Stevebsy bumper plan

[Stevebsy]

It is likely that with enough orders that I will produce a fiberglass bumper similar to the one that won the poll that Rev Hard had set up.

I still need to investigate a few things such as material costs, tooling requirements, and labor required both for the tooling phase and the production phase.

I hope that by the end of this week I will have a minimum order and price established if I can find all the information I need.

I believe that I will ask for 1/3 or 1/2 down to cover the costs of getting the tooling done and collect the remainder at shipping time. Is that going to be a problem to anyone? I have a paypal account, so payment could be made that way or by money order I guess.

Sorry that things are a little uncertain right this second, but hopefully it will work out.

Any questions? Please ask now...

[Rev Hard]

Im done with it.. you have my blessing.. not that you needed it... ;)

PAUL!

[suby_qa]

Don't give up quite yet.

Were trying to find the bumper that we voted on.

Gunma man is helping us to locate one.

[Stevebsy]

Here is the bumper plan:

I will begin work on the bumper very soon, as soon as I can find a factory bumper skin from the junkyard.

If anyone has a bumper they are willing to sacrifice (you won't get it back!) by sending to me for tooling,
they will receive a FREE finished bumper. Please let me know quick!


Here are the features:
-Styled like the 'oneoff' pictures from Japan
-High quality and attention to detail, worthy of attachment to your SVX
-Will bolt directly to the existing attach points
-Made of sturdy fiberglass construction, suitable for high speeds
-License plate bracket will be supplied with each bumper we will it attach if requested
-Finished in primer (grey, black, or red primer at your request)
-The two lower scoops will be ready to attach air ducting of a standard size, or to mount lights in


Pricing/ordering information:
-Pricing will be $500 + shipping if I receive 10+ orders total by April 12
-Pricing will be $550 + shipping for <10 orders total by April 12
-I will not require a downpayment, but those who promise to purchase
and do not follow through will be publicly flogged/humiliated :)
-I will request payment when the production tooling is ready
-Estimated that production tooling will be ready Late May/Early June


Those who would like to order, or have questions, please send email to stevebsy@yahoo.com

If this project goes will (ie 10+ orders) I will definately be willing to do it again
perhaps modifying this design, or making a rear bumper, wing, or grill insert, whatever
you people want!

[deligeds]

Steve: Without a doubt, yo d'man! The plan sounds great - I personally am very appreciative of how quickly you've organized this project, and of the work you're willing to put into it. I only wish that I could do without a front bumper for a couple of months, in which case I'd sacrifice it to r&d in a heartbeat. Anyway, way to go, and count me in for a confirmed order. I'll check with the body shop regarding the best primer for my blue paint, and let you know through email.

[suby_qa]

I am willing to part with mine forever.

Does it have to be in like new condition?

If not, let me know and I will get it removed and shipped to you in a jiffy.


suby_qa

[Stevebsy]

Thanks suby_qa for being our donor bumper supplier!

Now let the fun begin :P

Quote:
I am willing to part with mine forever.

Does it have to be in like new condition?

If not, let me know and I will get it removed and shipped to you in a jiffy.

suby_qa

[cdigerlando]

I thought rev_hard said that he needed a template to work from? I agree, I like the bumper we picked.

[Stevebsy]

I am using suby_qa's bumper to make up most of my master pattern. I will carve away the middle sections and foglight holes and re-sculpt them. I will also fill in the groove that goes around the bumper and some of the lower airdam areas so that I can match the 'oneoff' bumper. (the one that won the poll)


Having an original part makes it easy to get it shaped right. It is about 100000x easier to work off an existing part and modify it than to start from scratch. This also means that once I complete this bumper and make a mold, to make another one with a different style will be a little easier.

Is this what you were wondering? If not please ask me again, as I'm a little sleepy right now.... ZZZ zzzzz

[cdigerlando]

I was replying that the nissan combat bumper was the closest thing to that bumper I could find. I don't think you could carve from it. Too bad we can't find out where that bumper design came from. If it was an expensive Jap part you could just buy one and mold it.

[vabnay]

I saw a post regarding the svx bumber on yahoo. Any update on timimg and cost. Thanks. Vabnay@aol.com

[Stevebsy]

Just to let you know the progress of things.....

1. I was just on vacation for the last week, so of course no progress there (other than for my sanity)

2. I have received the donor bumper from suby_qa -- many thanks are due him for his sacrifice

3. I am at the beginning of the moldmaking process right now. I still hope to hit the June timetable for starting production and shipping. At this point it I am pretty confident that I will be on schedule, but you know how things go sometimes :eek:

4. I will post a weekly update, or whenever big things happen as I go to keep you all in the loop

5. Hopefully I can get a webpage or something similar set up so I can post pictures and such.

6. I will set up arrangements for payment when I am ready to start production. I believe I'll set up something with paypal so you can pay with credit cards, but I'm still looking into it now.

That's about all for now, and thanks for all your interest
Steve

[cdigerlando]

Sounds great. I will want one immediately to complete my turbo project.

[svxboy]

I am so happy that you are still involved in the custom bumper. As you may already know, when your ready, we will take 3 of them. -Greg

[svxter]

Originally posted by Stevebsy
Just to let you know the progress of things.....

5. Hopefully I can get a webpage or something similar set up so I can post pictures and such.

That's about all for now, and thanks for all your interest
Steve

You can put them in your briefcase, on this site. Ask Sith how to set it up.

[Philip]

Hey, this bumper sounds really great. I checked out the Japanese one and its smooth, so you say yours will look very similiar to it? Well, if it is, you can count me in on the purchase, if you're still taking applicants. I will DEFINATELY buy one if you are. Please get a site together so we can see you're final product! I'm sorry for the late inquiry, but I am seriously interested! Phil.:D

[Stevebsy]

Philip - it is not too late to reserve your bumper, send me an email at stevebsy@yahoo.com

My loss is your gain....:p
Due to the untimely death of my transmission, the bumper project will now be accelerated (because I need the $$$$:eek: ) from a leisurely hobby project to a serious business proposition.

I hope to get busy on the molds quick and start production by June 1. Anyone have a spare car they'd like to loan me? :rolleyes:

The final price will be $500. Shipping will be about $75 via yellow freight in the USA, if you can find cheaper shipping, please let me know. The box will be about 75 x 29 x 17, 35 lbs.

Anyone who lives near me (Duluth, MN) is welcome to pick up in person.

One last thing, I need everyone who is still interested to please send me an email at stevebsy@yahoo.com so I can get a grasp on the numbers.

[museumquality]

i'll take one, put me down on the list,

jimi

[suby_qa]

<Due to the untimely death of my transmission, >

Ouch, did this just happen?
Sorry to hear about it.
Are you going to go with Subaru reman or some other option?
How many miles? 1st time for your car?
Cooler, yes or no? Filter kit?
Just a personal non-scientific analysis of tranny failure trends.

[Stevebsy]

Haven't posted for awhile, so I figured I should check in here...

I am still working on things, but not at the feverish pace I had hoped for. Looks like production will still start in June, but probably not on June 1.

I need your collective help here on a few things:

1. Does anyone have a program that can read the picture and set some scaling so that I can reproduce the location of the foglamp holes? I have a few programs but haven't looked into it much, hoping one of you more experienced ppl can help me before I spend too much time at it.

2. What kind of grille do you want in the big opening? I can leave it wide open, add some metal or plastic mesh, either black or metal colored. What do you folks want?


Tranny death details: started slipping on the 3-4 shift, then 2-3, then wouldn't engage 3 or 4 leaving me with a 2 speed. My car is a '93 w/ 46k miles, first tranny death as far as I know.

I removed it myself and it is currently on its way to Level 10 for a rebuild and modified torque converter. Level 10 was actually cheaper than my local Subie dealer. I would think it should be back in a couple of weeks.

[Stevebsy]

Ok I solved my scaling grid on the photo problem, so positioning the light holes shouldn't be a problem.

Next, if anyone has any other pictures of this bumper other than the two that are listed in the poll, please send them to me at stevebsy@yahoo.com

I would really love to find a straight on from the front shot, but I'll take what I can get :eek:

Anyway, the mesh for the opening is still up for discussion, so if those of you purchasing please chime in now :)

Oh and on my tranny: It hadn't received the TSB filter kit when I got it. I added the Summit filter, temp gauge, and a 15000gvw cooler at about 36k, but I guess the damage was already done :(

[Green1995SVX]

How will the location of the impact bar be handled? I'm sure noone wants to see this thru the hole in the bumper, and i think law prohibits modifying the impact bar. Heres a pic of the location of the bar:

[deligeds]

Back on the subject of a bumper grill, I took a closer look at the opening on the oneoff2.jpg image. It appears as if there may be some black crossmembers in the opening, possibly one horizontal and two vertical. Maybe it's just my imagination, but either way I can visualize it and it looks good. I think an empty opening would probably also look fine, and would be flexible for individual customizing.

[Stevebsy]

Can we try to keep this thread on topic a little? This thread looks as bad as Yahoo.. Geez :mad: :mad:

RWJ - can you use your grand high master poobah powers to move this transmission debate to another thread please? Thanks.

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by Stevebsy
Can we try to keep this thread on topic a little? This thread looks as bad as Yahoo.. Geez :mad: :mad:

RWJ - can you use your grand high master poobah powers to move this transmission debate to another thread please? Thanks.

Steve, I've honored your request. However, a note for all: in the future, please contact me by PM so that we can more discreetly split threads. It makes for much smoother transitions for the thread you're trying to keep on topic, and you don't go further off topic talking about a thread getting off topic. :D Your cooperation would be much appreciated.

[Stevebsy]

So... can I say thanks? :D :rolleyes:

Thanks for keeping things under control. Sorry, but the biggest peeve I had with yahoo was things getting WAY off topic.

Not that I mind people chatting and such, but when I look under a message titled 'tranny repair' or some such thing and find people talking about dogs or fishing or spam or world hunger it gets a little frustrating. :confused: :rolleyes: :D

[Stevebsy]

Originally posted by Green1995SVX
How will the location of the impact bar be handled? I'm sure noone wants to see this thru the hole in the bumper, and i think law prohibits modifying the impact bar. Heres a pic of the location of the bar:

Don't worry.. I have a plan that will work without any modifications to the impact bar or anything else. The new bumper will cover it up.

There is a foam piece that goes in front of the impact bar which may require a little trimming, but the metal will be left intact.

After I make the first mold I will have a little more detail for you all.

[Philip]

Hey, about the grille again. I took a closer look at the oneoff2.jpg and it appears that Dorian was correct. There is a plastic center bar which runs through the middle of the intake, however, instead of his presumtion of verticle bars running up each side, it is actually just a solid piece of black plastic. It sticks out on either side of the intake about five to six inches, what Dorian might have seen was a glare from the plastic. The glare may have given the appearance of the verticle bars. The very center is left open and the center bar runs along the entire intake and over the plastic side parts. This type of grille is very similiar to what I have seen on other cars and looks great. My screen has great resolution but I still couldn't quite determine what was in the very center behind everything. It looked to me as if it where left open, I believe I could see the front of the radiator, but I'm not sure. Either way, open or grilled it looks good! Take another look at the pic and compare it to what I have said, I'm pretty sure that I'm right on the money. If you would like to add a different type of grille, I say go with the black waffle type, those always seem to look good! --Philip :cool:

[Green1995SVX]

I took another look at the location of the impact bar, and it seems to be right where the opening will be. Im really wondering how this is gonna be hidden, and still look ok. Could you explain it to me?

[1994SubaruSVX]

what pics are you guys looking at?

[svxboy]

Just wondering if there was any new info on the bumpers. Thanks, Greg

[Stevebsy]

I'll have an update on things for you on Monday and an explanation on how things will work with the impact bar.

[Stevebsy]

Update 5-29:

Well, after thinking about the amount of work involved in getting a SVX quality part with my first choice in tooling methods, I decided that I had to change tooling methods, so some progress is lost.

The new method is quicker and will be easier to make the finished product much better. It will also let me do future bumpers in different styles much easier if I ever finish this one! :eek:

I know some of you are probably getting a little restless, but please bear with me. It's not easy finding time between work, family, SVX tranny replacement, house repair, etc... I am not giving up.

I hope to have some pictures for you of the process in action. It will be very interesting I think.


Looking at the impact bar situation, I believe that the bumper will cover it up, and if it doesn't, the mesh for the grill will hide it, otherwise you could paint it flat black and it should blend in. The real truth will be known in a week or two, but I don't think there is a whole lot to worry about.

Back to work I go....

[deligeds]

What's new, Steve? Any good news on the progress of the bumper last weekend?

[cdigerlando]

Hey Steve:

Just checking on your progress. Soon I will be needing to install an intercooler and will need the bumper, as long as there will be room for a front mounted radiator. Do you have a revised schedule? Ever considered doing Carbon Fiber?

Thanks

Chuck D.

[suby_qa]

I spoke with him yesterday, briefly (e-mail). He is hoping to post some pictures of a rough prototype later today. He is looking to mid-July for production start. So look for some more details soon.

[cdigerlando]

Steve if you read this you will know that I still want a bumper. I will be out of the country for the first 2 weeks in July, but I would like to be at the top of your list. Let me know when I need to send money. Thanks

[Stevebsy]

Actually, I could make the front ends out of carbon fiber or regular fiberglass. I haven't looked into pricing on the carbon materials, however, but if there is enough interest it can be done

Currently, my car is in the garage with the front end all plastered up to pull the form of the car. As soon as I can convince a helper or two to come over and help me remove this 150+ lb form, then I'll take the pics.

I hope (life willing) to begin before the end of July because I know you all are getting excited about it, as am I. If only there were a couple extra days in the week where life could leave me alone to get some work done :eek:

When I am about 2 weeks out from starting production I'll start collecting money. I will probably be able to make 2-3 per week.

[cdigerlando]

I love your quote. I always think that every time I drive a rent-a-car or a company vehicle. I WANT MY SCOOBY!!!

[suby_qa]

Originally posted by cdigerlando
Hey Steve:

Ever considered doing Carbon Fiber?

Thanks

Chuck D.

Hey Chuck,

I recall that you mentioned that you would paint your CF hood since it looked too aggressive in its natural state. The bumpers on the SVX are already very light so I don't think there would be any significant weight savings. If you wanted to leave the bumper natural, then perhaps it would be nice.

Steve,

I do plan to leave my CF Hood natural. How difficult is it to do a CF bumper. I can imagine that the front end being all CF would look pretty TUFF! Makes me feel like a little kid again, just thinking about it. I have no idea and I am just assuming that it would be a little more involved. Let us know if you don't mind.

I can hardly wait to see pictures of the prototype bumper.

[SVXMAN2001]

Hey steve just wanted to let you know that Iam looking forward to the custom bumper. I was just wondering if the space in the middle could be covered with a grille mesh? If so would you do this or would we have to do it when we got the bumper? I would preferably want a silver mesh, and fiberglass. Keep us posted, I can hardly wait

chris
92 claret/black svx

[cdigerlando]

Hey Steve:

Just wanted to let you know that my car is in the shop now. I will be waiting for your bumper to complete the install of my intercooler. I had to have the tranny removed and sent to Level 10. They will also be installing the fuel injectors and Tech II. Whether you do the bumper in fiberglass or carbon does not matter much to me. I just need the space for another radiator.

[Stevebsy]

Originally posted by suby_qa

I do plan to leave my CF Hood natural. How difficult is it to do a CF bumper. I can imagine that the front end being all CF would look pretty TUFF! Makes me feel like a little kid again, just thinking about it. I have no idea and I am just assuming that it would be a little more involved. Let us know if you don't mind.

I can hardly wait to see pictures of the prototype bumper.

Doing a CF bumper, once the mold is completed :mad: (damn day job) will be no harder to make than a fiberglass one, just more expensive because of the material. The process is pretty much the same otherwise.

The exact price I wouldn't know because I haven't looked up any material pricing for CF. It would look pretty wild though, especially on a pearl/black car.

[Stevebsy]

If you have any sources or pictures of what type of mesh you (or anyone else for that matter) are looking for, please let me know. There are so many out there I'm not sure what everyone is looking for.


Just about anything could be made to work I think. It's all up to your taste/preference.

Steve


Originally posted by SVXMAN2001
Hey steve just wanted to let you know that Iam looking forward to the custom bumper. I was just wondering if the space in the middle could be covered with a grille mesh? If so would you do this or would we have to do it when we got the bumper? I would preferably want a silver mesh, and fiberglass. Keep us posted, I can hardly wait

chris
92 claret/black svx

[Stevebsy]

Ok, finally got all that molding material off my car.

I've put the pictures in my locker if you want to take a look. You can also see my vintage Ski-Doo and broken lathe in the garage in the background :rolleyes:

The pictures don't show too much detail, but the stuff is amazing. Even where I have paint missing from my bumper is visible in there.

Now I have to do some mild bodywork to this mold and add some of the rough scoop details, and I'll be ready to pull a rough prototype part that I can put on my car for some photos.

Ahh progress at last!

[cdigerlando]

Looks like you did a great job molding the front. Are you going to push the bottom out more like the bumper we picked? Looks great. I would never have the nads to do this.

[Philip]

Hey! I been outta it for a while, but my interest in this bumper is still goin strong! Don't forget my purchase of it when your ready! I took a look at the molds you put in your locker, can't see too much but I'm sure the finnished product will be sweet! Well, you got my blessings and my purchase! :D

[deligeds]

Steve: I stumbled across a grille mesh that I really like. Anyone who's interested, please check out:

http://communities.msn.com/buckdesign

and, especially,

ftp://24.31.100.9/grill.htm#origin

Evidently, this guy uses decorative architectural steel that's used in commercial buildings. The Miata bumpers aren't completely different in style from our one-off prototype, and, IMHO, the diamond pattern looks great. This one (or something similar) gets my vote.

[deligeds]

Is the bumper getting any closer to completion? We haven't had any posts for quite a while.

[svxboy]

whats the latest word on the bumpers?

[suby_qa]

I heard from Steve recently. He has been very busy, because of his work schedule. Also the weather conditions have made it very difficult to work on the bumper. He hasn't given up though. We just need to be patient.

[Stevebsy]

I'm still trying to fit in working on it when I can. Of course last week I had lots of time, but it was 90+ deg. and a bazillion % humitidy. The fiberglass resin likes only to be worked with around 70 deg. with reasonable humitidy.

Story of my life....
:p

Hang in there...the weekend is here and I'll get something done.