Fibreglass & Plastic

[hotchoc]

What's the main difference for a fibreglass kit vs a plastic (factory) kit other than the fact that the former cracks easily.

How do you spot a fibreglass vs a plastic one as well ?

[funkymonkey]

if you were to take a hammer to a fibreglass bumper it'll crack and so on. if you were to do the same to a polyeurathane bumper (factory plastic) they'll usually absorb the hit and retain their original shape. only under great stress will they crack or warp.

They usually also weigh less, as the fibreglass bumpers are layers of dense resin and fibreglass matting. polyurethane is a relatively lighter material.

some states also deem fibreglass body panels illegal on cars of a certain age (check with your road transport authority).

that said, fibreglass is easier to work on and fix, and you have a much larger choice of styles to choose from. There are also some manufacturers who use a middle ground resin that isn't as dense and retains its elasticity, making the fibreglass bumpers a bit more flexible etc.

[hotchoc]

if you were to take a hammer to a fibreglass bumper it'll crack and so on. if you were to do the same to a polyeurathane bumper (factory plastic) they'll usually absorb the hit and retain their original shape. only under great stress will they crack or warp.

They usually also weigh less, as the fibreglass bumpers are layers of dense resin and fibreglass matting. polyurethane is a relatively lighter material.

some states also deem fibreglass body panels illegal on cars of a certain age (check with your road transport authority).

that said, fibreglass is easier to work on and fix, and you have a much larger choice of styles to choose from. There are also some manufacturers who use a middle ground resin that isn't as dense and retains its elasticity, making the fibreglass bumpers a bit more flexible etc.

I heard that the paint from fibreglass kit comes off easily compared to plastic ones. Is that right?

[funkymonkey]

no, that depends on the primer used, the paint used, curing time and so on. a properly prepped and painted fibreglass kit will hold paint as well as any eurathane bumper.

[hotchoc]

Just another small thingy, am thinking of getting a Nissan Aero/Sports/Altia Front Bar which i believe is suppose to be of plastic material

Do they come pre-painted in Series 1 colours only (yellow, red, white) or Series 2 colours as well, i.e. bayside Blue (TV2)

Am told by a local importer a diff story. He said he can acquire a OEM aero front bar from Nissan but the the front bar needs to be painted. Said something abouth these kits as being replacement in accidents, etc hence the need for painting. Can someone clarify this?

Edited January 5, 2008 by hotchoc

[NA_Goodness]

Can you get aftermarket plasic kits? Or kits made up in plastic? I'm not sure I like the idea of using what sounds like very weak fibreglass! Otherwise, I'd guess I have to

Edited January 6, 2008 by NA_Goodness

[Craved]

dont run it into things and your fibreglass kit pieces will last as long as plastic

[Yo-Yo]

Just another small thingy, am thinking of getting a Nissan Aero/Sports/Altia Front Bar which i believe is suppose to be of plastic material

Do they come pre-painted in Series 1 colours only (yellow, red, white) or Series 2 colours as well, i.e. bayside Blue (TV2)

Am told by a local importer a diff story. He said he can acquire a OEM aero front bar from Nissan but the the front bar needs to be painted. Said something abouth these kits as being replacement in accidents, etc hence the need for painting. Can someone clarify this?

You'll find that many oem plastics come unpainted, it's usually only smaller things like mud flaps come prepainted.

Much cheaper and easier for manufacturer to sell unpainted, than to produce say X amount of bumper bars in black, X amount in white etc.

[hotchoc]

You'll find that many oem plastics come unpainted, it's usually only smaller things like mud flaps come prepainted.

Much cheaper and easier for manufacturer to sell unpainted, than to produce say X amount of bumper bars in black, X amount in white etc.

Yeah makes sense in terms of economics n profit margin wise.

I'll be damn though if the oem kit which i thought is plastic turns out to be some fibreglass copy.

[funkymonkey]

Can you get aftermarket plasic kits? Or kits made up in plastic? I'm not sure I like the idea of using what sounds like very weak fibreglass! Otherwise, I'd guess I have to

there are some manufacturers that make aftermarket kits in urethane (do a search on ebay with "worldwide" ticked). not quite OEM spec, but close enough.

[Bendar]

Does anyone know if it is possible to get a nismo 400r PU front bar for an R33?? I'm sick of fibreglass, it never looks right when its painted and 1 little scrape and they start to look like a scrappy canoe.