes for a VERY EXPENSIVE troopy

$13000 i beleive is what the full kit is worth


if i was earning LOTS more i would be tempted cause then id have a totally rust free troopy and theres a massive weight saving imo

Well I cant comment directly on their fibreglass, but i've got a FRP top middys, its 23 years old and the roof is in pretty good nick, some very small cracks in corners but thats probably more to do with me tipping the car into embankments.

As I am getting it for nix all it will cost me above the purchase cost is my time and possibly some parts. I am basically sick of cutting rust out of vehicles. but dont want it falling ap[art halfway up the telegraph track.

[quote="pcman"]have you priced it yet?? it makes for a VERY EXPENSIVE troopy

$13000 i beleive is what the full kit is worth


if i was earning LOTS more i would be tempted cause then id have a totally rust free troopy and theres a massive weight saving imo[/quote]

ive only got some glass panels and they are fine. suprisingly strong.

scotto on 3rd rock has a fibreglass tub on his BJ.
and he has put it on its side without issues.

they wont be cheap but how good, an old truck thats easy to fix and wont rust away. and alot lighter.

Just out of interest.

Are these fibreglass bodies really lighter or is this an assumption. I thought fibreglass is pretty heavy once its thick enough to be strong??

how much lighter? 20% more?

cheers
Leeham

X2 - I'm curious too. I don't think fibreglass has very good strength to weight compared to steel unless you get into the exotic resins.kevlar reinforcing etc and then the design is very critical to get strength in the right places.

Carbon fibre is pretty much a variation of fibreglass and I know it takes lots of FEA and clever design to get durability, strength and low weight with it.

Steve.

Hmmm,

Glass can be very light or very heavy. depends on how it is made.

Glass - is literally that nothing very technical, its just that its fine fibers woven and infused with resin that given it more structure, a bit like reo in concrete. neither is strong but together they are.

carbon - another item - not a variant on glass, its a modern reinforcement characterized by extremely low weight, high tensile strength, and high stiffness.

used in similar ways but much better and expensive.

Depending on how they make the cabs will effect strength, rigidity and weight. there are basic hand laid up things which tend to be heavy, then splatter guns like in fishing boats which are also heavy.

but once you get into infusion and vac bagging and sandwich systems then your ihto a whole new area.

So we can speculate on weight savings etc, but it would all be guess work without more detail. Speak with the guys who make it, they must know.

but 13k... fark

make sure you check out the UV stabilisation of their materials. resins break down with long exposure (by long i mean a few years) if not done properly and become very brittle.

surely for less than 13k you could get an awsome rust free body, treated in what ever you want to ensure it wont rust.

cool idea.

Gwagensteve wrote:X2 - I'm curious too. I don't think fibreglass has very good strength to weight compared to steel unless you get into the exotic resins.kevlar reinforcing etc and then the design is very critical to get strength in the right places.

Carbon fibre is pretty much a variation of fibreglass and I know it takes lots of FEA and clever design to get durability, strength and low weight with it.

Steve.

Fibreglas is twice as strong as an I-bar of steel.

If you had a 20mm I-bar of steel then made a 20mm I-bar out of fibreglass... the steel bar will break first, that's where that comes from.

Also you'd need a 20ton crane for the steel I-Bar but maybe 5 to 10 people could carry the fibreglass I-Bar.

It's the overall weight and strength with fibreglass that makes it good, not always cheaper than steel though, as the pricing with steel and fibreglass is the same via the weight.

A bad point of fibreglass is once your've broken the gelcoat the fibreglass can get osmoses.

which simply means the fibreglass under the gelcoat sucks up water and then the fibreglass rots then it bubbles across the gelcoat, this can be repaired though by drying out the fibreglass completely then repairing the fibreglass and the gelcoat.

Kevlar etc are stronger again (also cost that bit more) for the exact same reasons as with fibreglass over steel.

This body will need to be braced etc to help it keep it's shape.

I have asked the same question on a different forum. I am rebuilding a Ford V8 XC ute, and was interested to see where I may be able to get some panels for it, as it will be built for performance and I reckon the better power/weight ratio may be just what I need. However, I was told that fibreglass can be very flammable... that's something that you might like to keep in mind.

gphcald wrote:I have been offered a 84 troopy, it is rusted out. I am looking at the fiberglass bodies made by Ozeast Fiberglass at
http://www.ozeastfibreglass4wd.com.au/
does any body have any experience with these bodies?

regards

Gerry

A mate of mine ordered a cruiser body from the same company. Paid in January and is still waiting!! Gets a different excuse every time he calls.
BEWARE

Dont get me wrong i'm not slagging them. mealy stating it takes longer than you think!

My 2 bobs worth,
I have just fitted a full fibreglass kit for my HJ45 and I am really happywith it. It is heaps lighter than the steel stuff I took off and comes with full transport approval. As far as strength is concerned I don't know but it must be ok to get approval.

Oz East was a little slow in delivering but Alan was real helpfull and I reckon it was well worth the wait.

Full kit for the Ute was about $6500.00

I bought a one piece front off them 10 years ago, my shorty has only been on the road for the last 6 years but i've never had a problem with it. It wont rust & I can lift it on & off my self as it only weighs about 15 or 20 kg & thats with all the lights & grill in it.

Does anybody know of any person/business that can help me get some fibreglass panels for my Suzuki Sierra/Holden Drover? I am looking to replace the tail gate and doors and would like to look into these fibreglass panels...

i dont think theres a market for suzuki fibreglass panels .. i havnt heard of it ... all of it I've seen is nissan and toyota