Mounting a lip to OEM bumper
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I know that this is a difficult post to answer without actually seeing. I am hoping that a series of pictures will help this out.
Dilemma: I have a fiberglass lip which needs to be mounted to an OEM bumper…I am assuming ABS in nature (when the paint is removed it is black plastic). The lip is a very snug fit, really could be driven around without being fastened(but it will be)…but there are a number of gaps which are unsitely, and frankly unacceptable.
Can a filler be used that is compatible with these two very different compounds? I would also have to strip down to plastic to do this correct?
Here is my stock bumper:
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/CLaman/Misc%20Car/Key%20Damage/After/P1000730.jpg[/img]Here is the lip:
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/CLaman/Misc%20Car/BRLip.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/CLaman/BR%20LIP/IMG_8050.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/CLaman/BR%20LIP/IMG_8047.jpg[/img]Here are the locations of the gaps as seen on my Friend Paul’s car.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/CLaman/BR%20LIP/modified.gif[/img]I need some way of “sucking” the lip into the bumper. I take great pride in my car, it is not rice, nor will it ever be. I don’t want it to look tacked on, as it does on Pauls car. I am known for my detailing abilities within the club, so I need to uphold my reputation for perfection.
Any help suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
My bumper is currently covered with Glasurit Waterborne Base, and a Glasurit Clear.
As I told you already, I’m struggling enough with my own fabrications fit! But I’ll give what input I can.
The bumper is going to be some sort of Thermoset plastic, maybe ABS…I’m not sure, theirs several different types of plastics used in the industry. If your gonna be building up an area on that you will need to use a urethane or epoxy adhesive.
On the fiberglass, I’d think just jacking up where you need to with more glass. Just to be clear though, your not intending to integrate the two pieces into one, right?
this was a job a did a little while ago at my shop for a boss’s friend [img size=960]http://refinishnetwork.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/P_00303.JPG[/img]
the first thing i did was fit it …
then took a DA with 220 and striped the bumper down to plastice anywhere the lip kit was gonna go
SO : take the lip kit put it on the bumper, trace around it with marker remove the lip kit sand down the bumper below that marker line
then i used urethane(window urethane) with the primer they use too!!! to stick the lipkit on and used a number of screws to hold in it place where i wanted it to go tight and fit good or whatever(******MAKE SURE YOU DON’T GET ANY URETHANE SQUEEZING OUT!!! I’LL EXPLAIN LATER******)
once dried (remove screws)
now 3m has a specific product that is used to adhere plastic with other stuff fiberglass and smc being some of them so your covered look this stuff up! if i remember correctly its a blue color
PREP: now sand the top edge of that lip it anywhere it makes contact with the bumper and also sand the adjacent piece of the bumper down with 220 and then apply the 3m stuff to fill in any holes from screws gaps from the kit not fitting 100% whatever you gotta do this is the stuff to do it ….it may take more than one coat to fill in large gaps but it will work…to finalize it nice you can even go over it all with a coat of 3m EZ sand(love it!!!) and make it super smooth!FYI urethane and expoxy dont mix SO DONT MIX THEM!! IE let the urethane ooze out of the crack and put the 3m stuff over it it will not stick in the long run so make sure your epoxy is from fiberglass to plastic only!!
also 3m…i know isnt the only epoxy out there but its the one i used and know works i did it a year plus ago and I see the car around all the time still 100%
mike k
urethane and primer [img size=960]http://refinishnetwork.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/P_00300.JPG[/img]
i used spray bomb but marker would be best on your silver [img size=960]http://refinishnetwork.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/P_00311.JPG[/img]
urethaned screwed testfitted
important
when i first fit things i find a place i like and i screw them in place ONCE so that when i get my adhesive on and the hole is all covered in the gunk and you cant see the other side of it where to put the screw…..its ignorant BUT once you find the hole you know that your not putting it on in the wrong place! its a really good safe thing to do!:blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink:
important [img size=960]http://refinishnetwork.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/P_00310.JPG[/img]
next once its dry remove screws scuff it all down properly as the epoxys instructions says and filler up!! [img size=960]http://refinishnetwork.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/P_00295.JPG[/img]
this is one on the front bumper sorry about all the pics i like pics!! [img size=960]http://refinishnetwork.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/P_00298.JPG[/img]
the glaze coat with a final sand,,,, all the yellow you see if the fiberglass ive sanded into and the grey is the 3m ez sand [img size=960]http://refinishnetwork.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/P_00290.JPG[/img]
all done!! this photo was taken a few months after it had to come back for a new rim back ordered but everything was still 100% [img size=960]http://refinishnetwork.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/P_00255.JPG[/img]
FINAL TIP!!!!
when you do something with this many chemicals….NEVER BAKE IT!!! OR ELSE!!!
That looks cool mike. I was always under the impression that integrating two separate types of materials is risky and can fail due to different contraction/expansion rates.
But if I were to try something like that, the epoxy would be my go to product as well.
We have been doing custom work for years.. Alot of it depends on what type of fiberglass part you are installing.. All fiberglass is not equal!! The cheap stuff will expand and contract like crazy and you will get ghost lines where the parts are attached in the sun, and it will go away when it cools off.. The better fiberglass you can actually mold and it will hold up nicely.. But its a gamble anymore, you never know what you are going to get.. We personally wont do this work anymore..
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