The art of shaping ABS (lawn edging air dam)

[Xist]

I never really talked about doing this, but I finally made an air dam a little while ago. However, I was not happy with it. I felt like it needed more shaping with my heat ray.

I finally got around to it today. It seems like sometimes, heat makes the ABS stretch, and sometimes, heat makes it shrink. I could not figure out how to control that, and now I need to see if I have enough edging left to replace it.

So, if you hold the round part on the bottom, there is a flap on top going one way and another flap below it going the other. I cut off the top flap, but was not able to do it very smoothly. I left the second flap and pushed it against the bottom of the bumper, but it wrinkled on the corners, which caused a problem. I pulled it tight, but there were still gaps.

Today, when I tried to fix it, it did more sagging than shrinking, and it started forming holes. I am actually thinking of warming up the material before I try again, so that it is more pliable, as well as notching that second flap, and being more careful when I cut off the top one.

Does anyone have any suggestions? It really seems that it should be easier than this!

[poomanchu]

I have successfully modified a 95 Accord lip to fit an old Civic Wagon. Any part that I wanted to bend, I had to cut the 'L' (or 90 degree bracing) at that location in the back or I could see it kinking. I predrilled the holes at where I wanted it, heated it from that back (as I wanted to preserve the texture).

If it helps, in all my bends I used a guide behind the part I was bending, and matched the ABS to that. It's most apparant with the ends, where I used the 90 degree edge on a 2x4 to bend around that, so to speak. For the soft contours I used the soft edges of a nightstand a friend had lol.

Maybe the material is too thin? Seems if you are burning holes through it, you are either using too much heat or the material is too thin. Can you shape it by cutting, or is molding necessary?

Good luck! Pics below, I can't post pics until I hit 5 posts

Edit: Can we get a pic with the ecomodder logo less obtrusive to the lip? I am contemplating this for my dx, looks good from what I can tell!

[poomanchu]

Here is pics of the lip. This was way to wide, and I had to bend and straighten it at so it conformed to the civic bumper.



Here is a pic of where I bent it for the ends, I made a little nip at the bottom to prevent kinking.

[nemo]

Wait for summer lay it on the side walk in the sun for several hours.

[TexasCotton]

FYI
The lawn edge I worked wilth from walmart aka wally world.........black plastic edging (recycled assorted plastics) only became maleable after boiling in hot water and then there was still a level of difficult ness to manipulate to your application. From my limited understanding is that the (recycle) plastic is not virgin stock and therefore lacks certain consistent properties......

[Xist]

Poomanchu, that sounds like a lot of work, but the results are perfect! Considering how difficult it is to work with the material, I would not think that it is too thin. I forgot that I pre-drilled holes. I do not look forward to trying to drill the new piece to match the existing holes! By the way, a friend has a Civic sedan of the same generation and color--and she just messaged me on Facebook--and she figured out where my sister lives!

You meet some strange people on-line...

Oh, the reason that I drew a big Ecomodder sign in front of my car is because that is how I wish that my grill block looked. I had planned on taping down the edges, although I am not sure that it makes a difference. Right now it is red, with white edges (which causes the glow), and has the politician's website address. If I ever sufficiently take care of my schoolwork enough that I feel I have the time for A-B-A testing, and it works, I actually plan on having a sign made, the same size, that looks just like the image.

Nemo, looking up the edging on the website, people suggested laying it in the sun, one person said half an hour, another said a few days. I had planned on redoing it in the summer, but I am not driving around with this mess until then.

TexasCotton, I like that idea! I have a stock pot which should accommodate it, although I imagine that it will be completely cool before I finish. As far as I can tell, the Home Depot edging is not recycled, although, on principle, I would prefer that it was.

Does that mean that I can put my old air dam in the recycling [and they won't just throw it away]?

[wagonef8]

The lip from a civic Si from same year bolts up to wagon

[Xist]

Originally Posted by wagonef8

The lip from a civic Si from same year bolts up to wagon

I found three on car-part.com for $70 or $111.222, but three said they were aftermarket. One was $55 and did not specify if it was aftermarket or OEM, I just do not have any idea how much they would charge to ship. AutoPartsWarehouse.com has one for $138.34, with free shipping.

However, I will just see if I have enough lawn edging. If not, I will purchase more!

I was surprised that many aftermarket ones are attached by 3m tape. I knew that spoilers were, but many of those are never actually in the air flow.

[wagonef8]

I believe you can still get them at Honda dealer for $60

[Xist]

Originally Posted by wagonef8

I believe you can still get them at Honda dealer for $60

Ah, right. I apologize for not mentioning:

Manufacturer Part Description Usage List Core Internet Price Qty Rq
Honda SPOILER, FR. *B95P*, Front $345.25 -- $276.20 Add to Cart
Manufacturer Part Description Usage List Core Internet Price Qty Rq
Honda SPOILER, FR. *R81*, Front $345.25 -- $276.20 Add to Cart
Manufacturer Part Description Usage List Core Internet Price Qty Rq
Honda SPLR, FR. *NH592P*, Front $345.25 -- $276.20 Add to Cart