i want to add a section into my bumper bar, but i'm getting mixed reactions as to what i can use to join the extra piece into the existing plastic bar.

do i plastic weld it (i've been told that it wont be stront enough to support the weight of the bottom half of the bar)

or do i just fiberglass it in, and use a fiberglass section to extend the other 2 halves? now im not sure how well the fiberglass will bond to the OEM plastic bar..

the only other option ihave is to make up some moulds and make a whole new fiberglass bar.

if i was to make moulds, would anyone on here be interested in a new front bar (modified to a point where it still looks like a magna bar, just extended and with.. well anything in it really!)

let me know.. let me know if there is any vents you guys have seen in bars that yas think would look good in a magna bar.

Cheers

Zach

I reckon you may as well make a mould, that way you can maybe recover costs by selling duplicates to people here. Plus you don't need to stuff your current bar to experiment.

A very cheap way to toy with it is to make a mould using dental plaster. It's less than $40 for 20kg from CSR. Gives very good surface detail, and who cares if you stuff up, there's enough material to make quite a few moulds...

You could make a mould of the standard bar, produce a replica in fibreglass, modify this replica with more fibreglass, then take a mould off it, giving you a perfect platform to make a "fair-dinkum" version.
Could maybe also look at using polyurethanes to make the bars, wouldn't need to bother with the fibre reinforcing then, and they would be a lot more durable - no more writing off a bar if you hit a post or speedbump...

hrmmm dental plaster... my missus works at a dental clinic.. so that should be to hard to come across, and it is rather strong, so i might have a go at that some time.

cheers


Zach

Plastic welding is a nightmare if not done near enough to 100%, especially some plastics which need nitrogen to assist the welding... there are so many factors... you can do a course on plastics thermoforming and fabrication like I did, if you can find a good place that does it... I wouldn't take to your bumper without guidance or training, it aint easy!

consider glueing... fiberglassing is ok if done right, but you may find it seperating away over time from the original backing through general road abuse and it will look shocking... if fiberglassing you might want to seriously consider going the whole hog... but it could get quite costly.

Good luck anyway! ;)

so, you would suggest going the extra mile to make a mould and a whole new fiberglass bar?

i can do all the work myself (with the help of my father in-law who is a panel beater/spray painter)

would people actually be interested in buying a kit (if it was any good i mean!)

Z

No offence to the members here, but I would not rely on the say so of people to justify a decision in taking on such a project... I am sure people would be interested, but I would say that it would be at your own risk. I don't want to put you off it, but I think you should decide if you are prepared at the end of the day to be the only person who has it after all.

Good luck with the decision though, I am sure it would be a rewarding project if it turned out ok. Sometimes you have to dare to be different ;)

Cost it based on a one-off. If the cost of making a moulded version is acceptable, then you have yourself a nice clean bar, with the ability to make yourself another if something ever happens to it. The possibility of selling some should be seen as a fringe benefit, not a primary goal. If it happens, great, if not, no biggie.

I would buy one lol as long as it wasnt ridiculously exspensive

it was never an issue of "if other people want one, then ill make it" more like "well if other people are interested, i'll make a mould rather than bust up my front bar"

i've decided against it as the council has just poured the concrete for my driveway at my new house (should be finished in 6 weeks! YAY!!!) i didnt want a driveway as my parents own a kwik-kerb business, so i was just going to go with kerbing and a stone driveway, but now i think it's gunna be concrete.

all that being said, the pitch of the driveway is going to be too steep for me to make the kit i want, so i'm just going to go with a set of 18's and go another 2.5inches lower =P

i've got some other things that i'm looking into at the moment...

i purchased a sc14 supercharger from ebay the other night (GIGGLES!)

Z