moddedcorsa
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Registered: 15th Aug 02
Location: Argyll, West scotland
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whats the bast way to smooth lines out on std post 97 bumpers? just fiberglass filler then normal filler? (I know that fiberglass/filler dont work that well with abs), what do you use?
And for the numberplate light, whats the best way to cover the hole and smooth it off (As i will have a smooth tailgate done at same time as bumper)
also, is there any way of smoothing the towing eye cover in, but still using the towing eye if needed? Could i fit something similar to whats on the front of vectras etc?
[Edited on 06-06-2003 by moddedcorsa]
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Icy
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Registered: 31st Jan 01
Location: Edinburgh Drives: Mk3 Golf Gti
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shud do on rear tow eye.
my old rieger rear had a wee hole for the tow eye insted of normal post rear with a flap/panel
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Fear
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Registered: 20th Nov 02
Location: Down off the hill
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I did away with the hole in my reiger rear for towing ring cuz i thought if i was in teh position where i would need it(eg in a ditch) then i could just take the bumper off and use original!!!!!!
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Kris TD
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Registered: 25th Mar 02
Location: Ware, Hertfordshire
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to be honest its a bit big to fill the hole. i would cut the back off the rigde to there is a slit the whole legth of the bumper, then use fibreglass matt on the back of the hole, then use fibreglass strand filler then smooth it with body filler. this way you will only have a few mm of filler rather than like 2 cm of it, it would probably crack if you just filled it completely, plus you would use shit loads. as for the number plate light, cut the lumpy bit off and use the same method as above, you matting then fill over the top.
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moddedcorsa
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Registered: 15th Aug 02
Location: Argyll, West scotland
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cheers every1
Kris - have u done this before? Will it stick ok? Sum1 recomended a plastic repair kit? any opinions on these? (ive never seen them b4)
Icy have ui got any pics of this thing? Also how do these towing eyes work? Im guessing u pop the small round cover off, then screw the eye into a nut welded onto sumwhere? any1 got pics/diagrams etc?
anymore opinions/ideas?
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Kris TD
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Registered: 25th Mar 02
Location: Ware, Hertfordshire
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i havent done it exactly but have done similar. removed the grills on my old pre 97 front and smoothed out rigdes on fibreglass bumpers.
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Kris TD
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Registered: 25th Mar 02
Location: Ware, Hertfordshire
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ive also repaired plastic bumpers using this method and they havent cracked or anything.
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newboy
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Registered: 10th Jul 02
Location: glos
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to cover the number plate light hole cut it out completely then find abit of thin plastis. heat it up, then bent to fit in the back , then fibreglass in position. then just fibo and filler over the top
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STEvieXE
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Registered: 21st Jan 03
Location: Ballymena N.I.
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the number plate hole i would cut out and for the best way to do it would be plastic weld a piecer of plastic into it and then just stopper it till its flush. u can use the fibrefil/isopon way which should do the job nicely but without a doubt the plastic welding would be the best option. only thing is no alot of people can plastic weld. need to find a bodyshop that can do it. as for the bumper lines, i would use fibrefill then smooth off with bumper fill. u can get this stuff in halfords, not to dear and its designed for using on plastics so its highly flexible.
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moddedcorsa
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Registered: 15th Aug 02
Location: Argyll, West scotland
User status: Offline
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cheers stevie, thats exactly what i wanna know.
Would it work if i got some pieces of abs plastic and melt them the edges into a liquid using a soldering iron and stick it in this way, (basically rough plastic welding)then fill over the top with the fibrefill, then bumper fill stuff?
only problem is that the nearest halfords is like 100 miles away, theres none in my area.
Can u give a name of the product so i can look/ask for it in local shops
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moddedcorsa
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Registered: 15th Aug 02
Location: Argyll, West scotland
User status: Offline
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ps any more help with the towing eye situation? Any 1 got pics/diagrams of how the towing eye works on a vectra?? all i know is theres a wee cap in the bumper. any 1?
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STEvieXE
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Registered: 21st Jan 03
Location: Ballymena N.I.
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u need to find a match to the plastic when ur plastic welding. for instance if ur wanna weld pp plastic ( all plastic parts r coded on the inside to tell u what type of plastic they r made from) not sure if u can weld certain types to other types but im sure u probably could. ideally u need to get the same type of plastic. then if u dont have a welder u could do it that way. u could put ur piece in and v out the edges of new bit and old bumper then melt them together with ur soldering iron. but itll be a tad rough. worth a try tho. also after welding the piece in i wouldnt bother fibrefilling it or ur back to the same situation as u would be in if u just f/glassed it coz its very rigid. just use the bumper filler. u wouldnt need to go to halfords, just said that as an example. u could get that sort of stuff in any motor factors.
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STEvieXE
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Registered: 21st Jan 03
Location: Ballymena N.I.
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theres no way u could smooth in the cover of towing eye and still use it unless u were prepered to cut the bumper if needed. unless u made a cut out or something and meshed it up and then if needed cut the mesh
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Kris TD
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Registered: 25th Mar 02
Location: Ware, Hertfordshire
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just thought, why dont u get a post 97 rear bumper and start from that, they have the towing eye covered.
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moddedcorsa
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Registered: 15th Aug 02
Location: Argyll, West scotland
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thats what im gonna use, just wanted to smooth the pannel out, but im not gonna bother now.
So i think ill have a go at welding a pannel over the rear light lense.
(yeah i know about the plastic codings, pp = polypropelene (spelling) etc
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Kris TD
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Registered: 25th Mar 02
Location: Ware, Hertfordshire
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use a soldering iron and do it from the underside. to se secure i would still fibreglass matt all over the bottom of the plastic once on.
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moddedcorsa
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Registered: 15th Aug 02
Location: Argyll, West scotland
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yeah i was planning on doin it from the bottom, and i think ill fibreglass it underneath aswell, or skim some bumper filler stuff over it
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Kris TD
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Registered: 25th Mar 02
Location: Ware, Hertfordshire
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when i removed the grills from my pre 97 front i cut them out, then soldered a piece of plastic under the gap, then fibreglass matted the bottom of the plastic, then skimmed over the top with p40 then p38 , it hasnt cracked or anything.
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moddedcorsa
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Registered: 15th Aug 02
Location: Argyll, West scotland
User status: Offline
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cool, p40, that fiberglass filler? and is p38 the normal smooth white filler?
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STEvieXE
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Registered: 21st Jan 03
Location: Ballymena N.I.
User status: Offline
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that would be a gd plan to matt over the bottom for extra strength. should be ok anyway tho coz if u match the plastic etc, plastic welding is about 80% as strong as the original. we do it alot on bikes etc that r damaged at the place where i work on saturdays
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moddedcorsa
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Registered: 15th Aug 02
Location: Argyll, West scotland
User status: Offline
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thanks guys, thats what im gonna do now, just need the bumper, Cheers
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