Fibreglass for custom exhaust

[bass_player]

I am building a motorcycle exhaust, and am making a sleeving to go around the outside of it. It is a complex shape and I am hoping to use fibreglass matting and resin to achieve a 'smooth and flowing' shape to the exhaust (like the micron http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/13152045.jpg ).

Can anyone recommend a suitable resin that will withstand the temperature, and can you advise whether fibreglass matting will hold up to the temperature (estimated at 200 degrees C, but this is a total guess and maybe someone can give me a more accurate figure)? I was hoping that that general purpose resin and matting at bunnings would be adequate.

[EXBEN]

No it won't.
Carbon fiber gets away with it because it can handle very high temps & it is held together by high quality high temp epoxy resin.

[bass_player]

any suggestions how i can mould something that WILL take that temperature to a crazy shape? I guess carbon fibre + high temp resin as you said will be ok, but costly...any other suggestions? I emailed a fibreglass person today, they said the fibreglass matting will take up to 1800C but the resin only about 80. so maybe i can use fibreglass and high temp resin as a slightly cheaper alternative? won't look as cool as carbon fibre though

[zx12argh]

This maybe too tricky but make it out of steel. Thin walled steel can be heated bashed and bent then welded up. You'll just need a couple of hammers a template (for whatever curve you want) and a gas torch. You can use cheap zincalum for the pipe itself. Once you got it shaped etc you can just get a exhaust shop to linnish the hammer marks out and get it polished.

Easy peasy.

[bass_player]

mmm not a bad suggestion. not sure about my ability to successfully handle and shape hot steel though, and i really want to try and do as much of this myself as possible. i have access to an oxy welder so it is a possibility. i should post up some pictures of what i have at the moment and what i still need to do. won't be for a while, cause i need to get the right shape to the pipe to make sure it won't interfere my back brake/footpeg, but my bike is in an ongoing 2 month workshop saga, so it's proving hard to get the shape with no bike to check against...keep the suggestions coming...