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88BIN
  • 88BIN
  • Standard User
  • Member No.: 77,304
  • Joined: 17-August 07
  • Posts: 191
  • From: Gold Coast
Post #1 post 19th February 2013 - 06:48 PM
I need to find someone who is able/willing to help me make a body kit for my car. I have spoken to a view body shops with no success. I just want someone with fiberglassing experience, that will do what I want and make it look good smile.gif

I want to use my stock bumper as a mould, and just lengthen it a bit and open the center, move foglights etc. Same with the rear bumper using the stock bumper as a mould but I want a diffuser moulded on to it. I want some other simple fiberglass stuff done to.

I just need someone who is willing to listen to a girl and make my ideas work and isnt going to charge 10k for it.

Yes I am female, a blonde female (hence why seeking advice from the intelligent male population on Boost) but before you post please remember that this isn't Off Topic.
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vk134
Post #2

My brother specialises in composite fabrication, he does all sorts of scoops and fiberglass repairs, he will know or at least point you in the right direction if he can't help.
The work you describe, while it may appear simple, there are a lot of step to achieve this to do it properly, as opposed to some of those drift aberrations.
I don't think he is cheap, as he never cuts corners and does everything exactly as specified, he is a qualified tradesman and has done most things from the 850 T5R Volvos, Carbon fibre for go karts to the components for the new Tiger attack helicopters.
There is a big difference between heavy bulky, chopper gun bog ups and hand laid carefully designed pieces, so beware in any case of whoever you use.
He is based in Tingalpa Brisbane and it doesn't matter if you are a blonde female either as long as you know what you want done and are into cars, so PM me if you want his contact details

fearlesss
Post #3

You're looking at around 4 grand for a decent Mould and bar per panel. Moulds are every expensive to make and body kit shops usually sell the first few copies just paying off the mould. You might be able to find some apprentice or local DIY man who might charge you half the price, but the work at the end will look worse than your stock bars.

You might think that 10k for a custom body kit with moulds is expensive.. but it's really not.
the_random_hero
Post #4

QUOTE (fearlesss @ Feb 20 2013, 02:47 PM) *
You're looking at around 4 grand for a decent Mould and bar per panel. Moulds are every expensive to make and body kit shops usually sell the first few copies just paying off the mould. You might be able to find some apprentice or local DIY man who might charge you half the price, but the work at the end will look worse than your stock bars.

You might think that 10k for a custom body kit with moulds is expensive.. but it's really not.


EDIT: Missed the bit where she said she wanted a mould, haha. As has been said the cost to do a mould is incredible. It's very time consuming and uses a lot of consumables. The best way to do it for a one off is to use the original bumper and just move everything/fibreglass it into place.
88BIN
Post #5

Really? I have no fiberglassing experience, but in my head, I can take my stock bumper off, lay plaster over it (maybe techincal fiberglass specilalist have something more technical then plaster?) Pull the plaster off, then I have a mould to start fiberglassing? Then once the new bumper is made I can cut bits off easily, mould extra fiberglass on to hold foglights etc?

@the_random_hero That was one of my original plans, but you can't fiberglass to the plastic bumpers sad.gif and bog cracks tongue.gif

fearlesss
Post #6

Lay plaster ? Like the stuff you use to bog up panels ?.. nooooo

You have to prep your bar for making the mould.
Clean it. then wax it.
Then wax it again. then wax it again. Lot's of waxing makes it easier to remove the original bar
Then you need to paint a few layers of mould release ( this stuff is expensive )
Then you need to paint the tooling gelcoat ( this is even more expensive) which is the first layer of the actual mould.
Then layers and layers of fiberglass and resin,
Build an mdf backing or frame and fiberglass this to the mould. (otherwise when you try to pull your first bar off it, the mould will crack.)

If I was you I would forget about making a custom bar, and try find the nicest after market one already made.

What car is this for ?
260DET
Post #7

Some very good advice here, I've done some DIY fibreglassing it is incredibly time consuming when starting from scratch.

M-EVO Nic
Post #8

Which car?

leadfoot
Post #9

check out some of the later pages of this thread to see some of whats involved it took this guy a good 8 months to do his front bar

expanding foam is good to use as the base from bit that are being built up.

88BIN
Post #10

Thanks for all your input guys smile.gif I have found a company who can help me. They are just going to be cutting up and moulding fiberglass to the original bumper but they seem confident its all going to work smile.gif

M-EVO Nic
Post #11

Who'd you find to do it?

BlueSwiftGTi
Post #12

Good luck Bindi - will be very interested to see how you make the car different from the other ones on the road smile.gif

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