Build Thread Dustys has a new friend

a91what said:

I want to do this bumper on my car.. any particular one I should pick up?

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No particular brand. I can't even remember where I ordered mine from.

Snowing again. I picked a great week for vacation.

It's actually happening this time. Some of you know this isn't my first rodeo with fiberglass. It's cold so it's taking a while to set up. Alternating sides with the drop light to speed things up. I haven't done anything to the inside of the bumper where the crack was yet. Store didn't have a decent bumper repair kit.

If you're interested in the process. You make a cardboard templates of one side. Flipping that over gives a mirror image for the other side. Trace the first template out and cut the second set. Test fit the other side. I used thicker cardboard so I had to mash the edge down on the side of the bumper before tapping it all up. Took fiberglass cloth and cut out a pattern of what I needed. Apply spray adhesive to the cardboard and lay aluminum foil. Fiberglass won't stick to the foil and doesn't like sticking to masking tape either. I still like putting a light coat of PAM no stick spray on the foil and the tape. Sprayed on and wiped with a paper towel to spread it out and pull up any excess. I used 4 layers of fiberglass cloth per side. Spread resin / hardener mix on the end ( top ). Layed the fiberglass and used moderate pressure with a spreader and worked resin into cloth. When the 4th layer went on I used my gloved fingers to spread more resin and to position the glass as needed. It's easier to cut the edges when it gets leathery to the touch...after that you'll need a cut off wheel.

After this sets it'll get pulled off. The templates and tape gets removed. And the end caps get test fitted. After they get trimmed and fitted the bumper gets taped off again for the filler, shaping, and smoothing. Attachment holes get drilled and the priming and finishing begins.

Here's where I'm at in the process....



That's all my nitrous stuff laying there on the floor. That crap was expensive and I wish I could find a use for it. I've been thinking about doing a co2 spray ring in front of the intercooler. The fog from it would look cool. Would also help cool things down before cutting the car off.

Maybe I'll do it...maybe I wont.

Popped the fiberglass off the templates and everything looks good. The green frog tape saturated and was a bit of a pain to separated. Some traces of it are still left on one of the pieces but who cares.

Bondo says there is a filler specifically for fiberglass. They're probably talking about Bondo hair reinforced crapola. That stuff is hard as hell to sand. The bondo that smoothed out the wing winglettes is holding up great so regular stuff will be going on these too. I'm super happy to be at this point. These may be done by the end of the weekend...well...it would be any other weekend.

Trimmed out the end caps. The rest needs to be done with them on the car. Checked my door gaps again and the passenger door is just a hair wider at the quarter. Gotta readjust it....again.

These are my old nitrous solenoids. I checked them and they all work. Kinda wish my current set up could handle it. I miss purging and that rush.



I tore up some stuff back in the day. That spray nozzle on the far right got to the point where it was stuck in my intake. I just used vise grips on it and the fitting. JB weld held it when it went back in. Man...the days of being young and dumb. I'd spray anything back then.

Monkeybutt2000 said:

I LOVED the juice,I had the popular 75hp NOS dry kit on my notch back in the late 90's. The car just hooked and went and was hard to beat on the street. Won a bunch of $$ playin' around back then,good times.

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Yeah man ! Those were the days. I took a lot of money too....lost some too. Lol

Makes me want to clean this stuff up and put it in a case with a pic of my old car.

One side almost done. This is about 7 hrs if sanding, spraying, spreading, sanding....

Might have this and the other side done this weekend. It still needs to have the front edge trimmed off. Coming out decent so far. This is a black primer. Lots more sanding and glazing to do. Final step will be sanding it and the bumper and a coat of semi gloss black.

Sand...sand and more sanding....

The trick will be making this side look exactly like the other one.



Still the same side....day 2...or 3....



...and I thought I was done with sanding. Amazing what primer will show you...

Ok...I'm done for the night. Progress continues tomorrow...

That nasty funky edge will get trimmed off. Just wanted to see it all one color so I could pick the best line. I really hope the passenger side goes quicker than this one. Everything has to be as perfect as I can get it. This is why I couldn't be a body man for a living. I can't turn off my OCD.

Finished project in primer. I really set myself up this time. No 4 days for the other side...smh







The right side was a little messed up so I had to add some glass to it.

WindsorPenchant said:

Looks good to me! Looks strong, looks solid, looks square! Gonna come out looking real good with the finished wares I wager

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Thanks !

I hope these things hold up for a long time.

There's no way I could be a body man and do this for a living....no way !!!

Had to sand a lot more on the right side....



Was determined to get it done today. Turned out well. I'm satisfied.



I've got to get some egg shell black paint for the bumper so I can stick these bad boys on. I see why I procrastinated. Wish I knew a faster easier way.