Aluminum Rear Bumper Project

Jim Sullivan

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
Nice thing about those is no need for chrome plating! Aluminum polishes to a mirror finish quite easily! (only downside is protecting it, maybe anodizing?)

I guess after this the Z-11 hood and fender sets? :waiting2: :unsure:
Not in the near future. A hood and fenders would be such a huge undertaking, not sure I'm up to that challenge, yet. Maybe when I retire or hit the lottery, I'll have some extra time on my hands. Probably not though.:crazy
 

Jim Sullivan

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
Jim, can you take this,


View attachment 82057

and turn it into this? (it's 5052 soft)



View attachment 82059
:scratch I'm not sure about that. It's easy starting with a sheet of aluminum, if I screw up it is repurposed for something else and no loss to anyone but me.:D But take one part and try and shape it to the other and screw up.... then what? :hide Just out of curiosity, how thick is the aluminum? Are there certifications needed to fabricate or repair aircraft parts?
 

Deadwolf

Well Known Member
I work on Utility Generators, 100 MVA to 1000 MVA, and we use some resins that are super hard when they cure. I wonder if you lined the inside of an original bumper in a Teflon tape and just pored it full of one of these super hard epoxies would that make you a buck for pounding on. You could even tape bolts in the mounting holes and then screw them out of the epoxy and use those holes for your hold points. While all this sounds good in theory I think the big hold up is the cost of these epoxies are over $100 for a single quart.
 

Jim Sullivan

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
There are a couple companies that sell casting epoxies, that are strong enough to make metal stamping dies. They are not super expensive, but are more costly than the fiberglass filler. And then there is the shipping cost. The filler handled the beating I put on it very well, showing no ill effects. For ease of access and the cost, I'm pretty happy with the filler. One thing that I did before casting the bumper "buck", was to sand, prime, paint and wax the inside of the bumper. After the filler hardened, it popped right out, at least with a little pre-trimming of the bumper;).
 

Jim Sullivan

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
A bad day tig welding air cleaner parts. Could not keep the tungsten out of the puddle. Can't see with my glasses on or off. So, I used up another 1 1/2 gallons of filler casting the other bumper end. IMG_20200509_092022.jpgIMG_20200509_105835.jpgNow to prep the center for casting and order more filler.
 
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