Hi there, im from the UK and am wanting to make a fibreglass front end for my 89 shape CRX. I have a spare front bumper, hood, and front wings. Is it as simple as bolting the parts together coating it in oil, Cling film it, oil it once more, spread on the sheet and resin then take a mould from the inside?

Im sure ive made it sound alot easier than it is so if anyone can offer me some odive it would be great. I would buy one but shipping is expensive on these items and noone stocks this part in the UK

Your help is most appreciated

 

There are a couple of ways to do this. The first way you could do this is to skip the molding step and fill in any parts of the grill that might keep you from popping the part off. This includes air inlets with negative returns on them. You want to avoid locking the part on the stock parts. Use pieces of cardboard cut to fill in these spots and make sure they are covered with ac tape prior to fitting them to the front end and use non drying clay to fill in the seams. Once everything is done you can wax every part of the front end with #8 mold wax a few times and then shoot it with PVA which will ensure nothing sticks to the front end. Now you can start laying up your reinforcing fiber (fiberglass fabric). Use a roller and or squeegee to laminate over the factory pieces until you get the thickness you want then let cure and pop the part off the car. This is basically it and then you have a hell of a lot of body work left to do to smooth it out and its going to be heavier than it needs to be. Also it's going to be slightly larger than factory. This would be one way.

The next method involves everything involved in step one but instead of the finished part you are building the mold. After you are done laying up the mold you want to add some type of wood or metal structure so that the mold will maintain shape when you pull it off the car. If you don't do this your finished part will not fit or look right. You just glass the structure to the back of the mold. Depending on how your front end is modified you may even have to build a two or three part mold that bolts together along with the backing structures that bolt together. Most front end I have seen for race hondas look like they were altered stock shapes modified for release of a mold. I would build a mold section for the right side and right section of hood and then one for the left side and left hood side and then a section for the front face of the car if it were me. I would release my part first and then go for the backing structures or releasing from the mold might be tough. Just pull the three mold sections off and then place them back on the car and clamp them in place again and then temporarily bolt the flanges together. Then build your backing structures and let cure. Now you can pull them off the car and bolt everything back up and you have an exact negative impression of your front end. You will have to repair the slight impressions left by the AC tape on the seams. You could sand these out and then you are ready to build you final part. And people wonder why composite parts can be expensive IM me with any questions, glad to help.

 

very well writing

good luck, its alot of work, and a pain in the butt, but when all done can be very proud of all your work

dan

 

holy **** nice write up..