99 caravan, front bumper

Ok im having a few problems understanding,I've been rading alot and getting no where, was wondering if ya'll can clear it up.

Ok I have a 99' caravan, trying to do a front bumper.

What  i'm thinking im going to do is, Remove the bumper, Wrap it tightly with fleece, Spread some resin on it, grind it down, make my cuts,resin it some more, untill durable enough, then i grind some more, bondo it in, paint it ect. Also, How will i remove the bumper from the fleece, after healing?

Now what I don't understand is, when ya'll use this matting, How do you glass the matting to not have any waves/edges?

Difference between using resin/ gel coat?

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Yah, I got a project.

theminivan wrote:

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Ok im having a few problems understanding,I've been rading alot and getting no where, was wondering if ya'll can clear it up.

Ok I have a 99' caravan, trying to do a front bumper.

What  i'm thinking im going to do is, Remove the bumper, Wrap it tightly with fleece, Spread some resin on it, grind it down, make my cuts,resin it some more, untill durable enough, then i grind some more, bondo it in, paint it ect. Also, How will i remove the bumper from the fleece, after healing?

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To be able to remove the mold from the bumper is all in the preparation work. After removing the bumper, use automotive (greenmasking) tape (or blue painter's tape) and wrap the bumper in a layer making sure that the tape is tightly butted up against each other. I would recommend that you then cover the bumper with a layer of duct tape. Resin has a hard time sticking to it (in my experience). To further ensure that the resin and mold do not stick to the bumper, I highly recommend using a release agent. (Fav: Mold Release) If your prep work is good, then you should not have to worry about the mold sticking to the bumper easily if at all.

theminivan wrote:

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Now what I don't understand is, when ya'll use this matting, How do you glass the matting to not have any waves/edges?

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That depends on your material. If you use chopped mat, then all you have to do is tear it into smaller sections and apply it in little bits at a time. If you use fleece, try and stretch it in places where it will need to conform to the design better. Poly nylon I just fold and overlap, carpet I just stretch and distort until I have the shape I want.

In summary, try little samples of various materials and see what works best

theminivan wrote:

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Difference between using resin/ gel coat?

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Gel Coat is more of a surfacing resin that is great at making molds with intricate detail, but not really neccessary for the most part. 90% of the time, I don't even use it.

Anything else?

Ganbatte ne!

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Never send your ducks to eagle school.
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.
The 3Ls of life: Learn from the Past, Live for the Present, Look to the Future.

have you changed the shape of the bumper any to where you would need to wrap it in fabric? or are you just making a copy of the stock bumper? If you have to wrap it, I would suggest grill clothe or spandex. It's much thinner so It wont soak up too much resin, and you still get your nice shell to lay mat on. Thats just my opinion. BellsRacer knows her stuff so take notes.

Also, from the way I'm reading your post, it sounds like your just wanting to lay down some fleece and go nuts with resin... fiberglass mat is what gives the build it's strength, not just the resin and some fabric. That's just the way I read the post so Im not trying to insult you or anything.

Good luck with the build! Post Pics!!!

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...don't crush the weasel...

What i'm really trying to do, is copy the orginal front bumper, then make my own cuts for custom fogs, and custom grille, consdsirering the grille is molded to the bumper. so what would be any of your best ideas on that?

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Yah, I got a project.

What I would do then is tape up the entire bumper and cover it in the "mold release" (I have heard of people using turtle wax as well) like Bellsracer said. After that it's time to start laying mat. If you're just making a copy of the original, you don't need any fabric of any kind, just start laying mat down (I would look into some 1.5 oz chop mat.) I would highly suggest investing in a roller since it's such a large area. This will help with keeping bubbles at a minimum and will allow your resin to go farther. You want the mold to be as strong and stiff as possible so when you do to layup of the new bumber it doesn't warp or anything.

have a good one!

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...don't crush the weasel...