Tuning the bumper with your own hands

Tuning a bumper for a car is quite a difficult operation, which involves a lot of processes. It can be performed by professionals or with your own hands, but it is still a hard work that takes a lot of time and effort.

General information

Tuning bumper can be front and rear, as well as a car or truck. In the article we will consider the most common technologies for manufacturing front and rear modified parts, installing accessories, what to do if the part has been broken.

Of course, you can buy the finished product from the factory. It will be standard, it will cost less, but its aerodynamic and streamlined properties are too low. Therefore, usually motorists make tuning bumper to order, on an individual project. This method is quite widespread in Germany, the US and Japan. In the CIS, this technology appeared only 10 years ago, which gave impetus to the development of tuning studios and studios in the post-Soviet space.

Tuning bumper: options

There are several options for manufacturing a tuned bumper. All technologies are popular in their own way and are applied depending on the car. So, what is this part of tuning made of:

• Plastic.
• Fiberglass.
• Plasticine.
• Alloy of metals.

All these materials are good in their own way, they have pros and cons. They have different costs and other factors, which we consider below.

Technology of manufacturing from plastic

In itself, plastic is considered to be a fairly fragile material, but with proper processing it becomes durable and suitable for tuning. Most modern cars have regular plastic bumpers, which are made of a plastic alloy with an admixture of other materials.

Consider the technology of tuning bumper, as well as the well-known atelier BSS, AEK, ATE, JP and others:

1. Preparation of the material. Take a plastic that has already served its own (it's best to use broken old buffers). It is broken and placed in a crucible, put on fire, so that the plastic melts. Use only ceramic containers, so that the material does not stick to the walls. When the plastic melts, it should be poured into a mold to make a sheet. Then it is necessary to cool, so that the material is frozen.
2. Designing of design. To do this, the designer and the meter measure the old bumper and create a 3D model of the standard product on the computer. After that, design development and aerodynamic calculations begin. So, a new bumper model with all parameters is born.
3. All calculations are transferred to the performer, who with the help of a special hair dryer, shades and finished frames makes the basis for the future detail.
4. Manufacturing of fastenings and landing places for accessories. This is done with a soldering iron. Each fastening must be located exactly according to the drawing, since an incorrect installation will entail the discarding of the part and making it anew. The wizard clearly soldered the fasteners, and also made slits under the grille, optics and other elements to be installed.
5. The debugging involves fitting the finished product and finishing the part, which will then be treated with a special hardener for plastic like PF-110.

The main points on the technology of manufacturing bumpers from plastic are considered, then go to the next material - fiberglass.

Fiberglass manufacturing technology

This is the simplest and most common way of making tuning parts. Fiberglass easily takes any shape, because it is made by roll and for curing requires special liquid - epoxy or resin with gelcoat hardener.

Thus, bumper tuning using fiberglass is quite simple:

• We take a roll of fiberglass and tear small pieces. The optimal size is 30x30 cm.
• Applying the hardener to the torn piece, put the next one and so on. It is worth remembering that the form must be betrayed immediately, since after drying it will be impossible to bend.
• After the part is ready, it is shpaklyuyut, primed and painted.

Manufacturing technology from technical plasticine

Tuning the bumper with their own hands is mainly made of technical plasticine. It ideally takes the desired shape and does not require a special tool. In fact, this is a molding of what the motorist wants. In order to make tuning of the bumper, it is worth remembering the lessons of labor from childhood.

Painting in this case is carried out according to the standard scheme. In order to keep the paint, the surface should be degreased, then apply putty. After that, we apply in two steps on the soil layer and paint the part.

Tuning of the bumper WHA is carried out in this way. True, this applies only to cars of the "Classic" series, namely VAZ 2101-2107. Although many motorists choose fiberglass as the basis, because they believe that it is cheaper to make bumper tuning out of it. The price of plasticine is lower, since no additional materials or equipment are required, it turns out that the material is the least expensive part. In this case, it is easier to work with plasticine than with fiberglass.

Manufacturing technology from metal

Metal or a mixture of metals becomes the basis for tuning the bumper to SUVs. Why this material? Anyone who is interested in tuning, noticed that on many crossovers there is a winch in front, which the plastic or fiberglass part simply can not stand.

Tuning the front bumper on an SUV is carried out with the aim of strengthening the car and installing additional equipment. In addition to the winch (telfer), can be installed, which protects the front of the car from various types of solid objects. In general, it is put on cars that participate in off-road racing, as well as wheels in the forest and mountain areas.

Tuning the rear bumper is the installation of a towing device and mounted additional light. In most cases, the towbar is chrome plated and has an attractive exterior design. For technical purposes it is rarely used, but more serves to perfect the design of an SUV or pickup truck.

Tuning of domestic cars

Often owners of cars VAZ prefer to tune up their cars. This is used by manufacturers of parts. Important in this process is the price of the bumper. Tuning VAZ is quite common among motorists. If you decide to change your bumper, count on the price around 100-300 dollars, depending on the model. If you have VAZ 2107, the cost will be about 50-70 $. For example, about 170-200 dollars is on VAZ-2172 tuned bumper. "Priora", tuning which is often done by owners, becomes after these changes unrecognizable.

The second place is firmly established legendary "Volga". Here the prices range from 150 to 500 dollars. The high cost is due to the fact that the cavity of the part is larger, and accordingly, the material and the time for manufacturing go more.

Of course, very different in domestic cars, the price of a bumper. Tuning VAZ therefore also has a different cost, which includes the price for the very part and services of the master.

Staining

Tuning a bumper is a complex technological process that requires the availability of certain equipment and skills. Usually the parts that are made to order are painted in the color of the car. Let's consider the full technological process of painting the tuned bumper:

1. You need to start by preparing a part. To do this, the surface is ground, all roughness is removed, and flaws are removed. This is done with the help of an angle grinder and special polishing wheels, which are different for different materials.
2. Degreasing. Everyone knows that this is done with the help of special tools, for example, a solvent.
3. Application of putty. As in construction, when using a bumper, the starting and finishing fillers are used. Each producer chooses himself. First, a thin layer is applied starting option, and when it dries, finish the work with the finishing putty. After drying, sand the surface.
4. Padding. This process is simple. Using a spray gun, apply 2 coats of primer.
5. When the primer dried, go to the painting stage. The paintwork is laid in 2 layers. It is worth noting that the varnish is applied if the surface is plastic or metal.

Painting can be done by yourself with the availability of special equipment or contact a professional paint masters. Ends with painting the bumper tuning. Prices for painting start at $ 200.

Accessories

The accessory part is very important. It includes:

• Installation of additional optics, daytime running lamps, fog lamps and side lights.
• Manufacture or purchase with further installation of chrome products. For the production of special baths are used, which with the help of electricity allow ordinary metal parts to become shiny and attractive.
• Installation of grills, which can usually be purchased inexpensively in stores.
• Other accessories.

Thus, after attaching these parts, the bumper gets the final look and is mounted on the car.