Dont spend your money on smooth vent caps, make your own!!

[02cadiHOE]

so i have been wanting some of those smooth vent caps for the rear of my tahoe but they are $150 and im to cheap to just buy them so i made my own. i took my oem caps and with a little resin and body filler.... bam! i saved over $100 and couldnt be happier. hope this "how-to" motivates you to get started on yours.

here is what i started with, my factory vent cap that i had painted a while ago

 

[02cadiHOE]

then i sanded with 80 grit where i was applying the fiberglass resin

 

[02cadiHOE]

i took masking tape on the surface to allow the resin to fill in behind

 

[02cadiHOE]

i used plain old fiberglass resin. this is bondo brand but any will work. i think epoxy resin will work also

 

[02cadiHOE]

after mixing up the resin i poured it from the back into the holes in the caps til it overflowed a bit. i let them sit at the right angle to let the resin set in as much as possible

 

[02cadiHOE]

after the resin hardened up a bit i took a look at the front of the cap and you can see where the resin was nice and thick like i wanted. you can see toward the upper right of the slots needed a little more

 

[02cadiHOE]

peel the tape off after the resin has cured for a while, i let mine sit for about an hour.

 

[02cadiHOE]

i did another quick sanding with 80 to rough the surface for body filler then slapped it on

 

[02cadiHOE]

i block sanded with 80 til smooth then went over it again with 220. i filled a couple pin holes with body icing. finally primer, 3 coats of filler primer and there it is.... SMOOTH AS EGGS!! just needs painted. this whole process cost less than $50 and they turned out great. you couldnt tell the difference between my homemade caps vs. the ones you buy

 

[Tahoez71r]

very nice, good cheap mod for the DIY'r.

thanks for the write up

 

[Design]

That's an awesome job. Thanks for posting that. I also am too damn cheap to pay for caps but want them in a bad way.

I aslo thought of going this route and molding in some aux. reverse lights or a small LED strip.

Either way yours look great.

Jon

 

[JKmotorsports]

Looks great. Nice addition to the tech write-ups. Post some pics of the finished product once you get them painted.

 

[IMI4tth3w]

thats awesome! i was also thinking about adding some led lighting to mine also by drilling a hole in each of the holes with a red led directed outward kind of like how the new escaldes are. kinda. this is definitely a really neat idea

 

[screamin86]

wow i may have to do this come spring. awsome

 

[02cadiHOE]

here is the final product. i love the smooth look. cant wait til the weather breaks here i wanna put the 6's on!!

 

[YukonJacks]

Not sure but is it possible that resin filler will show cracks after awhile especially if its cold out? Would it be better to put a sheet of fiberglass over it then sand it down? I'm no body guy, just curious before I embark on this project, which is certainly a great idea..

 

[Custom73]

Looks good! Thanks for the write up and pics. I'm too cheap to buy smooth ones too, so I've been wanting to do the same to my stockers, but not experienced enough with fiberglass to just tackle it myself. Now I'm gonna try it. Thanks for the inspiration...

 

[02cadiHOE]

yukonjacks, if you allow the resin to fully cure you shouldnt have any trouble with cracking. i didnt want to wrap it with fiberglass mat or anything cuz i didnt want to jepordize the oem fit. i only used a thin layer of filler, its just like any other part on a car if used properly you wont even be able to see it.

custom73, your welcome.

 

[JKmotorsports]

Not sure but is it possible that resin filler will show cracks after awhile especially if its cold out? Would it be better to put a sheet of fiberglass over it then sand it down? I'm no body guy, just curious before I embark on this project, which is certainly a great idea..

As long as the MEKP/resin ratio is just right and the resin isn't applied in thick layers between curing, then you shouldn't have any problems.
MEKP to resin mixture needs to be at a certain percentage, depending on ambient temperature. Too much will cause the resin the crack during the curing process. Too little will slow down the curing process considerably. It's also best to lay a thin coat of resin and let cure before adding another layer.

 

[DarkTahoe00]

I did The same just a little different way and material. JK is right it does have to be a right mixture. I've had no problems with mine cracking in the cold, I live in the midwest where it can get pretty cold ! Here's a of shot of mine! 02cadiHOE Great write up! You did really great work on those look Awesome!