ok im wanting to under take a project of making a lip for the front bumper. yet i have fiberglass speaker boxes and stuff like, yet i never made anythang that would call for me to have to make a mold.
im needing to know what should i use to make my mold i was thanking maybe some kind of foam bored
heres what im trying to shoot for
Last i knew a JBOer took a mold of that lip and made one or 2 extra.
Tinkles
2003 Cavalier 1SV
Bagged and Blown
i would also use a 2 part foam mold.
If you wanted to make your own lip kit, try what I'm doing right now.
For the lip I used a bumper from a used car cut it to shape and size, try a salvage yard. Find one that is the same general length and hack it off.
After you cut a GENERAL shape and size you want attach it with some screws. Next you can use anything you can get cheap to mold the shape you want.
I am doing a full kit and needed to save cash everywhere so I used cardboard boxs to make the mold. Taped the thing down, or chop parts to fit in the areas as needed to get the shape you want and just use some more tape to hold it into place. Fiberglass up the places that you taped together first make sure to use fiberglass mat!!! I only cost like $6 at Wal-mart for a bag, and the resin is about $12 a can. You could easily make a full front bumper for about $50 using this method. As for my kit I'll post pic later it's to dark for my camera (no flash!).
The front is mounted and needed to be molded to flush with the fenders, the rear bumper is molded and fiberglassed but needs another coat to firm it up. After that I'll be fabing up some sideskirts and laying down some fiberglass. Once the kit is all molded up I'll use some bondo body filler to smooth and paint it up!
http//www.umods.org/drift.html
umods@live.com/ddiaz@umods.org
thats one way of doign it, it will work, youlle just end up with more sanding time to get it smooth. i prefer to get the mould as perfect as possibly to avoid allot of sanding, some prefer just something easy and take more sanding time, but both ways will work.
as for davids cost. thats problaby half of actual cost. and that won't include having it sprayed, a good gallon of fiberglass resin is going to run you $30-$50 bucks, same goes for a gallon of filler. sand paper etc. and youlle be close to $75-$100 and then the cost of painting it.
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lol @ $50 to make a full front bumper
www.fiberglassforums.com
enough said
!pıɐן ʇǝƃ oʇ pǝǝu noʎ sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı
-_-_-_-JCO EastSiderZ-_-_-_-
Yes I said right $50 bucks to MAKE the bumper, a quart of fiberglass or bondo-glass( have fiber mat in the resin) runs $12, the cardboard box should be free if you just find some.
and a pack of sand paper from Wal-mart/Lowes is about $5 per grit spec, I did a rear bumper from the middle line in the stock bumper down leaving about 5 inches ground clearance. It took 1 quart per coat. The front bumper is about half that size.
As for the bond/body filler thats $10 a quart.
12 X 2 = 24
5 X 1 = 5
10 X 2 = 20
$49
Thats about $50 TO MAKE THE BUMPER!!!, if you are going to pay for a aftermarket bumper you still have to pay for a paint job.
So yes thats about right if you take your time and do it right you can lower the amount of sanding needed to do the job.
I haven't finished mine yet but the fuberglass is done and next is the body filler, I'll post in the morning so you can see what it looks like.
I would have started the sanding and filler but right now I'm gutting the cars interior.
Everythings out door panels, dash, panels, carpet, everything.
I'm putting my car on a diet to off set the weight of my subs.
http//www.umods.org/drift.html
umods@live.com/ddiaz@umods.org
$12 for fiberglas you using the bondo brand? that stuff is crap. and yoru tellig me you sanded yoru entire bumper with $5 worth of sand paper. you said it above its $5 PER GRIT are you saying you only used 1 grit of sandpaper? when i sand i usually go 60 grit, 100 grit, 200 grit 400 grit. thats $20 in sandpaper right there.
not to mentione if your using 25$ in resin (2 quarts) your better off just buying a gallon of resin for the same price (this is assuming your using the junk bondo brand)
that doesnt even begin to get int extra supplies, where is the price for the breathing mask/respirater for when you sand????
brushes for your fiberglass?
spreaders for your filler?
acetone to clean things off clean brushes?
the glazing putty to fill in the pin holes of your filler?
again, your not going to make a bumper or lip for $50
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I can't wait to see this $50 bumper. should be entertaining.
Inb4fitty$bumper.
Your car may do 13 sec @ 103 mph, but my car does 146db @ 35 hz.
My toggle switch panel I glassed that went where the power window/change holder is cost me around 50 bucks to make. Granted I used good quality stuff from my body shop suppliers. Im also in to see this $50 bumper.
WOW..
....I've seen one 50 dollar fiberglass bumper before and let me tell ya.. it looked like a 2x4 wrapped in fiberglass...I have to agree with the rest,David....The stuff I use for some bigger projects that i don't want a lot of flex and want durability is what you could call a marine grade...I get it from a skiff building shop back home in N.C.It's pretty thick stuff....I have tried to use the Bondo stuff for the bigger projects and it didn't work too well...Best bet is to save up and buy the good stuff...Use the crappy stuff for practice...I am looking into molding a trunk lid, hood, enclosure, door panels, etc....(gotta stocker thats slated for getting un stockified...lol ..as money and time allow )....But hey, if you are positive it'll work great for you then by all means do it...I'm just here to help and would never tell you how to live your life.....
2003 Cavalier
Stock 2.2 Liter, 5 speed
" Leave the rice to Uncle Ben's and the wings to KFC..
Go clean or go home. "
Dang have you ever looked around the look hardware store before?
You can buy a multi-pack of sandpaper for $5, and brushes??? I would laugh at anyone trying to brush a gallon of fiberglass resin in time before it set up, yeah you could clean them every 2 mins, but why?
As for the speaders $2 gets you a three pack
Breather? Masks? Dang I haven't heard of crying like that since I trained a 16yr old to paint. Use a rag or something!!
Ok let me break it down for you, I have been painting house and everything in between for almost 5 years and if you need to do that much crying just pay someone to do it for you!
A few tips you only need two grits a heavy 60 or 100 grit, and a lighter 400 or-so.
If you take your time and spread the fiberglass smooth as you can then hours of sanding is knocked down!
The first coat should be a little heavy to fill in the in-perfections in your mold, mix an amount to do about a foot at a time and using a spreader smooth it out evenly. I used a folded cardboard box to mix my stuff on. Make sure you use all of what you mix don't leave any behind or your going to get chuckies in the next batch. Once you have laid your first coat down leave it over night and let it get real hard before hitting it again. The second coat is wear you fill in alot of the dips and grooves, not really a second coat. Once that coat is dried and hard give it a REALLY FAST SCUFF SAND just to knock off the really nasty stuff, next apply the body filler in a even coat untill you got the heavy spots done. Sand again really fast just to get a flat surface. Repeat again untill the bad grooves and dips are flat. Now that you have done the work get a flat surface its time to sand down the whole thing with a heavy grit untill all the fiberglass is scuffed down and close to smooth, TIP: THE HEAVIER THE GRIT THE LIGHTER YOU SAND!!!
Rub you hand across everything and make sure you get the bumps and dips good. Now go back over with the lighter grit until you have got it nice and even. Wipe everything down good and hit it with a coat of primer ($1 a can at Wal-Mart) this will expose anything that needs to be fixed. And repeat untill done!
The paint is up to you I'm leaving mine gray primer untill all the final body work is done.
So if you wanted to do your own thing and save some cash there is a Guildline, not a how to.
Of course you may run into a few extra costs along the way but its well worth the time and effort,
or say screw it and pay the $400 plus for a real kit and be done with it, its your ride.
Enjoy!
http//www.umods.org/drift.html
umods@live.com/ddiaz@umods.org
wow you use a rag to cover your face when your sanding fiberglass? that explains why you think you made it for $50 bucks. nothing like risking your own lungs to save a couple bucks.
and i dont know if you know this or not. but umm you dont have to use the entire gallon of fiberglass at the same time, you just pour out what you need and use that, when its done you pour out more. um fiberglass doesnt harden in 2 minutes unless your putting waaaaayyyyy to much hardener in with the resin, wich will create an extremly brittle piece. sorry man but if that is how you work you really dont know how to work with fiberglass properly and shoudnt be giving advice on here.
your entire post was seriously frightening that you would give out advice like that.
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dude, you seriously need to NOT give fiberglass advice. Not only is most of what you said wrong, but ridiculous to boot.
and lol @ using a whole gallon at once.
full of fail
David,we are just trying to help a fellow member out and make sure it is done the right and SAFE way...nobody needs to get hurt......Oh and the rag thing....u might want to reconsider that, really........like I said before, just here to help, you do it whatever way you want. It's your ride,your time, and your money.....YOU ARE BETTER OFF MAKING A THICK MOLD,USING THE GOOD STUFF, TO MAKE SURE THERE IS NO WARPS OR BAD SPOTS...THIS COMES FROM EXPERIENCE IN MAKING MOLDS FOR BOAT PARTS LIKE DASHES, CONSOLES, ETC..... I am by no means an expert but if you make a thick mold it will last alot longer and be more consistant with repeated use......
2003 Cavalier
Stock 2.2 Liter, 5 speed
" Leave the rice to Uncle Ben's and the wings to KFC..
Go clean or go home. "
first off i know how to fiberglass, but never made molds. thats what i made the post for is for help on makeing molds. as for makeing a 50.00 bumper i have to say not working out when it coust 25.00 for a gallon of resin it self and then a qt of bondo is 12.00 and then u still need matt harnder sanpaper,masks and gloves
as for the mold what kinf od fome should i use i was at lows and thay had that foam board thay use to keep heat in houses i was thanking about buying a 4x8 sheet thats 3/4 thinch i was thanking about cuting it and learing it up 3 times then take the sander and mold it to the shape i want and all any one want to talk crap about this ideal plz do i need info on this kind of stuff i never made molds
That is a pretty good idea...should work....from my molding experience ( remember, I've done molding/'glass for boats ).. I have not used foam, We built the molds with fiber glass......For me, a good rule of thumb would be to make it thick and as ridged as possible ( no jokes...lol ) layer with matting,woving,and repeat....You don't want it to flex or bend when you are building the part in the mold or warping from the heat...Use filler if you need to to fine tune the mold..cover the inside of the mold with a decent paint ( gel coat is good, thats what i have used) and buff the crap out of it...you want the mold( part side) as smooth and slick as possible. i would use wood strips to brace the mold vertically and horizontally and add a few diagonal pieces....the mold will take a hell of alot longer to make than the part will....when you have the mold all set and you are ready, wax the crap out of the inside or use a release agent...i used wax made for molding....turtle wax or something like that may work , i haven't tried yet.....make sure, also, that you make the mold so you can get into it to release then part,,,the part will not just fall out...it will take a bit of elbow grease to remove it....Like I said, this is just from my experience in the boat world, same should apply to the automotive world too....anyone feel free to chime in and add your experiences too....
2003 Cavalier
Stock 2.2 Liter, 5 speed
" Leave the rice to Uncle Ben's and the wings to KFC..
Go clean or go home. "
ok well next payday im going to start this i may have more ?s to come as the project comes on
ill help anyway i can...ill start mine when i have evrything i need.....im going to have to make a few molds my self so itll be fun.......keep updateing too...pics are also helpful....
2003 Cavalier
Stock 2.2 Liter, 5 speed
" Leave the rice to Uncle Ben's and the wings to KFC..
Go clean or go home. "
i found some 1 grit sandpaper
ummm.... that's whats used if the part doesnt turn out good enough.......lol
2003 Cavalier
Stock 2.2 Liter, 5 speed
" Leave the rice to Uncle Ben's and the wings to KFC..
Go clean or go home. "
to make a lip like that....here's what I would do.
take your front bumper off the car. tape off the entire section that the lip is going to be touching and where it mounts. make sure to tape further than the edges will actually be. then i would lay down 3 or 4 layers of fiberglass. this will make the exact shape of the bottom of the bumper. let sit over night, maybe 2 nights just to make sure it doesn't warp. Once cured, i would remove that piece of fiberglass and sand/shave down any excess around the edges, and make sure the shape is exactly what I wanted to mate to the bumper. Once trimmed, i would tape off more of the bumper(further out for protection). Then I would use some great stuff spray foam. Spray up the whole lip base. Once cured(overnight usually) i would start shaving/sanding/cutting the foam to the exact shape of the lip.
If you check out fiberglassforums.com there's quite a few guys who have built full bumpers out of spray foam.
If I remember later, I'll post pics of my last job where I used this basic process to make the mold of a Pontiac Vibe rear hatch.
