fixed my bumper. it is just back to it's former glory. a guy at work told me that I can get a fiberglass fix-it kit from NAPA for about $30 and that might be a good way to go. I haven't priced it yet but it may be an idea for the future.

right now, I am going to leave it as the last attempt went wrong. at least it was fixable.

One trick for making caulking look good: Ice Cubes!

1) Tape off the area that you don't want caulk on
2) Apply caulk
3) Smooth caulking out with Ice Cube (use the round side for a valley or the flat side for a flat finish
4) Remove tape and excess caulk before it skins

Once you've done this a few times you get better and better at it and you'll use less and less caulk.

I had a few things going against me.

-it was raining so humidity was through the roof
-I was impatient and lazy
-I put it on really thick in places (some were over 1/4" thick)
-I painted over it well before it cured
-I drove it the next day in the rain (with all of it's squishy goodness)

I really do need to stop thinking of caulk as body filler. I guess my problem is that I have never really done any body work (not real body work) and I am using what I know.

I might play around with fiberglass but I don't know. my car is worth around $700 and the question was asked to my several times already "Why do I care?"

You care because it's a challenge to see how much gas you can save, that's why! :thumbup: And it's fun to modify your cars and learn things at the same time.

I guess the question is the function and form issue. the function is there, just not the form (in a sense)

I was blessed with the 2.2 liter with a combined mileage of 25 which means that stupid good mileage will never be mine (not in number anyway, maybe percent) I also have the automatic which means I am that much more limited. I don't even consider a trans swap as that is not really my thing.

I talked with a user (phleas) that has a similar car to mine but gets almost 66mpg. he is in the top 10 for gas cars (2003 cavalier) I talked with him about what he had done and what he would recommend for my next move. he told me of his wife's car which was also a cavalier and was an automatic. he told me that the best he had ever done in that car was 37. that being said, it was unmodified and was all driving technique. I have seen 40 though it wasn't consistent.

I now drive more with longevity in mind. High-G turns are still there but not as high. rolling stop lights (apart from being illegal) have stopped for me as well. I still run speed limit or lower depending on people around me. I just had the funny feeling that if I continued to do certain things, I was going to get popped (an accident I mean). even if it was the other guys fault, his insurance would write me a $500 check or something in the area. that wouldn't buy me another car and mine has shown itself to be very reliable.

Ok, I can't leave well enough alone....cause I don't think it's well enough, lol.

I found someone selling conveyor belt rubber on eBay HERE and I will be purchasing a 4" wide 1/8" thick roll to make a rubber version of the FiberEdge Lip for use during winter. Unfortunately it's a 50' long roll. I guess I'll have to make a few lips for some of my friends ;)
I believe the duromter rating on the material is sufficient to flex well and still be able to retain its shape...can anyone confirm this that knows more about durometer ratings?

The brackets will be recycled from the FiberEdge Lip but cut down so there is only one bolt holding on the rubber per bracket. This will allow the Lip to still hang down nice and low, but will also allow the rubber to move out of the way when it hits something.

I can't wait until payday now, lol.

I've always wanted/was inspired by Rubber Racing Lip.com but cost was prohibitive (about $150 IIRC)

UPDATE:
So after some internet searching the Durometer rating of 60-65 for this product is similar to a rubber tire which should be perfect. PDF info here

I'm thinking with 50' of this stuff that I could draw up templates for the brackets and send off the instructions along with a long enough (6.5' for 2dr and 3dr civics from 92-95) chuck of rubber to make your own lip if you wanted.

I made the FiberEdge lip using a hacksaw, drill, 1/4" drill bit, 1/4" machine head screws and 1/4" nuts, and a vice and rubber mallet (for bending the brackets) and aluminum 1/8" thick 1" wide by 2' long flat stock bought from Home Depot.

The initial cost for the flat stock, bolts, and FiberEdge was $40, but that was for 16' of Fiberedge (enough to make two full lips) the Fiberedge was the expensive part, costing $33.

I'd like to know who else would be interested in getting the instructions and some rubber from me. PM would be best.

I like the look as well. The vent to one side is very distinctive.

Is the vent to one side for a functional reason or is that purely styling?

Another thing that I wonder if using Good Stuff is safe on a car since it is flamable? *yikes!*

I think that it is only flamable straight out of the can. maybe it emmits a gas as it expands.

I think once it hardens, it's fine.

I may be wrong

It is more flamable right out of the can but still quite flamable once dried. I recently finished caulking and weatherstripping my home. I read up on materials and the pros and cons of each. The expanding foam is not recommended for sealing gaps because it is extremely flamable in comparision to other materials (such as caulk). My local fire department warns residents not to use this product to seal gaps in the home and especially not near any gas or electric appliances or wiring because it can catch fire quickly. I'm thinking that near a gasoline engine, there could be an increased risk of fire.

wow, that really does suck

(rethinking the great stuff modifications)

Thanks.
The vent is where the radiator sits on the 92-95 Civics so it is purely function over form there.

I personally dislike asymmetrical styling on cars, but since I know it serves a specific function I let it go, lol.
Open flame can set the great stuff on fire, but after it has cured for 24hours it takes direct contact with flame for about a minute to catch fire. The Great Stuff in the bumper is covered with Bondo and Fiberglass Jelly and the backside is enclosed and my car doesn't shoot out any flames, so It'll be ok ;)

Do you have any shots of the fabrication? That looks absolutely fantastic. You really got my attention with this one, any links on how-to do the Great Stuff/jelly process?

oneinchsidehop,

I actually started a thread similar to this one where I show how I did mine (youtube vid). I will admit that mine didn't come out as good as TomO's did but I like the results. we talked about it extensively in this thread above. he was a good resource and pretty much talked me through the process (good to have internet friends).

also, if it helps, I don't do body work. this was only my second attempt (counting the failed attempt to do this the first time).

remember that all cars are different so don't go closing off anything permanently unless you know your car is fine with it.

https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=11764

Bookmarked!!! That was excellent, exactly what I was hoping for. And it looks GREAT.

Thou dost rawk. :thumbup:

Thanks for fielding that one BEEF!

Good luck and glad that we could be ome inspiration for your project oneinchsidehop!

remember that film quality hides a lot of flaws.

I think that you said it best (TomO) "we are our own worst critic"

also remember, the more time you spend on it, the better it will turn out.

I ended up purchasing a bumper from the local pull-a-part (junk yard) so that I could spend more time on it.

Wow i like the whole front. Great fab work! Is the only openning there enough to keep your radiator cool, especially during summer. I'm from WI so i though i'd check. I've got a 99 front bumper, so that process could infact help me alot. :thumbup: :thumbup:

I assume you are directing that towards TomO.

I would suggest using plexi-glass or coroplast to cover your grill just to see how much you can get away with before you make it too permanent. I had my grill covered for more than a year before I did mine.

as stated above, all cars are different so you have to find out what works for you and also the average temps vary from area to area. in wisconsin you should be able to get away with more than people from other areas (more southern ones) because average temps should be lower.

I would say to experiment first and go from there.

Go with What BEEF said and experiment with the opening first.

I had mine blocked for nearly two years before actually making that bumper so I knew what size opening I could use. It is big enough to keep the engine within normal operating temps on a 90?F day going 65mph on the highway for 4 hours, even with 45 minutes of stop and go traffic too.

Thanks BEEF*. Plexiglass? Are there plexiglass that is strong enough, and bendable to be shaped for the openning? Where would be the best place to find something like that? Sorry, 1 more question for you (BEEF*). How do you cut the plexiglass (rotory saw? saw zaw?). Thanks

plexiglass may be the wrong word for it. I use the plastic sheeting from lowes (lowes home improvement).

it is near the glass cutting section. I think it is about 1/8 inch thick. what I did is buy a sheet about the size of the opening, use a dremel to cut the shape out for the opening, use bolts with fender washers and wing nuts to attach it. the bolts with fender washers is so that it is easily removable if you find you have too much blockage.

I have actually cut the plexi (or similar) with a dremel (cut off wheel) and with a jig saw. if you use a jig saw (or similar) use a metal cutting bit (for the small teeth) and go really slow....really really slow. mine took some time to cut out because of it's size but if you go too fast, it will take out a chunck.

If I can find the pics of my first grill block, I will post it. it may give a better explination to what I did.


******edit*****

this took some digging but here is my first one. notice that I did it in sections so I could take a section off if needed. I also used the fender washers (the large washers) so that there are no extra holes in the car and you can see where I used the jig saw and went too fast. that is where the sharks tooth looking pieces are broke out of the block.

my front end looks completely different now.

https://i49.tinypic.com/dpijpi.jpg