High FE front bumper for civic?

[justjohn]

I smashed up my bumper, so as long as I'm replacing it I'm wondering if there's any way to get a high FE bumper, better aero, less grill opening type of thing. I can do a little basic work but fiberglass and stuff is probably out of my league.

Ideas?

[Ecky]

This is just a guess, but the Del Sol front bumper looks the most aero-friendly of the 90s Hondas to me. I'm not sure if it would bolt up to your '96 Civic, but it's worth a check.

Just a curiosity of mine, but I wonder if it would fit on the CRX too?

[basjoos]

You could build a rounded nose like I have on my car from sheet aluminum, 1 X 1/4" aluminum bar stock, and pop rivets. It took me about 4 hours of work to build the basic nose structure, which I drove for nearly a year before I went back and put another 4 hours of work into it to build and install a driver adjustable radiator door.

[justjohn]

Yeah your nose is much more optimal I'm sure. I don't know for sure if I could drive in the summer with no airflow on the radiator though.

And I'm not entirely sure I trust myself to do it. I think I could, but I haven't done any replacement parts like that before or anything.

[johnunit]

from a quick google, it looks like you have to deal with different fenders, at least, meaning you're doing significant bodywork. to blend in the del sol stuff with the civic stuff.

[Ryland]

Easiest route, if you want it to look somewhat normal is to buy a new or used bumper (new are $100-150 last I checked) and take hack saw to your old bumper, cutting out patches to fill in the holes you want to fill in, then either screw, pop rivet or glue those pieces over the holes that you want to go away, get some flexible bondo to fill in the gaps, or make your own with solvent and the saw dust that is left over from cutting your old bumper apart, fill in the gaps, sand it all smooth and get a color matched can of spray paint from the auto part store (door jam has the paint code) paint the bumper to match and impress your friends.

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by justjohn

Yeah your nose is much more optimal I'm sure. I don't know for sure if I could drive in the summer with no airflow on the radiator though.

And I'm not entirely sure I trust myself to do it. I think I could, but I haven't done any replacement parts like that before or anything.

There is plenty of airflow through my radiator through the openings in the lower front of the nose and I'm driving in a hotter summer climate here in SC than you're getting up north.

[cbaber]

The del sol bumper will require extensive modification to fit, and would not be worth the effort and money. You would need the del sol hood, headlights, fenders, bumper, support, etc. Not worth the "chance" that it will improve your aero profile.

You are looking at a custom project if you want improvement. The 96-98 civic bumpers are better in terms of drag than the 99-00 due to no foglight holes and a smaller grill, so I would just get another stock bumper and modify it.

Unless you are willing to do extensive custom work, you are pretty much stuck with the stock bumper and blocking the upper/lower grill.

[Dgreen78]

Originally Posted by cbaber

The del sol bumper will require extensive modification to fit, and would not be worth the effort and money. You would need the del sol hood, headlights, fenders, bumper, support, etc. Not worth the "chance" that it will improve your aero profile.

You are looking at a custom project if you want improvement. The 96-98 civic bumpers are better in terms of drag than the 99-00 due to no foglight holes and a smaller grill, so I would just get another stock bumper and modify it.

Unless you are willing to do extensive custom work, you are pretty much stuck with the stock bumper and blocking the upper/lower grill.

+1 I think a Del Sol bumper would take A LOT of works and not even worth it. I would just block the openings you have now and get a lower air dam.

[botsapper]

[QUOTE=Ecky;287073]This is just a guess, but the Del Sol front bumper looks the most aero-friendly of the 90s Hondas to me. I'm not sure if it would bolt up to your '96 Civic, but it's worth a check.

Could be done, nicely. (On a '96-'00, though)

http://i.imgur.com/bitgb.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/32fje.jpg