Autobody
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You are currently reading a thread in /o/ - Auto
How do I find a shop that will do a good job at a plastiweld?
Hell like 10 years ago I was thinking of getting the '99 front bumper for my FD, but I couldn't find a good solution for it.
There is more than one manufacturer that was making their own custom '99 plateless front bumper, but they all had fitment and sagging issues whereas the real '99 year JDM one fits fine.
So I was thinking maybe I'd get that, and have a body shop shave off and fill in the plate...
The problem is bondo or whatever is going to crack since the urethane bumper will bend around it.
So the question is, how do I find an autobody shop that I can actually trust and who is capable of filling in a urethane bumper with more urethane and actually doing a good job on it that looks good and will last and not crack?
OP picture is a replica.
You can see the front part isn't rounded as much, sags, and the fit isn't great.
Here is one that is a JDM bumper with was shaved and filled that looks way, way better.
Do it yourself. That seems like a small enough area that you could find a few tutorials online and really put some time into it to make it exactly how you want it.
I learned this lesson early on. I had a spoiler that needed painting, and for an extra $20 they said they put it on for me. So why not?
Big mistake. It was off-center, didn't go with the lip of the trunk, and was just horrible. They drilled holes where it wasn't necessary and the trunk leaked. I could of done a better job in an afternoon than what they slapped on in 10 minutes.
>>14831234
It's a pretty big area.
I have a soldering iron...
Also I'm guessing it's thermalset pastic on the OEM bumper so it's not like I can just melt and bend what's there in place, I'm going to need a lot of filler.
I don't have an angle grinder either.
I'm not sure if I trust myself to do it. Though yeah, I can't trust most autobody shops, either.
99-spec looks weird without front plate.
>>14831625
I think
>>14831228
looks fine.
A lot of plateless '99 front bumper RX-7s look bad because they are knockoffs and are poorly fitted, I think.
Maybe it would be better to just keep the plateholder though, eh..
I think it mostly just looks weird without the plate since most of the knockoffs are droopy and less rounded.
I don't like any of the aftermarket bumpers.
Can't really top the 2 OEM ones for the FD.
>>14831966
Those gaps... on the right headlight, pinched on the left, uneven gap between the hood.
Here's another example of those replicas fitting poorly.
>>14831949
Or maybe I could just shave off the parts of it sticking out, and plastic weld the plate holder back in place with it leaned back.
Sort of like the C5 Corvette plate holder. That might look better than plateless and might be easier.
Or it might be harder instead, lining it up so the plate holder is even, unlike smoothing it off where I can just sand it to shape if anything is uneven after plastic welding in filler.
>>14832019
g-guys
>>14832019
Do you need a front plate?
If you do, just keep it that way. It will look better than whatever monstrosity you are thinking of making.
If you don't need a front plate just buy a bumper without a plate holder. Unless your an experienced autobody guy, messing with those thermoplastic bumpers is a pain in the ass and your going to mess it up. It will never look right again.
>>14832552
No I don't need one where I currently live.
But the urethane plateless '99 replicas are pretty awful, like I said. I want an OEM kouki front bumper but I don't like the plate holder jutting out.
>>14832567
Are there no OEM plateless ones for your year?
>>14832578
The '99+ year RX-7 was only sold in Japan, with the plate holder.
>>14832604
well then I guess your out of luck. I wouldn't chop up a bumper made out of this plastic. Personally I would buy an aftermarket one like Keisuke had. Take off the front splitter and you are set. You could probably use the extra cooling :) I also think they look reaaaallly good.
>>14832645
That bumper is $1100.
>>14832645
The '99 JDM bumper already has twice the cooling of the earlier years.
I don't like those aftermarket ones, they ruin the look of the car.
>>14832764
>>14832709
well it looks like your out of options
either "downgrade" to the earlier model bumper or keep it stock. Hacking up your bumper is not an option because of the material.
>>14832840
I don't really get the big deal. Is plastic welding that much harder than doing bondo work?
It honestly looks like something I could do myself, but I'd rather there be a shop experienced with that sort of work to insure it's good.
I used to work with molding plastic, though potentially ruining a $600 bumper gives me a little anxiety.
Honestly, the urethane replica bumpers aren't bad. There aren't good or bad replicas. These urethane replicas all came from the same mold. If you get a skilled body tech doing the install, you can probably get it looking decent like >>14831852.
>>14831966 is my car. It looks like shit because I installed it myself with no experience.
I say do it yourself, but practice on junk bumpers first.
3m, ever coat, sem, etc make urethane and epoxy based adhesives that are sandable. Which means very little plastic filler would be required. Read what you can on google for similar projects and learn from others mistakes.
>>14832934
Yeah. I know the plateless replicas are all from the same mold but some look better or worse.
>>14831852 does look alright. I imagine using the '99 inner bumper support bracket helps get it to the right shape. Most I see have the front flat and sagging instead of having that rounded shape and being tucked up more, which might be why a lot of them look bad.
But even the ones that are fitted nice and aren't sagging, they still look a little... off. Like something is missing there.
Which is why I'm thinking it might be best to lean the plate holder back, but still have it there with a mini "RX-7" plate on it.
Was the knock-off you got made to be compatible with the '99 inner bumper, or is the inside of it different and made to fit the '93 inner bumper except for the cutting part?
>>14832963
I'm thinking the plastic strips to melt in would be better than the epoxies except when it comes to filler.
