Making Unique Car Bumpers and Grilles
May 20, 2008
At a recent contest, I had an unfinished project on display that featured scratchbuilt front and rear bumpers. One of the most-common questions was, “how did you do that?” I went on to explain the process, and one person commented, “Oh, so you just carve away the plastic that doesn’t look like a bumper.” I agreed, but later started thinking that it is exactly what I do. The process is really not all that hard, and I find it’s quite a bit of fun.
For this example, I am making a custom grille for a 1950 Ford. I started with a piece of 3mm styrene quite a bit larger than the actual grille. I wanted the grille to wrap around the front fenders below the headlights, so it was important that the overall measurements of the styrene would be large enough to encompass the entire grille.
Why not give it a try? The more of these you do, the easier the job becomes.
I draw a general outline, then start cutting it out by using a motor tool to dig a groove around the pencil lines.
I continue digging the groove all the way around the pencil lines until I’m able to break the pieces apart.
Now it’s time to clean up the part, and begin carving away what doesn’t look like a grille. You can use any number of methods to do this: cut with a hobby knife; sand with sanding sticks or sandpaper; file with various shapes of files; or use a motor tool. I use a coarse sanding stick to clean up the edges, and to begin shaping the front.
The fit on the body is critical, because the upper portion of the front fender is slightly wider than the bottom. There is also a slight taper from top to bottom, so these areas also have to be tapered for a proper fit. I use round and elliptical files to shape these areas, as well a motor tool to smooth things out.
I usually like to cut a little at a time, and test-fit often. I feel that it’s much easier to remove the material slowly, as opposed to removing too much and then having to rebuild or add filler.
After the general shape is established, I start fine-tuning with a medium-grit sanding stick
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