If the bumper of your car was damaged in a road adventure, or you just want to somehow make your car stand out from the faceless mass, giving it a special appearance, you can do tuning the front. To do this, contact a car service - a good solution if you have extra finances, but no free time and self-confidence. If you have some skills in mechanical processing of materials, are ready for a long laborious process and want to avoid unnecessary financial costs, you can make a bumper with your own hands.

So, in order to do the bumper tuning yourself, you need to be patient and prepare for a long procedure, which will require all your accuracy and skill.

Production can be divided into several stages. Let's take a step-by-step look at how to make a bumper with your own hands.

Preparatory stage

Before we start tuning, we will need to perform some preparatory operations. First you need to decide what we will form the profile from - from plasticine and polyurethane foam. Plasticine allows you to sculpt, you need to cut out the foam. The use of plasticine is more advantageous in that it makes it possible to quickly build up a layer of material.

In the manufacture, you can use the damaged regular bumper of your car. The procedure is as follows:

We have received the form, and now we can start making the matrix. It is necessary in order to ensure the exact correspondence of the manufactured bumper to the seats on the car body.

Matrix manufacturing

Bumper manufacturing

Conclusion

Making a bumper with your own hands is a rather time-consuming process that requires accuracy, care and a lot of time. To do this kind of work, you must have a good eye, be able to take any measurements well and have skills in manual processing of materials.

The main thing in the whole process is attention to detail and lack of haste. Pay close attention to the smoothness of the lines, the high quality of the surfaces and the symmetry of the products. All measurements must be taken in such a way as to ensure proper fit of the received product to the attachment points on the body.

Every car owner wants to see his car only with better side and dreams of making it so that it really stands out from the others. The bumper is exactly that part of the car that will not only change the appearance of the car, but make it look exclusive and original, especially when you do the bumper tuning with your own hands.

To upgrade your bumper yourself, you need some knowledge, which you can get by reading this article, as well as the experience that you will gain over time, in the process of creating a bumper.

There are 2 options by which you can get a truly unique bumper, which will differ significantly from the serial factory one:

Make tuning an existing bumper.
Create a bumper from scratch.

If you start building a bumper from scratch, then you really need experience, high accuracy, patience and a lot of time. Everything should be as accurately as possible adjusted in size and place of attachment, without unnecessary gaps and distortions. Also, special attention should be paid to mounting the bumper, since it is attached to the native mount or additional points placed on the body. Therefore, you need to accurately find a place on the bumper that will match the mount in the metal of the car and place special flanges.

The first option is much simpler and does not require such efforts and resources as the second option. All you need is to decorate the bumper a little and add new elements to it (new shape, skirt, air intakes, new holes). The joints of the car body with the bumper remain factory, as well as the fasteners.

The most popular materials for creating a do-it-yourself bumper

The most popular materials without a doubt are polystyrene and polyurethane foam. They are the most popular in terms of their availability, ease of use and price. The process of upgrading a car bumper is as follows:

By using suitable material create a new form.
Properly prepare the surface for applying the resin.
Apply fiberglass and resin (several times).
Processing fiberglass putty and building a new form.
Primer of the treated surface.
Upgraded bumper painting.

The only question that may arise for a driver who decides to do the bumper tuning with his own hands: what is the difference between mounting foam and polystyrene foam as components for a new bumper? Polyurethane foam does not require dissolution with polyester resin, unlike polystyrene. Therefore, when using mounting foam, resin can be directly glued to it, and when using polystyrene, it is necessary to cover it with technical plasticine.

foam bumper

So, everyone who does not like polyurethane foam can stock up on foam plastic and start the bumper manufacturing process. First you need to take several sheets of foam (6-8) and glue them together using "liquid nails". In the time it takes for the glue to dry, we draw a sketch of the bumper on paper. Then we pick up a marker and a knife and start making a bumper. You will need to stock up on a lot of patience, be very accurate and attentive, since this is a troublesome and lengthy job.

After the sketch is ready, we apply technical plasticine to the foam (in case of absence, you can also use putty in 2-3 layers). After complete drying, treat with a small sandpaper. Now you can apply resin and fiberglass.

Anyone who does not have the opportunity to use glass wool can replace it with a newspaper, but then it must be treated with putty.

Bumper with mounting foam

Let's start with the fact that mounting foam can harm metal, so it is necessary to cover all metal particles with penofol. Very carefully and slowly apply the mounting foam. While the foam is drying, we prepare a sketch of the upgraded bumper on paper. We take a sharp knife and, according to the project and sketch, cut out the bumper.

The main process is the preservation of symmetry and gaps. After reaching the intended shape, we apply glass wool and resin to it. That's all, a little patience and time and your bumper is ready.

There is also another, third way to make a bumper with your own hands - this is a bumper from foam and foam. The process of its manufacture is similar to the previous two.

The sizes and shapes of bumpers can be anything - it's your imagination. The main thing is that the mount matches the factory one on the car. Do-it-yourself bumper tuning is a pleasant and useful thing, because you put your work, imagination and efforts into it. Of course, you can contact the service station, but why throw away extra money if you can do everything yourself and get an exclusive and attractive bumper.

A photo

Most motorists sooner or later think about how to improve the appearance of their iron friend. Tuning cars today is very popular, and it is used for modernization specifications engine or vehicle exterior upgrades. Today we will make a bumper with our own hands together, since only a few can order such tuning in the studio.

Foundation preparation

First of all, you need to choose the right frame. In most cases, the best option would be to use a regular car bumper. Even a bumper from another car will do. Take a closer look at cheap bumpers with various damages, because they are more affordable. It is very rare for tuners to make a car bumper from scratch, as this is impractical.

Regardless of which bumper was chosen, it must fit the car perfectly. At the initial stage, it is necessary to make a basic repair of the element (if necessary). Then a variety of overlays are mounted on it, the choice and shape of which depend on your imagination.

Minor repairs and modernization of the regular bumper

As we mentioned above, in order to save money, you can buy a bumper that is far from being in perfect condition. Minor damage is not serious problem. To repair the bumper, metal patches are used, which are mounted using small self-tapping screws. Installation of bumper elements must be carried out from its outer side.

The next step is to reinforce the bumper, for which a hardener and resin are used. The proportions depend on the air temperature, so carefully read the instructions for using the selected product. The resulting mixture must be applied to pieces of glass mat grade 450, prepared in advance. They are superimposed on the inside of the bumper. It is advisable to apply a couple of layers of this material. Then you should wait a few hours for the form to become solid and process it with sandpaper. Only then can the screws be removed.

Glass mat can be replaced with fiberglass.

After you have chosen the bumper with your own hands and restored it, you need to apply a small amount of putty. The bumper is then tried on on the car itself to make sure it fits.

Work on the bumper design

After completing the fitting, it is necessary to make various holes and grooves using a grinder. To create a variety of geometric correct forms often used elements of plywood, as well as wooden blocks. Holes for under can be made using laminate.

In order to prevent all these auxiliary elements from sticking to the fiberglass, it is necessary to use a special lubricant (or spray) Mold Release. It should be applied in a minimal layer. The tool dries for about an hour. After separating all the parts of the bumper, it is necessary to apply the required amount of automotive putty to the future matrix and wait until it dries.

After obtaining the desired shape of the bumper, it is necessary to putty it and cover it with a 1.5 mm layer of gravity spray. For its application, it is recommended to use a special primer gun.

After about two hours, we process the surface of the bumper with P100 sandpaper. Then we apply sandpaper of a smaller grain size (P240, P400, P600, P1500), having previously moistened the paper with water.

Then the future bumper must be pasted over with paper, which must first be moistened with PVA glue. This will insulate the styrene grains from the putty. Otherwise, it may happen chemical reaction. The next stage in the manufacture of a car bumper with your own hands is the creation of a matrix.

Forming a Matrix for a Fiberglass Bumper

To get a high-quality matrix, you need to think in advance about how you will get a ready-made bumper, made by yourself, from the mold. The more complex it is, the more hassle will be in the end.

To make the planes that will become the support, and to prevent the appearance of cracks on the edges of the bumper, it is necessary to make special bends that ensure the exit of the remaining fiberglass. It is desirable to arrange these limbs at right angles to the matrix mirror.

In order to avoid gluing the matrix with the bumper, it is necessary to use special separators. We apply this tool, wait 20-30 minutes, and polish the model using a flannel rag. The procedure should be repeated three times.

Next, you need to make the base of the matrix, for which a matrix gel is used, which is applied with a brush or gun. Before using this product, it must be mixed with a hardener. In most cases, two coats are applied to achieve a coating thickness of 0.6-0.8 mm.

After that, several layers of fiberglass are applied, and it is necessary to start with a coarser one. Experts note that the matrix should be twice as thick as a standard car bumper. And this means that this indicator should be approximately 6 mm.

Layers must be applied in the following order:

1 layer - fiberglass No. 100;
2 layer - No. 225;
3-4 layers - No. 450;
5-6 layers - No. 600.

It is advisable to roll each pair of layers with a roller to avoid air pockets. After applying each two layers, you need to wait about a day so that they have time to dry. After that, the surface of the model is cleaned with P40 sandpaper.

After applying the last two layers, we wait about a day and disassemble the form. It is recommended to tap the joints with a rubber mallet to make it easier to pull out the matrix. You can remove the remnants of fiberglass with a grinder. Acetone is used to remove the remaining sanding dust from the inside.

Next, do-it-yourself grinding and polishing of the fiberglass bumper is done using an emery cloth (P1000, P1500, P2000), which must be moistened with water in advance. At the final stage of processing, it is necessary to polish the sample using a felt wheel.

You can make sure that the bumper is made correctly when checking the matrix. It should not have damage, scratches and various irregularities.

For the manufacture of the bumper itself, it is necessary to apply 5-7 layers of a separator to the surface of the matrix. Then two layers of #450 fiberglass and one layer of #600 material are applied.

After making a spatial model, we wait about a day for it to dry thoroughly. In the end, you need to try it on the car, apply a primer coat and paint the bumper after careful selection of the shade. At the final stage, the bumper is installed on the car. For this you can do metal mounts U-shaped.

Now you know how to make a bumper with your own hands. We advise you not to sit still, but to start tuning your car!

Modern motorists often perform car tuning with their own hands. In addition to modernizing the technical part, vehicle owners often pay attention to the appearance of the car. One of the most popular and effective types of car exterior upgrades is bumper tuning.

During the use of the vehicle, body parts are constantly destroyed. As you know, the bumper is one of the most fragile parts of the body. Regardless of the driving style and accuracy of the car owner, the bumper constantly takes on some loads. Temperature fluctuations and mechanical influences gradually cause the bumper of the car to fail. In addition to the protective function, the body element in question is an important part of the exterior of the car. Destroyed bumper, leads to a decrease in attractiveness vehicle. In this regard, a rare motorist will remain indifferent in case of mechanical damage to the body element.

If the standard bumper installed by the car manufacturers fails, there are three ways to solve the problem: restoring the damaged body element, buying a new original element from the manufacturer and do-it-yourself bumper. More original solution the question, of course, remains the independent manufacture of protection for the front of the body. A self-made component will allow you to distinguish the car from the general flow and make it unique. Buying a new original product will cost several times more. self-manufacturing. At the same time, doing the work with his own hands, the owner of the vehicle receives a large field for creativity.

You can make a new body protection without high costs for materials and tools. In addition, by doing the work with your own hands, you can save a significant part of the funds for installing the element in a professional workshop. A considerable part of motorists successfully manufactures and installs a new vehicle exterior element with their own hands. Without exaggeration, we can say that every car owner can make a new bumper. Often on the roads you can find a car with original body elements. In most cases, a unique element is made by the hands of the owner of the car.

Let's answer the question that interests a large part of motorists - how to make a new bumper yourself?

The technology of self-manufacturing of the protective element of the body.

Stages of manufacturing a foam bumper.

1. Making a layout of a new body element. For the convenience of performing work, you can also put on paper an approximate drawing of a new part of the car.

2. The next step is to make a mold using the material used. The most economical and easy-to-manufacture materials are polyurethane foam and polystyrene.

4. After that, it is necessary to cover the manufactured part with fiberglass or resin.

5. One of the final stages will be processing the finished element with putty and finalizing the shape of the bumper.

6. In conclusion, it is necessary to prepare a new body element for painting and transfer the desired color scheme to it.

One of the most accessible solutions would be to create a new element from construction foam.

Consider the technology of manufacturing an element using construction foam.

1. Mounting foam does not interact well with metal surfaces, therefore, the first step is to dismantle all attachments of the front of the body and protect everything except the working surface.

2. After that, it is necessary to apply construction foam to the work surface. Next, you need to wait for the complete drying of the composition. On average, building foam dries for about two days. At a given time, you can make a drawing of a new bumper and think over the design of the part.

3. At the next stage of work, it is necessary to give the element the desired shape using a clerical blade. If cavities have formed during cutting, it is imperative to fill them with construction foam. Making a bumper using construction foam is quite simple, the main difficulty in the course of work is maintaining geometry and symmetry.

4. In conclusion, it remains to give the bumper an attractive appearance. The process of painting a bumper is completely similar to the processing of any body part of a vehicle.

After self-production of the element, the car will become more unique and original.

Even a novice motorist can make and install bumpers with his own hands, while the result can please even the most sophisticated vehicle owner. With a new body element, you can be sure that there are no analogues on the road. A well-made bumper is able to please the owner of the vehicle for a long time. Of course, if an element is made using dubious material and tools, there will be some doubts about its reliability. But, with a competent approach and a sufficient amount of attention, you will definitely achieve the desired result.

Happy tuning!

Men's hands are not for boredom, especially among motorists. They always want to improve, make their “swallow” more beautiful and presentable. Well, if the hands are in place, then why not improve your car. And besides, if God forbid the bumper was damaged, in an unequal struggle with our roads or another car. Then he will definitely have a direct path to the garage, where he will be returned to his former appearance or even a beautiful tuning will be done.
Our article will be devoted to how to make a fiberglass (fiberglass) bumper with your own hands. The process is complex and lengthy, so those who want to do it quickly let them give up hope, as the technological process and accuracy will require their own. Otherwise, it is better to abandon the idea of making a fiberglass bumper with your own hands. Fortunately, in large cities there are auto studios that can take on such work, do everything to your liking.

So, we have a bumper, which we have to replace with fiberglass, with some modifications.

The bumper, in the end, should be like this. So let's say it's a sketch, a sketch, a design project. It is this project that everyone should have at the beginning of work on the bumper.

All work will be carried out in the garage. We remove our bumper from the car. The factory (regular) bumper will serve as a good basis for further modernization.

"Bulgarian" cut off the worn-out openings for "foglights" and the lower damaged edge of the bumper.
The entire surface of the bumper is pasted over with masking tape, into which warm plasticine is rubbed.

Then a mass of cold plasticine falls out, which is crushed by hand or with a spatula, or other device, and leveled. Sometimes polyurethane foam is also used to obtain a matrix. It is applied to the bumper, and then processed, cutting off the excess. But in our opinion, it is more difficult to work with foam.

Plasticine covers those areas that will undergo changes in the future. The upper part of the bumper is glued with adhesive tape. Next, we will mark the lines on it and verify the bumper shapes.
The bumper is then flipped "upside down" and the bottom flange of the mold is sculpted. That is, our task is to restore everything that was, and also to bring a little of our own, what we would like to see in our new fiberglass bumper.

A template of the same shape is made with masking tape and transferred to the other edge of the bumper.

Then lines are marked on the adhesive tape, located at a distance of 10-15 cm. This is done so that the shape of the finished side of the bumper is exactly transferred to its other side. The configuration of sections is done using special rulers with movable spokes, or plain cardboard-patterns.

The resulting profile is transferred to the other side of the bumper and aligned in accordance with it (the photo shows that corrective grooves have appeared, in accordance with the dimensions of the opposite side of the bumper. A new bumper shape profile will be drawn from them. A layer of excess plasticine has been removed.)

This requires patience and precision.
Next, with the help of masking tape, the template of the lower edge of the bumper is removed from the finished side, and applied to the other side, exactly matching along the lower edge of the bumper.

Using a template, holes for fog lights are fashioned. By placing the bumper in the correct position, evaluate the accuracy of the location of the holes and the overall symmetry of the bumper.

And the final stage is the rounding of the sharp corners that were used to match the surfaces.

The model is ready for molding the fiberglass bumper matrix. The matrix is made in order to make a bumper on it. If we make a bumper right away, using this modified bumper, then we will probably not guess with the seats, since the fiberglass of the future bumper will be slightly different from the original, it will be slightly larger. As a result, our bumper will not fall into place, and we will not achieve the desired result. So, first we make a matrix, and then we put our future fiberglass bumper into it, but first things first.

Production of a matrix for a bumper from fiberglass (fiberglass, fiberglass)

In the manufacture of the matrix, one of the main technological surfaces is the flange. The flange is a kind of removable part used to facilitate the insertion and removal of the fiberglass bumper from the matrix. To manufacture the flange, an additional bevel is made at the ends of the bumper, 5-7 cm wide. It is a continuation of the bumper at its ends and is located at an angle of about 30 degrees outward relative to the shape of the matrix.

Three layers of Teflon polish are applied to the matrix. It will prevent the bumper from sticking to the matrix. You can also apply wax. Further, when forming the mold, a matrix gelcoat with aluminum powder is used as the first layer, which in its composition is actually a resin, but as a rule, when hardened, it turns out to be more uniform than the resin. It also has a glossy look. For subsequent layers take polyester resin. This mixture is brought to the state of thick sour cream, applied in thin layers. Fiberglass is also laid on top.

A 300 brand glass mat is used. The first layer of glass mat (fiberglass) is laid.
The air bubbles on the fiberglass are carefully pierced, the air is released, the shape is laid out on the bumper. You can try to squeeze air into the edges of the fiberglass. Then we wait until the composition hardens. The entire surface of the glass mat is treated with sandpaper to remove protruding fiberglass needles. After that, using the same technology, in two layers, a glass mat of brand 600 is applied, as well as strips of the same material around the perimeter of the matrix, to strengthen the edges.

We turn the bumper over, remove the plasticine bars, wash the flanges with kerosene and cover with a separator (wax) in three layers. This must be done carefully. After the strips are laid along the edges of the bumper. These strips will be removable and together with the matrix will form our future fiberglass bumper.

Fiberglass and bumper can deform under load and "float" from temperatures and low stiffness. Therefore, in order to maintain the shape of the fiberglass matrix, structures made of metal or wood are used. This design acts as a stand during the hardening of the composition.

In this case, four boards are cut and assembled so that the matrix stands in place. The wood is impregnated with resin and molded to the matrix with fiberglass strips. So it stays for a few days.
Before shooting the matrix, the points of connection of its fragments are marked. In our case, there are removable strips along the edges of the bumper matrix.

Usually, holes are drilled in the flanges for M8 bolts, and it is also possible for self-tapping screws. And then the edges are leveled with a grinder, while the connection of the matrix and the slats is cut, the parts will be separated. A very unpleasant operation, since fiberglass can get where it is not needed (eyes, skin). Be sure to use PPE.
The quality of the application of the separating layer can be judged by how the details of the matrix are separated from the model. Teflon auto wax smeared without gaps gives excellent results. The fiberglass molded around the model is pulled away and therefore it is very difficult to remove the model. Only plasticine helps, which is not a pity to pick.

Plasticine and pieces of auto wax are removed from the matrix with kerosene, white spirit, after which the remaining plasticine is heated with a hairdryer and wiped with a rag. The front part (inside) is slightly processed with sandpaper, only minor flaws. The matrix for the fiberglass bumper is ready.

Making a fiberglass bumper with your own hands

And only now we proceed directly to the manufacture of a fiberglass bumper with our own hands. The matrix turned out to be good, now it is necessary to finish the niches for the fog lights.
To begin with, optics are selected. The hole for the headlights is transferred to the cardboard.

The niche taper and hole size must match the dimensions of the fog lamps. To do this, a plasticine mound is molded with a cardboard template on top. We transfer the template from one side to the other and align it.

The matrix is smeared with wax and then with a gel coat consisting of polyester resin and aluminum powder.

The first layer of gelcoat is the most important. Then comes the formation of the first layer of fiberglass. Again, glass mat 300 is used. The sharp corners of the matrix are coated with glass powder. The main thing here is to ensure the absence of air bubbles. We squeeze them out or pierce the fabric to release air.
The second and third coats are applied with 600 grade glass mat using rollers.

The next morning, remove the screws from the matrix. Separate the strips at the ends of the bumper

We take out the fiberglass bumper from the matrix. Separating parts is a rather painstaking process. There is no need to rush here. In the gap between the part and the matrix, wooden wedges and chips will go into action.

At some point, the bumper will separate from the matrix. Then you can form a second copy, just in case. The matrix is carefully smeared with a separator and dried. All technology is repeated.
The bumper is sanded and trimmed. Nearby, the second copy is ready.