Kevlar or fiberglass guards and bonnet on gq

[DanwinGQ]

Hey all.
I'm in the process of rebuilding an old banger mav/gq that I bought. I'm going to paint it and am thinking about new guards and bonnet.
Is anyone running Kevlar or fiberglass and what do u think of them. Looking at the weight reduction and also they don't rust.
Are they very robust? And how are they on price compared to buying new steel ones??

[toughnut]

I ran them on my old GU comp truck. I thought they were awesome. I thought they were worth the extra cash and I'll be using them again on my current build. I got mine from Fairline Fiberglass in Wauchope NSW.

http://www.fairlinefibreglass.com/

[DanwinGQ]

I've looked at there sight mate. They didn't have prices. Do u know what they were worth and how did u find them for strength?? Did u use Kevlar or glass??

[toughnut]

They were the kevlar composite panels. I even replaced the doors as it was a comp truck. All up it cost me $3300 for 2 doors, 2 guards and the bonet delivered. That was about 5 years ago though but I don't think they have changed price much. He has changed the design of the doors too so they are even better than before. I was very impress with his quality. He is very particular about the fit and finish.

[DanwinGQ]

Sounds like the go. I'm just thinking about guards and maybe bonnet. It will still be a full bodied registered wagon used for touring and weekend wheeling. The buildup will take a while as just doin it as funds allow.

[Lepa]

hi,

i've got fibreglass wide flare guards on my ute, which where on it when i bought it. i've noticed a couple of times when i've seen it 'bent' in, it 'pops' back out when then pressure comes off (eg when its hard into a bank). i have managed to put 2 small crack in them (one each side) towards the bottom of the arch, bout in line with the bottom door hinge - but how i dont know. i like them but not 100% sold mainly as the paint job on them is ordinary, and i dont know enough about them to know if you can take an angle grinder to them as i want to fit 37s. i'm hoping body lift will fix that. also the ones i have have a safari snorkel moulded in and not sure how it will go when i get round to a 4in snorkel. i cant help you on price or where they came from as they were on it when bought the ute.

lepa

[toughnut]

The wide flares provide stiffness to the guard that is why you are getting cracks at the bottom of the flare from pushing them in. The bottom of the flare is where they flex the most so that is where the cracks start. You can easily trim them back to fit larger tyres and if you want to keep the look of the wide flares then you can take them to somewhere that does fibreglass and they can do the alterations for you. The paint is not because of the material used on the guards. Its because the person who painted them didn't do a proper job. The prep work is pretty much the same as metal but different materials are used. However once you get to the primer coat it should be no different to painting metal.

[Lepa]

thanks tougnut, i'll look into getting them cut back if bodylift doesn't work - i'm keen for bodylift anyway. i know the spidery cracked paint is coz of a crap paint job but when it happens not that long after buying the ute is only slightly annoying!!!!

[MQSaigon]

Quality will depend on if it is vacuum infused and resin being used, carbon fibre may be an issue on road registered vehicle due to splintering effect. Aramid/Fibreglass would be an ideal weave if they can supplly it for you.

[toughnut]

The panels from fairline fibreglass are not carbon. They are a kevlar composite so they flex much better and if they tear then they have a soft edge instead of a hard sharp edge like carbon.