Tuning cars. Making a body kit with your own hands.

The goal was rather uneasy, but literally necessary for any tuner: to manufacture a body kit for the car MAZDA MX-3 ...

Strange as it may seem, the most difficult thing is to figure out what the future kit will look like. In the course went everything from Photoshop to simple tetradochkoy. Frankly, in Photoshop, do what I did not like ... But approximately how it will look like it does not interfere ... In general, this is a creative process and if you have difficulties already at this stage, once again make sure that you It is necessary. Or choose a command with a strict distribution of functions.

I liked the notebook more ... After 2-3 nights of drawing, I got something like the following. I advise you to IMMEDIATELY think about all the manufacturing techniques, otherwise you will run into a lot of trouble. Think through the whole process!

I decided to make a patch on the fiberglass bumper. To begin with, the bumper was removed and hardly inserted into the bath for further washing In the process of dismantling the bumper, lying in the winter on the cold floor of the garage, I bled terribly. It was necessary to take a mattress ... It should be washed properly! Better to pester everything .... Then I'm sick in a hot bath ...

Then the bumper was installed at the angle with which it stood on the car. The height from the ground was preliminarily measured and decided to reduce the ground clearance by 5 cm. At the same time, with all of me, I was tormented by vague doubts about what to do with a broken turn signal ... Just replacing it - it sounded corny. We'll do it later ... I got the bumper broken, crumpled, and also with the geometry (apparently from overheating for an unknown reason). In such cases, do not rely on the ruler! Do everything on a visual assessment. Approximately...

The bumper is protected from splashes. Then the contours of the future bumper are filled with a mounting foam. It is better to pour gradually, otherwise it dries to a state suitable for cutting for three or four days. In short we make a pig. This is a technology for single manufacture. During mass production, "matrix" technology is used.

Two days later the following was obtained ... A control autopsy showed: the foam withered. Do not give in to the assurances of sellers who say that one bottle of foam is enough for 50 liters. It must be crushed (for strength) and the volume ZANETLY decreases. We took 3 large tanks. When making overlays, it makes sense to reinforce the foam with a wire or strip of steel, fastened to the bumper. In general, keep in mind that the pig is already half the future bumper.

This something called a dried foam, was marked and cut according to the sketch. Mark better on the template, and then you can and zakosit.

Do not immediately cover the foam with fiberglass. The trimmed foam is first braided (the smoother it will be, there is less consumption of putty), and then glued with thick paper. Ask what? Foam is like a piece of cheese, it has a bunch of irregularities, cavities into which the fiberglass will fall. This is an extra bank, and maybe two putties.

Then everything was pasted with a thin fiberglass cloth (preferably a glass net, it stretches better) impregnated with epoxy .... Cook in portions not more than 300 grams, otherwise it will harden. The maximum strength of the resin will reach 24 hours. Do not skint and do not shpatlyayte - nakosyachite. It is possible to dilute the epoxy with a solvent, for better penetrating power, but not more than 5% of the volume of the resin.

In the last layer of epoxy, you can add a filler like aluminum powder or something like that - the surface will be much smoother. Fibrous fillers such as fiberglass, glass wools increase the strength of the structure. If the fiberglass is spiked at the construction site or from the heating main, then it must be rinsed in gasoline beforehand, this will remove the lubricant. He is fatty and paraffin. In the latter case, rinse in acetone. If there is nothing, you can burn it in a fire. WORK IN GLOVES !!!

The number of layers of fiberglass depends on the expected loads. 4 layers of the glass mesh is enough to tear down the bumper "chisel" or start with a "pusher" VAZ 2112, pushing it in the well .. y. The foam is left inside to give extra rigidity. Its weight allows it ...

When pasting, try to lay down as flat as possible. Coat orbital grinding with grain no more than 80. The first layer of putty ONLY with fiberglass. Otherwise, it will crack from small blows. Coat the surface with a sandpaper with a grain of 220 or 320 (maximum, otherwise the paint does not stick). If you paint anti-gravel, you can 120. And another thing: what would you not do - to fumigate zae ... tes To reduce the loss of labor, see below ... (or read it again)

Carefully check the locations of possible bends in the bumpers. There putty has a habit of cracking. Output: glue with fiberglass. Bumper from ABC plastic must be glued on without fail !!! For those who are sure that they know what they do, there is a recipe for liquid putty: the putty with a double dose of hardener is diluted to the desired state with white spirit or 646m solvent and applied with a sponge or brush ... Fills small irregularities on the surface, can save Many annoying irregularities.

Carefully remove the dust from the putty ... Prime the layer in 2-3. Use a mastic sponge or a shallow-fine sandpaper.

When everything is exactly, you can paint the detail ... A huge desire to tighten all the holes on the bumper grid ... We'll see ...