Wide Body Civic How To and ????'s

General Composites Discussions Composites Talk
#1

Hello I am new to this forum My name is Scott. By trade I am a machinest/tool&die maker. I have been into customizing cars for as long as I can remember.I have done my share of body work and painting. I am new to all this Composite stuff though. And would like to thank everyone for what they contribute hear it is alot of help. I have done alot of reading hear and used to read alot on fiberglast.com web site. My newest project is trying to make a wide body for my Honda Civic hatchback. I am kinda trying to make it look like a DTM car. I want to widen the fenders 4", and also widen the bumpers out to match. I have seen many techniques used to make plugs but would love all your input as well. I now this is a huge project and I will probably experiment with smaller stuff as well but I have started this and would like to continuee. I will post some pictures of my progress so far. Not much though except for taring the car apart and cutting 4" out of the fenders to get the car to fit 18" wheels and sit very low to the ground. And I also started the front bumper.
Here are some of the questions I have.

  1. What is the best way to start to widen the Body" Make the plug". I was going to use foam, Shape it then fiberglass over that. I was also thinking of Cutting MDF to the shape of the wheel wells and side skirt and then filling in behind it with foam. What kinda Foams do you guys recomend. The front bumper I made out of the pink stuff you get at Homedepo. But I have seen people also use The Green floral foam. This stuff is easy to shape and cut but it seems a little week. What about 2 part spray foam?

  2. When your laying Glass up On the bottom of something with gravity working against you, How do you keep the mat from pulling away. What is the best mat to use, I would think chop?

    Ok enough questions for now here are some pictures.

What Im trying to achieve.

A comparison and Fast photoshop

My fender cut up 4" to accomadate 18" wheels

Picture of 2 hoods Im grafting together not finished obviously

#2

The continuation.

Making the front Bumper plug and misc tools.

#3

And one more.

Because I was board. winter bahumbug. And I needed a vision

Please let me now what you think and any oppinions. I would also like all the help I could get. It is going to be a long project and will take me a while but I will try to keep updates hear.

Thank you, Scott AKA " Fabric8r "

#4

To be totally honest, you’re better off finding either a widebody kit already made for your car, or chopping up something that’s close and making it fit.
It will be a couple $K to do everything right, and make proper plugs and molds of all the pieces. I know it may seem easy, but even people with several years experience in composites would have a hard time with this. This may help though: http://ahru.co.jp/ Go to the bottom of the page and check out F50 parts 1-4.
As an aside, you have a lot of other work to do to build anything remotely close to a touring car! The puny front brakes are nearly invisible, and it needs to get rid of the rear drums. Bad choice in wheel and tire size too IMO, and can’t imagine the suspension is complete.
Good project though, and will be very satisfying if you pull it off.

#5

Just a small thing, but have you checked whether or not you have wheel/arch clearance when suspension is fully compressed?

Worth remembering race cars need very little clearance, as suspension movement is minimal, and very often provided by compliance of bump stop rubbers.

#6

Ive messed with lots of car stuff for guys and the only thing Im gonna tell you is this…no matter what anyone tells you, the fiberglass is going to crack away from the car.

Ive tried it a dozen times with all kinds of stuff and never seen a molded in kit that didnt crack out after awhile.

If I was you…Id do it in metal and make the bumbers out of glass.

The only car Ive ever had success with is one that we made the wide body kit out of metal and welded it to the car.

But your plug is the right starting point…on mon or tues Ill post up a link I have to some china guys (I think) making a NSX into an ENZO…should give you some ideas.

#7

Are you sure it’s not the NSX to F50 conversion in my link to the Japanese site?

#8

Hello Thanks for the replys and links. I now this is going to be very hard to accomplish. And I also now it will be a bit pricy but you have to do what you love. Im always looking for challenges. And everytime someone tells me Im crazy It getts me more inspired because I love when I finish something and people are just amazed. About the remark on the suspension. I am planning on building my own chassis and custom suspension. It isnt even close to started yet. I am also planning on making it rear wheel drive with the motor in the back. It will have disk breaks all around. and the suspension is going to be a custom Hydraulic/Strut set up.
I cant wate for winter to get over so I can get back out in the garage and do some work. Right now Im just doing alot of reserch and planning. So any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you, Scott

#9

I take it that its a pure show car, as if you have no previous experience of chassis design, and intend to use hydrualic strut suspension it would probably be pretty dodgy to drive on the road.

#10

I think you’re going about it fine. I’ve used styrofoam to make plugs,also. I’ve even made complete car body plugs using it. If you’re going to make moulds, consider covering the syrofoam with at least one layer of fibreglass using epoxy. As you probably know, polyester aggressively attacks styrofoam.It will give you a relitively hard surface,then you can finish the surface of your plug with bondo etc.
As far as laminating on what I assume you mean an overhang,it is tricky, but as long as you don’t try and lay-up too much at a time, you’ll be okay. I don’t use poyester/chopped strand mat much any more to make moulds, but I use epoxy tooling pastes which stay in place on an overhang.
Were you thinking of using the mouldless technique to avoid making a mould?

#11

Yeah thats the one…I couldnt remember what one it was its been so long since I looked at it.

linky http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f=6&i=54674&t=54674