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Old 02-03-2010, 12:29 PM   #11 (permalink)
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Dave - Based on the his post (and his pics), I believe he was using a spare bumper that was off the car when making the mold...

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suggested: a box of latex gloves, paint masks or respirators, spare broken down bumper, coroplast for strength, a lot of time on your hands

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Old 02-04-2010, 04:20 AM   #12 (permalink)
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i had a spare bumper that i used to do all of the work.

you can still do it if you only have one bumper. just make sure to use lots of painters tape and properly mask areas around the surface you're working with.

ironically the passenger side fog block didn't fit 100% on the red painted bumper because there was a small dent in the opening(had to sand that down) opposed to the spare bumper which is CLOSER to perfect condition. I'm working on a grill block in a similar fashion. stay tuned for that.
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Old 02-04-2010, 08:29 AM   #13 (permalink)
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Whoops, thanks for pointing that out guys, I overlooked that to get to the steps in the process.

Sorry for my stupidity,
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Old 10-14-2010, 04:40 AM   #14 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by k.civic.f4i View Post
sorry. i don't have pictures of EVERY step. let me know if you don't understand any of the steps..... or google the basics of fiberglass and bondo = bodywork

required: plastic sign board, big blue painters tape, LIGHTWEIGHT bondo kit, fiberglass cloth or mat, fiberglass resin, cheap painters brushes, sandpaper(automotive preferred), thick spray primer, spray paint

suggested: a box of latex gloves, paint masks or respirators, spare broken down bumper, coroplast for strength, a lot of time on your hands

difficulty(subjective): 4 out of 10

estimated time: 4 hours minus drying time/ 4 days drying time included

first i taped up all around and inside the indentation. i used black DUCK tape but i would suggest painters tape because of the waxy non stick surface


then i used thin cardboard to template of the LOWER(deeper in) part of the indent and copied onto a thin plastic used for signs INSIDE retail stores (think the large price signs at walmart and target)


next lay the plastic template to the indent. it has to follow the curve of the indent exactly so back up the template with tape or zip-ties to make sure it doesn't move in the process or else the block wont fit in exactly.


i used fiberglass cloth but you could used fiberglass mat. i had a template of the larger area of where the indent is and traced it onto the fiberglass cloth

mix your resin, buy some cheap painters brushes(3 inch wide at least or a set of 3 different sized brushes) and lay some resin evenly into the area. lay the first layer of fiberglass making sure there are no bubbles and top it with another layer of resin. while its still wet lay the second layer and so on and so forth until you get the desired thickness.

this stuff takes forever to dry

after it all dried i layed two salvaged coroplast pieces using the same template from the original plastic backing. i should have cut them shorter on the medial sides of them(the part that was closer to the center of the car). brace the pieces by laying a thin layer of resin before you put the coroplast on top and allowing that to dry. then lay a couple more layers of the fiberglass on top making sure there are no bubbles


then let it dry completely and lay a couple more layers on top of that

and lay the resin


the idea is to get it as close to flush as possible to reduce the amount of bondo to use. i suppose you could lay bondo on after the coroplast stage but the way i did it reduced work and cost.

bondo is the next step. lay an even layer of bondo on as evenly as possible. allow this to harden. then sand with 36 or 80 grit sandpaper( this allows the bondo stick to the microscopic teeth). this is why you want to lay it on evenly, to reduce sanding time. time is money.

repeat this process with the bondo until it is FLUSH. make sure you use a sanding block or else it will look and be uneven.

use your hand to feel for high or low spots and add bondo or sand depending on how flush it is.

when you are SURE it is flush, do a final sand with 320grit sand paper and spray on thick-laying primer to fill in the teeth.

do many thin layers and allow to dry.

you can wet-sand with 600grit to get it as smooth as a baby's butt( i didn't do this because i was going with ultra-flat black krylon anyway).

then spray on whichever color you like using thin layers of paint

if you use black primer you can skip this step.

you can do a LAST wet-sand using 2000grit sandpaper to get a more even looking finish(i didn't do that either because i knew it would be exposed to the elements and flying debris)

and viola



(the center GRILL block is just layers of cardboard wrapped with black DUCK tape and a removable piece near the passengers side edge for air to the radiator in the summer)
Simply cut blanks from PVC or ABS attach at backside with two snap clips and you are done....................crexcrex
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Old 10-14-2010, 01:11 PM   #15 (permalink)
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Nice job! Civic is lookin' sweet!

Dave
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Old 10-14-2010, 05:23 PM   #16 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crexcrex View Post
Simply cut blanks from PVC or ABS attach at backside with two snap clips and you are done....................crexcrex
crexcrex... Could you please provide a link to your step-by-step instructions, along with sources and pix? Where'd you get your PVC? What clips? Attached how?

If you don't have a link, could you please create a new thread with that info?

Thx!

Last edited by NachtRitter; 10-14-2010 at 05:31 PM..
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Old 10-15-2010, 12:19 AM   #17 (permalink)
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fog covers and grill block

I withdraw any remarks re howto make blockers for grills and fog lites, it is not my intent to fatten the wallets of those looking for ideas how to turn a buck at the expense of any ecomodder.

Previous ideas on ecomodders re turning vortex generators into antennas wre snapped up by would be companies, of you take the time you will find grill and foglite blanks available at a price...............

The first to make aerodynamic antennas and the first to make genuine real wheel skirts on a crx with mouldings and yet you will be hard pressed to find the photos as others on this site have taken credit for wheel skirts.

I will share other ideas that are simple and cost effective and that no after market company will bleed you for.

I was the first to create simple mounts for moon wheel covers as well,
You will note that i am quite inactive on this site due to profiteers lurking about the site getting rich on ecomodders ideas.

You did a great job re your work which i am sure others appreciate
Crexcrex
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Old 10-18-2010, 12:57 PM   #18 (permalink)
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due to profiteers lurking about the site getting rich on ecomodders ideas.


Too Bad it has come down to that, GREED! I appreciate your handywork. Keep your Civic Hatchback running better & more efficient. Again,nice workmanship,

Dave
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Old 10-18-2010, 04:00 PM   #19 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crexcrex View Post
I withdraw any remarks re howto make blockers for grills and fog lites, it is not my intent to fatten the wallets of those looking for ideas how to turn a buck at the expense of any ecomodder.
What's your point ?
There'll always be people prepared to pay for ready-made fittings because they lack the time, skill, facilities or any combination thereof to build these themselves.

Actually, I bet you'll find more buyers than DIY-ers.

Don't forget that is site is about a very, very small niche-behaviour : physically altering your car to improve FE.

The quality of factory-made parts will be a lot better than most one-off DIY-experiments, helping with the WAF and generally improving public acceptance - maybe to the point that car designers actually re-introduce the aerodynamic solutions of their grandfathers .


Heck, I'd be very happy if any company did a set of effective FE-tuning parts for my car !
Buy. Have them painted and fitted. Enjoy better FE.


Quote:
I will share other ideas that are simple and cost effective and that no after market company will bleed you for.
No-one needs to bleed for aftermarket gear if others show that and how they can be made more cheaply than what the aftermarket charges for them.

Removing how-to information may actually drive more people towards buying rather than DIY-ing.


If you don't want any of your (?) ideas being picked up by others - companies included - don't publish them anywhere, or try to patent and then never licence the design.
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Old 10-18-2010, 08:34 PM   #20 (permalink)
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euromodder -

I agree with your points but it's probably not worth polluting an otherwise useful thread as I suspect the debate will end up going nowhere...

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