Today we were looking into fabrications of the ribbed molding. We have a person who ay be helping us fabricate these. This is what we are talking about in the picture:
Here we are woking on rounding some of the edges:
Here we blacked out the inner sections to give the idea of what the grills would be like (we haven't shown the grills yet-hehe)
I didn't do anything picture worthy, just filled some low spots and sanded some high spots. I smoothed some areas that are pretty much ready for fiberglass. I re-worked one of the radiator inlets and added our white "secret sauce" to some of the bare areas of foam.
The big news is that if nothing breaks our stride, we will be ready to go to fiberglass by the first of September. With that in mind, we could be pulling new bumpers ready for sale around the first of October! The next big hurdle will be to see how well our first run turns out and determine if they are of the quality that we will be proud to pass on to you. If they are, great! If not, we will have to re-make the master mold to address the issues that come up.
As for you guys who have ribbed moulding on your cars, we are working on a solution for you to have matching moulding not only on OUR bumper but this solution should also work for Amida's bumper as well! I'm sure we'll be proud of that product and it will fill a supply void and make modified ribbed moulding cars have a matching, finished look. If a custom bumper isn't your thing, you guys will be able to easily switch to an Aero bumper as well, no matter what moulding it originally came with! So, I think it is a widely needed product and should be well received by the community.
The most difficult aspect of this project, believe it or not, is finding supplies for the grills. We will be holding out for materials that are just right and that may slow delivery. If it becomes too much of a hassle, we may let some go early if you want to create your own grills.
I'm concerned about the availability of the pointed end of the ribbed moulding as seen on SE aero cars.
Are they available anywhere new? Anyone who has a bumperpad is going to need that piece. Likewise for "Formula" bumpers, you'll need the smooth moulding point found on GTs.
If you already have the aero bumper, you will have to remove and re-use those pieces. They are held on by two studs and nuts.
I already made smooth replacements with metal screws for a possible item to start selling...But I think you are going a different route with fiberglass.
I already made smooth replacements with metal screws for a possible item to start selling...But I think you are going a different route with fiberglass.
I've been making and selling the smooth molding points for years until the Fiero Store started manufacturing them, then I stopped. For this project, it will be urethane plastic. I am going to be making the ribbed points as well as a removable ribbed portion for the area behind the side marker light.
I've been making and selling the smooth molding points for years until the Fiero Store started manufacturing them, then I stopped. For this project, it will be urethane plastic. I am going to be making the ribbed points as well as a removable ribbed portion for the area behind the side marker light.
Can we encourage you to do a "How To" thread documenting your build process? It could open the doors for many other ideas and projects.
I got some more work done today. I began making templates to gauge the curves in the bumper. By using them, I will be able to ensure that both sides are as equal as possible. That's as good as it gets for us shade tree mechanics!
I found some interesting materials for grills last night. I shot a pic over to Jason and he wants to check it out. I'm still looking for one more pattern to create the layered look I have envisioned for mine. Grill inserts will likely be a matter of taste and what I use doesn't have to be what you use. Be thinking about what YOUR grills will look like!
The fine tuning is officially underway and a finished product is on the horizon!
Jason called today and we are going to get together again on Friday if nothing comes up. He asked me to show a little bit of what I'm doing now. I don't know how well these pics will show what I'm doing but here goes!
Now that we have the basic shape carved out, we have to fine-tune it to make it nice. Some angles need to be horizontal, some need to be vertical. What is harder than verifying horizontal and vertical is matching left and right sides! Especially when dealing with a surface with a complex curve. The way I'm facing this problem is first I'm getting everything level and plumb where it is supposed to be. Then I'm checking measurements and seeing which parts I can shave to match the opposite side. This is a back and forth process since neither side is the "master side". I call this process getting to the "lowest common denominator". It is obviously easier to shave a section down than it is to fill another in so that is the next step. Sometimes one part is too skinny to begin with so it has to be built up to match the opposite side. The build-up process is slower than I'd like. The white putty that we are using is VERY particular about how much we can apply at one time. If we put it on too thick, it is very slow to harden and when it finally does, it cracks! So, build-up is a multi-step process. Now, on to the pics!
Here I was checking the lower edge of the grill opening. It is supposed to be level, front to rear. Gonna have to work on it a bit.
I made marks on the carport to indicate a parallel line. I connected those marks with a fat strip of masking tape to give me a good line to reference.
Here are my first two templates I cut to measure and compare different curves in the bumper.
Here I am checking the upper roll and reference to the hood.
Here I am checking the side of the bumper. I used the tape line, the flat bottom surface of the template, and a large metal square to reproduce the same measurement on the side from front to rear.
In between sanding and filling and waiting for putty to dry, I'm examining the bumper as a whole and also as individual sections and surfaces. I'm doing a little tweaking here and there. Nothing that pics would show but I know some things needed a bit more attention.
That's about it for now. I'm going to try to put my hands on it at least a little bit each day to try to push towards "fiberglass day!"
If you have any specific questions or would like a certain picture angle, let me know.
Made a test mold from a small piece of scrap molding and added black pigment to the urethane resin. This was a test piece so the ends are very rough. The final product will be made from actual black urethane....not color added like I did. Adding the black pigment makes all kinds of halos in the final piece. Here is the sample piece that I made about an hour ago:
That really looks great! I don't know how it could be any better after you use the black urethane. I don't even have ribbed moulding but I'm excited about it anyway!
I, for one, would love it if you made a build thread. I'd like to learn this plastic process for other ideas that are stuck in my head.
That really looks great! I don't know how it could be any better after you use the black urethane. I don't even have ribbed moulding but I'm excited about it anyway!
I, for one, would love it if you made a build thread. I'd like to learn this plastic process for other ideas that are stuck in my head.
Ditto on this matter. Very cool and very professional quality. Great job.
Cars like that could have set Pontiac apart and possibly saved it. Too bad they didn't have the balls to make it or other cars that stood out. The last new car that I really love the looks of was (and still is) the Solstice. I did drive both an auto and 5-speed but they didn't persuade me from the driver's seat. I still stare at them every time one passes.
Originally posted by Boostdreamer: Cars like that could have set Pontiac apart and possibly saved it. Too bad they didn't have the balls to make it or other cars that stood out. Jonathan
Thats is one of the pics that sparked my idea for this hood scoop
When I look at the example that inspired you to take this adventure, I notice that the "nose" being developed does not appear to have the leaning-forward rake of the example. Is that on purpose?
When I look at the example that inspired you to take this adventure, I notice that the "nose" being developed does not appear to have the leaning-forward rake of the example. Is that on purpose?
Ken
Yes, it is for better down wind force on the nose.
Yes, it is for better down wind force on the nose.
We definately didn't want to create any MORE lift than the front end already has (too much from the factory)!!
This photoshop pic is also a main enfluence:
Something that we have agreed on from the start of this project is that too many body modifications done in the past are too hung up on specific measurements or being an exact copy of something else. Being stuck in a design that has DEMANDS such as this tend to make the car suffer in overall appeal.
One of the things we are most proud of is that this bumper IS NOT a replica of anything else! You can go back through the thread and find many pics of other cars that were our inspiration for ideas and styling but none of them were transferred to our bumper with a "written in stone" attitude. We believe that the basic car, as supplied from the factory, has lines and dimensions that need to be considered in all aspects of the design. In layman's terms, it needs to work and look right!
We want it to look "Pontiac" without being a copy and without looking like a goofy caricature of something. That is the main focus on this bumper and we hope you will agree that we are achieving it!
Cars like that could have set Pontiac apart and possibly saved it. Too bad they didn't have the balls to make it or other cars that stood out. The last new car that I really love the looks of was (and still is) the Solstice. I did drive both an auto and 5-speed but they didn't persuade me from the driver's seat. I still stare at them every time one passes.
Jonathan
Not only did they not make new cars that stood out, they discontinued the ones that did and replaced them with cookie cutter bland sedans (G4, G6 etc.). It was really too bad that the sister car to the Solstice was the Saturn Sky, which of course was lost as well when Saturn was shut down with Pontiac.
Fiero cake and a new GT trunk seal. Pretty good birthday!
They didn't use the trunk seal for the edges of the cake did they? lol
FROM NOW ON _ IT'S LIFE IN THE FAST LANE!!!! (at 45mph and your blinker on ) LOL
Another year closer to retirement, grey hairs and creases in your face. I still want to wish you all the best for your 45th birthday, besides..... Science has found out that birthdays are healthy because the more birthdays you can celebrate - the longer you are living.
Thanks! Next time don't type so fast! You know I'm a slow reader as it is!
Why don't you tell our readers a little bit about what we did the other day and where we stand?
Jonathan
We stood on your carport.
We worked on the bumper.
(I hope that was slow enough for ya) LOL
We worked on the filling alot of low spots in to make it even and smooth - flush if you will. We worked on making the ports under bumper even and centered. We also were able to flush up the front so that it is the same as mirrored image on both sides. We mudded up - letting it dry. May need a few more coates then we are onto the bondo. after bondo we are onto gelcoating and then we are going straight into the mould.
Today we added the "belt line" for the arrow nose for both the smooth and ribbed belt line-ing. Boost will post pics later till then, enjoy knowing that all belt lines can use this bumper now.
The two side views with the marker lights and moulding in place.
Here is the front center. Duh! Both the markers are in place but they are hard to see. This is also a chance to see how the upper and lower middle separation is developing.
I see where we added more to left bottom side, I was hoping that would dry nicely so we can smooth it out and mirror it to the other side. This is going awesome!
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