well, im just about to finish paying off my rims. i owe less than 120 bux on them, and now that i've been bit by the modding bug i want to get a body kit for my 2003 sunfire. im really interested in the bomex body kit, but the only thing thats holding me back is the fact that its fiberglass. is fiberglass really that bad?
I personally like my fiberglass kit more than a urethane one. The fiberglass is sooo much easier to repair that a urethane kit. I remember when I bought my car and had to buy a replacement rear bumper and it was urethane. I found a decent body shop to paint it and the paint pealed about 3x before i got pissed off enough to buy my fiberglass body kit. (dont know if its all like that or the place just sucked at painting...)
You might hear that the urethane gives more than a fiberglass kit but if you hit something your gonna crack it or at the least chip some paint either way...
The only reason paint would peel off of a urethane bumper or kit is iff the shop didn't prep it correctly.
I've been wondering about fiberglass myself because at one point, I was interested in the Summit Kit (well parts of it for my Cavalier) but since it's fiberglass and I read some of the horror stories here, I was hesistant, but then again, I'm not put in everyday situatiosn where my bumpers are in danger of being damaged.
My whole car is fiberglass so you could probably guess what my take on it is
f/g is good due to the endless things you can do. And even if it was cracked or anything you can glass over it. Not so much with hardner and f/g matt but stuff like duraglass or such. urethane gives more and the prep work if done right make it look and last good. but I still like f/g
Never no problems here well i got my back bumper and it had a crack but i learned to do fiberglass work and fixed it my self
PaCavalier
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We have the sunfire 2005+ bomex kit in fiberglass, I heard it went on real nice. We do not have it on our current site because we are getting a new site soon. If you are interested let me know.
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thank you guys for responding to my question. it looks like i'll go with the fiberglass kit. but there was one last thing that i was wondering about. is it true that fiberglass kits will warp from the heat? there was this one dude from a shop talkin about not getting fiberglass kits cuz they'll warp in the heat.
Unless the weather is in the 100's it will not do anything.
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i[m gonna be honest. I wish i woulda bought a urethane kit. Ive been workin on my side skirts for my car which are fiberglass, and there givin me hell. I would spend the extra and get urethane
i do live in el paso, tx. its a desert... so that kind of answers the question about the temp. i think i might risk it and go with the fiberglass kit. any other advice and opinions are welcome.
yeah, i am in dallas and it gets hot as hell here in the summer. 103, 104 around there. i guess just park in the shade. lol, Still hot as hell in the shade too, damn i miss the cold ass weather up north.
i basically agree with most in this post, fiberglass is the only way to go in my opinion, i dont see myself ever getting a urethane kit again, hope this helps, later
pic coming soon
"Live Life To The Fullest" "Customize Everything"
urethane can warp in heat as well... after all, it's basically a type of plastic. but you shouldn't have to really worry about either one warping too much.
sure it's harder to repair, but it's also harder to break. urethane is much more forgivable than fiberglass when it comes to low speed hits.
true that, i creased my front z24 urethane bumper and using the a heat gun was able to push it back out. I would go urethane.
Just STFU about the spoiler already......lol
I've been doing fiberglass work for a very long time, but in the kit car business, not cavalier aftermarket stuff. Like anything, there are so many reasons for fiberglass parts to be either good or bad. It is possible for fiberglass to "move" in hot wheather. The correct way to make these parts is to use a better than just "general resin" for the parts. I use a mold making resin for all of my parts, which stands up to heat better than general resin. BUT, any of the fiberglass parts can move for a few months, and create something called print through, which means the parts might look great when you get nice new fresh parts, but can take up to 6 months (less in hot wheather) for the parts to fully cure. Print though is when you look at the finish, and you can see either the fiberglass matt strands or the fiberglass cloth print, in the finish. The parts can also be much stronger if the person mixes the resin with the right amount of hardener, and uses the right amount of resin in the part. If they use too much resin, the part will be weak. If your going to get the parts, and fit them to the car, and then have it painted in a few months, you should be fine, but don't waste your money painting fresh parts. Also, if your going to buy the stuff, and let them sit around for a while before installing them, make sure you move them around, if the sit for a long time, one way, (when they are freshly made), they can actually sag, or warp. Don't take a long bumper, and sat it on one end, upright. The sagging won't be noticable, until you go to fit it on the car.
bob
this is the actual kit that im prolly going to get. what do you guys think?
Fiberglass Cheaper Easy to repair and Trust me my bumper sits 3 inches from the ground as long as your careful you wolnt have any problems.
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In my own honest opinion, yes, fiberglass is easier to fix, due to the different methods of repair available. However, urathane, as has been said here, is more durable. FG is gonna be cheaper for the initial purchase, but in the long run, if your fire is a daily driver, as most of our J's are, you may end up paying more in repairs if you are not educated in the repair process. you also will have to calculate the cost of touch ups when you do crack it. I have the RK streetfire kit, and have come into inclines/speedbumps that I assumed I would be able to clear, and unfortunately was not. Some of these, I believe, would have cracked a fg kit. However, I wound up w/, at most, a few scratches in the paint on the underside of my kit. You really have to figure out what is going to be best for you all around: cost, looks, and future repairs. Hope this helps.
LiLiNoRe (Live Life No Regrets)
One thing I forgot to add, but was kind of touched on by Robert Sitser. With either fg or urethane, you take the risk of the fit not being right due to imperfectons in the production, shipping, or any number of other things. The big difference is that urethane will give and work w/ you w/out too much trouble. If there is a fitting problem w/ fg then you either have to drill new holes in your body, or change the position of the hangers on your kit. If you are having you kit professionally installed, any body shop will tell you they prefer urethane kits for install due to the fact that it is less painless. Their comfort durring installation should not be your concern. However, if it is easier for them to fit, it may be cheaper due to less hours charged for labor. And dont forget, the less time your car is in the shop, the more time you have to drive it, which is, I assume the reason why you bought it in the first place. And if you are planning to do the install/paint yourself, then the same applies.
LiLiNoRe (Live Life No Regrets)
