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View Full Version : Making my own M'z style bumper flares (Image heavy and LONG...)


mullenba
04-08-2008, 09:52 PM
Well, since nobody seems to be able to get these flares, and I'm looking for a reason to practice my fiberglass and molding skills (and learn some new ones), I figured I'd try my hand at making some bumper flares. I thought maybe if I show folks how I'm doing it (whether it works or not...) maybe I could stimulate some new stuff for our cars.

By the way, this is a work in progress, and I've been pretty busy, so I'm figuring I'm about 2 weeks from finishing. I'll skip all the mistakes and set backs I've had so far and bring you up to where I'm at now.

First off, the famous picture of what I'm basing my flares on.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/MzTuneMS6.jpg

Ok, so the first thing I did was make a basic template to get a rough curve of the bumper. At this point I was using floral foam, but it's really too porous to be used for this kind of thing. Well, it worked for this step anyway. I assembled the curve with small blocks of foam and hot glued them together. I figured it was easier than trying to trace the curve onto cardboard or something, or trying to do the whole curve at once.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1041Medium.jpg

Next, I copied the piece into foam insulation (pink EPS foam). Two pieces gave me close to the thickness I was going for. The yellow foam is a thin piece of actual molding foam that I "acquired" from work. ;) I glued the pieces together with more hot glue.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1044Medium.jpg

I realized pretty quickly that it's almost impossible to get a really good fit with just foam (Believe me, I tried and TRIED). So I figured I'd use expanding foam to fill the gaps. To do this safely, you have to really protect your bumper. Expanding foam would be a really, really, bad thing to get on your paint. I used two layers of painters tape and a generous amount of turtle wax.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1043Medium.jpg

Ok, this part took a few tries... I found out that it's easier to spray the foam onto the bumper and then press the foam into it. Don't spray onto the foam, it just doesn't turn out as even. Also don't rush it. Leave it on there for at LEAST an hour... two is better. This picture is actually from one of the attempts that didn't work, but you get the idea (notice a bit of a gap in there...)
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1047Medium.jpg

Make sure you have a way of holding the foam in place (firmly) because the expansion of the spray foam will force it away from the bumper and ruin things. (Yep, learned that the hard way too...) This is how not to do it:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1045Medium.jpg

I ended up piling all kinds of stuff against it to hold it hard against the bumper. When I pulled it off, here is what I had.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1055Medium.jpg

With some trimming, you're ready to shape it. I used a hacksaw blade and a razor blade and ended up with this.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1058Medium.jpg

After some sanding...
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1061Medium.jpg

It's still pretty rough, but the foam is pretty soft and difficult to sand evenly. I'm planning to even things out with filler when I glass up the plug later. This is good enough for this stage. Right now I'm working on the piece for the other side. I should have it done by the weekend, and I'll try to glass in the mounting tabs on the bottom during the weekend (when I can let the car sit long enough for the glass to cure). After that, I hope to get the mold made (with the help of an actual fiberglass expert from work) the next weekend, and I'll be good to go after that. I'll take more pictures and add updates along the way. Any questions, let me know.
Shane5425
04-08-2008, 10:05 PM
nice.. looks like it will be pretty cool..
MAZDASPEED619
04-09-2008, 04:32 AM
good job, keep it up... wish i had the skills to fab something up like this! can't wait to see the end result! do you plan on making this for someone that would really be interested??? like me! if so hook a fellow MS6er up!!!
Speed6mps
04-09-2008, 05:06 AM
Wow, Amazing...So is this a home project? if so could you enlighten us on materials? I'm sure you have plenty of skill, just curious.
mullenba
04-09-2008, 06:09 AM
good job, keep it up... wish i had the skills to fab something up like this! can't wait to see the end result! do you plan on making this for someone that would really be interested??? like me! if so hook a fellow MS6er up!!!

Well, if it turns out well then I probably will be able to make some to sell. I'll really just have to see how it turns out. I didn't really mention it in the original post but I'm actually just making the plug for a mold so once the mold is done I should be able to make more pretty easily.

For materials, I'm using EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) insulation foam and "Great Stuff" expanding foam for the plug. For the mold I'll be using some heavy marine fiberglass cloth with epoxy resin, and for the final product I'll be using the same heavy cloth, but I'm not sure about the resin, probably epoxy again.

If you don't know about resins, you have two main choices. Polyester, which are styrene based, cure quickly, are very hard, are very harsh, and eat through some materials. But, on the plus side they're cheap. On the other hand, there's Epoxy, which cures slowly, it's more flexible when cured, it's much nicer to other materials, and it's more expensive. I'm going with epoxy because the poly eats through the foam I'm using for my plug and I also want the final pieces to be more resilient and resistant to cracking.

The fiberglass cloth is being supplied by a friend, he bought it from one of the yacht companies in the area, it's the stuff they use to lay up yacht hulls.
mazdaspeed32007
04-12-2008, 07:49 PM
i like the bike on the side. 1000cc? subbin'
Igve2shtz
04-12-2008, 08:18 PM
Nice project. Ive dabbled in a bit of fiberglassing myself, but never had the patience. Good Luck!
Qwik6
04-27-2008, 09:18 PM
Any updates?
mullenba
04-29-2008, 09:14 PM
Sorry for the lack of updates. It's been one step forward, two steps back for the last couple weeks. I've had several restarts... sides weren't even, went too heavy with the bondo so the accumulation was taking me too far from my measurements, I didn't like the angle of the slope coming from the wheel well... What can I say? I'm really obsessive. I'll get a couple more cycles of bondo and sanding and try to get some pictures up by Thursday night.
mullenba
05-01-2008, 09:53 PM
Well, I'll post some pics of my soon to be scrapped bumper flares. This set is going to have to go because they're just too big! These things are monsters. I think they stick out about an inch too far in the sides and front. By the way, I realize they look like crap, they're about half way through smoothing. I just never looked at them both together like this, they just don't look right.

Please pardon the dirty camera lens.

Here they are:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1086Small.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1087Small.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1088Small.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/Kingstudly/IMG_1089Small.jpg
Qwik6
05-02-2008, 01:08 AM
hmm. maybe have the curve similar to the contour of the car and less pointy.?
SNike05
05-02-2008, 10:24 AM
they definitely seem too pointy. Try making the outside curve closer in radius to the inside.
mullenba
05-02-2008, 12:35 PM
Hmm... I kind of liked it a little pointy... I thought it made it more sporty looking. I can see what you guys are saying though. I think I'll make them a bit smaller and round them out more and see how that looks.
mazdaspeed32007
05-02-2008, 02:11 PM
also looking at the pic you were basing off of look at the corners of your flare then the pic you supplied. the corners of theirs isnt such a square off. it also isnt smooth. its a happy medium to give it that sporty modified look along with the flowing smooth look.
chaunchy_sp6gt
05-20-2008, 04:50 PM
Whoah.....Quik6. I saw the M'z tune flare on your sig picture and my heart skipped a beat. I thought they were suppose to be impossible to get.....Then I realized it was photochoped. looks freaking bad ass.

I got a buddy working on getting me a pair. appearantly there are only two M'z tune dealers in all of Japan. His father works for mazda in japan and is trying to get me a pair. I had to give them my vin # to be able to secure it. He said their only concern was that they wanted to make sure they fit? And that I wasn't allowed to return it. Man, I hope he comes through with it.....I'm thinking about getting the lip spoiler that goes over the lip spoiler too. It'd be nice to get the whole JDM look on the speed6. I wish there where more body kit options for the speed6.
Qwik6
05-21-2008, 01:29 AM
:)
What lip spoiler are you talking about?
chaunchy_sp6gt
05-21-2008, 09:24 AM
If you look carefully at the original picture on the first post, you'll notice on the rear trunk spoiler that there is another strip on top of that one. Kinda like a small spoiler on top of the spoiler. The M'z tune Atenza also has rear windsheild wiper which seems kinda cool (no it's not the 5 door). Here a link to the link to the pdf of the original brochure. Sorry if the link doesn't work (this is my first attempt at puting up a link). http://ms-atenza.disi-turbo.org/pdf/msatenza_xacar.pdf

or just copy and paste the above.

V
freekwonder
05-22-2008, 02:57 AM
Keep us updated, I have honestly never paid attention to the flares, but they look really good.
snooky
05-22-2008, 11:17 AM
man I LOVE IT, i've been trying to get my hands on these for sooooo long, cant tell you how many threads of commented and started lol one question though how would you keep them on? 3mm double sided tape is no strong enough and i wouldn't put a screw there...?
snooky
06-10-2008, 04:32 PM
soo what's the status???????
Qwik6
06-11-2008, 12:26 AM
Too late for me. I just ordered DG motorsports front splitters :(
chaunchy_sp6gt
06-11-2008, 03:16 AM
M'z tune is out and will not be making any more. They will refurbish ones that has been in an accident. This case is now closed. It's official, shy of heading to japan and grabbing the 5 finger discount off a real M'z tune MS6, these things no longer exist. I'm pretty bummed.

Now I'm thinking of finding a flare off of some other car and fabricating something for a mold. I know Toyota is puting a lot of plastic on their cars these days (think corrolla S model) I work in tooling/plastics and think I may be able to come up with some type of a mold that I can use to thermoform the actual piece. I really want something to set my baby apart from the rest. I don't like that CF is not impact resistance. I'm thinking some type of urathane or thermoset material. Wishful thinking, but I do have some time coming up......It'll be alot of late night sneaking into the shop.
snooky
06-11-2008, 08:45 AM
I agree that would be the best, keep us posted im sure there are a lot of interested people...
good luck



M'z tune is out and will not be making any more. They will refurbish ones that has been in an accident. This case is now closed. It's official, shy of heading to japan and grabbing the 5 finger discount off a real M'z tune MS6, these things no longer exist. I'm pretty bummed.

Now I'm thinking of finding a flare off of some other car and fabricating something for a mold. I know Toyota is puting a lot of plastic on their cars these days (think corrolla S model) I work in tooling/plastics and think I may be able to come up with some type of a mold that I can use to thermoform the actual piece. I really want something to set my baby apart from the rest. I don't like that CF is not impact resistance. I'm thinking some type of urathane or thermoset material. Wishful thinking, but I do have some time coming up......It'll be alot of late night sneaking into the shop.
mysleeper6
06-11-2008, 11:09 AM
I am completely in disbelief that someone with the capacity to mold these and some type of CAD system to design them has not jumped on this. I mean, I really applaud your efforts to do this yourself but surely one of the major body kit manufacturers could crank these out for next to nothing and sell them all day. Anyone got a connection?
snooky
06-11-2008, 02:56 PM
I am completely in disbelief that someone with the capacity to mold these and some type of CAD system to design them has not jumped on this. I mean, I really applaud your efforts to do this yourself but surely one of the major body kit manufacturers could crank these out for next to nothing and sell them all day. Anyone got a connection?

i was thinking the SAME thing! between this and the empty grill idea, they can make a nice profit, i spoke to nextmod about it and they told me if they and enough people interested they would do it. I have over 20 people sign and and they they backed off because they didn't want to become registered vendors on our forum....
mysleeper6
06-11-2008, 03:42 PM
Not sure what registered vendor status entails (cost/benefit, etc.) but it sure would be nice to have more options for appearance mods.
snooky
10-14-2008, 11:53 AM
any updates??
JDM-P5
10-15-2008, 12:48 PM
DG has a nice splitter set...lol.