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Old 10-03-2008, 01:15 PM   #1
Koji
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Default Koji DIY Project 3: Aggressive Exterior

In case you missed my first two big DIY projects, here are some links:

Koji Headlight Mod

32 Mods for My 32nd Birthday - A Documentary


I've done a lot of modifications to my car but those were the only two where I bothered to document everything. This thread will therefore be Project 3 because of that, and also because I will be building all the parts I install in this thread myself and chronicling everything as I go.

Here is the exterior of my car as it sits today:









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Last edited by Koji; 10-03-2008 at 01:25 PM.
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Old 10-03-2008, 01:25 PM   #2
Koji
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The exterior parts currently on the car are as follows (Front to Rear):
  1. Prodrive Front Lip
  2. Trackdogracing.com splitter
  3. JDM STI Mesh Fog Covers
  4. JDM STI Replica Grill
  5. Koji Headlights (Naturally)
  6. Clear corner lamps
  7. JDM Side Markers
  8. JDM STI Hood Scoop
  9. Painted Sideskirts
  10. JDM style Rear Spats (handmade by me)
  11. 06 STI Rear Diffuser
I really like the current look of my exterior; it's subtle enough that it doesn't look garish, but aftermarket enough that you know it's not stock. To be honest though the subtlety has become boring of late and I'd like to try something a bit more aggressive just to see if I like it. My plan is to build 6 parts (11 pieces total since the first five I will need to make copies for the left and right)
  1. Front side splitters
  2. Front spats
  3. Rear spats
  4. Rear side splitters
  5. EDM style projector headlights
  6. S202/203 style rear wing
All of the pieces will be made out of a combination of fiberglass, fiberglass jelly (in lieu of Bondo), various plastic bits you can get at any hardware store, and Balsa Wood. If you're laughing at the Balsa wood idea; Stop. You're being stupid and need to get your learn on. From Wikipedia:

Quote:
Balsa wood is used to make very light, stiff structures in model bridge tests and for the construction of light wooden airplanes, most famously the World War II de Havilland Mosquito. It is also used in the floor pan of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sandwiched between two sheets of carbon fiber. Balsa wood is also used in laminates with glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass) for making high-quality balsa surfboards and the decks and topsides of many types of boats.
Let's get this straight - balsa wood between two layers of some other king of composite makes up the decks of many boats and the floor pan of the Z06 Corvette? That's right kiddo's. Balsa wood by itself is a joke but balsa wood combined with other materials is a very strong and light construction material and should do just fine for what I'm trying to do.

Last edited by Koji; 10-07-2008 at 03:26 PM.
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Old 10-03-2008, 01:38 PM   #3
brocksdad
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I made a bridge made out of balsa wood when I was in highschool. It was really strong, not as strong as some of the others though. We basically made them to break them. Alot of them took alot of weight to break.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to another entertaining thread. Good luck.

Last edited by brocksdad; 10-03-2008 at 01:51 PM.
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Old 10-03-2008, 01:46 PM   #4
drkramm
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yea balsa is no joke

of course any material used in the right way can be incredibly strong

if you could keep it in compression all the time glass would be stronger then steel..

good luck though :-)
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Old 10-03-2008, 01:48 PM   #5
Cyclops
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I'm coming down with Brian Saturday, I want to see how those spats are made. My car would look a million times better with spats and a lip...
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Old 10-03-2008, 02:01 PM   #6
Koji
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Cool! They're actually really easy. You guys should bring some fiberglass materials and you can start making your own while you're here. I have enough for what I'm up to (I think) but not for two sets. PM me if you want to do that, or just start after you see how it's done.
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Old 10-03-2008, 02:03 PM   #7
Cyclops
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Yeah I've got a few other things to do that day but definitely I want to watch and see. I've never done anything with fiberglass before. Brian and I are scheming about a fiberglass box for a sub where my spare used to be. I'm 5x114.3 now so my spare had to go anyways.
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Old 10-03-2008, 02:09 PM   #8
subaru3169
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wow all that stuff you wanna fab seems like it'll take forever

best of luck to ya though, i'm sure it'll turn out well=)
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Old 10-03-2008, 02:09 PM   #9
subaru3169
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wow all that stuff you wanna fab seems like it'll take forever

best of luck to ya though, i'm sure it'll turn out well=)
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Old 10-03-2008, 02:41 PM   #10
Koji
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Default Spats and Splitters - The Goal

Here is kind of what I'm shooting for looks wise on the front and rear spats and splitters.

For the front wind splitter, I'd like to add a piece that looks similar (but not exactly) like this picture. Since I already have the track dog piece in place, I don't need to make these very long or wide - just secure enough that they won't move at high speeds:



For the front spats, I'm going for the OEM type look of this part (the one behind the front wheel:



For the rear spats I'm going to do something completely original and in between the rears that you see in the picture above, and these bits for the 06-07 STI by Chargespeed:

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Old 10-03-2008, 02:47 PM   #11
Badmunky
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Ill be watching this thread!
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Old 10-03-2008, 03:01 PM   #12
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I imagine this is possible to do well if you are a meticulous craftsman.

Good luck !
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Old 10-03-2008, 03:14 PM   #13
Letx
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that trackdogracing splitter is NICE
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Old 10-03-2008, 03:22 PM   #14
BGPKR
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I can't wait to see them...
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Old 10-03-2008, 03:55 PM   #15
Koji
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sti04dude View Post
I imagine this is possible to do well if you are a meticulous craftsman.

Good luck !
Click the second link in my first post.
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Old 10-03-2008, 04:15 PM   #16
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As with all Koji threads...... SUBSCRIBED!
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Old 10-03-2008, 04:22 PM   #17
cazwrx187
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oooooooooo sounds cool. Subscribed!!!!!
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Old 10-03-2008, 05:09 PM   #18
STi scene
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im hooked. cant wait to see this
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Old 10-03-2008, 05:46 PM   #19
Admission_Regret
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subscribed!!! I really enjoy your threads!
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Old 10-03-2008, 06:54 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Koji View Post
... If you’re laughing at the Balsa wood idea; Stop. You’re being stupid and need to get your learn on. From Wikipedia:

...
By God, I think you are on to something...





Wait, the 1800's called, they want their engineering ideas back.
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Old 10-03-2008, 11:44 PM   #21
Koji
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Default Update 1: Measuring

I didn't get much done tonight on the exterior because I was too busy installing/fixing stuff from the 32 Mods thread. That said, I did have an opportunity to build the beginnings of a couple of pieces, and start measuring a few others.

First off, I know for a fact that I don't want a hard 90 degree edge on my splitters. I'd like a more contoured edge with a nice curve to it. I looked around my house for plastic bits I could use to mold the fiberglass to (glass or plastic are far better for FG than other materials because you don't really have to tape them). I came up with using the tray from one of my tool boxes:



It's a nice 90 degree piece but has a nice little curve to it:



I lubed the thing up with vaseline then molded a few pieces of fiberglass using old t-shirts as the material. Since these will be on the outside of the completed pieces, I want them to be nice and smooth.



I molded these pieces independent of building anything else because I'll trim them up a bit then use them when I build the other bits.
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Old 10-03-2008, 11:47 PM   #22
Koji
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After that, I took a trip in the way back machine to High School geometry.



I measured a few angles on a piece of carboard then held them pu to the car to see what looked right.



Once I figured out what angles I wanted, I cut out a few pieces for the front air splitters and measured everything up. I only need to make one set of guides because I can use them for both sides.

Front side:



Rear Side:



Both:



That's going to look pretty good when I'm done. That's it for tonight, but more will be coming tomorrow .

Last edited by Koji; 10-03-2008 at 11:53 PM.
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Old 10-04-2008, 12:11 AM   #23
subaru3169
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that's an awesome start
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Old 10-05-2008, 12:25 AM   #24
Koji
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Got a little bit done for this thread today. First off, I had a few friend over that had things to install as well.



I pulled my stock wing today to start measuring the holes for the new wing.



I started making some spats for a friend. Basically we taped up his rear bumper with painters tape, smeared on some vaseline, the molded a couple of layers of fiberglass to the bumper.



The new fiberglass will serve as the base for these spats which I made for my car about four years ago. They need to be a little wider to fit the contourse of the wagon bumper, so the gap will be filled with green craft foam and a couple of more layers of fiberglass.





That's pretty much it for today. I spent most of my time pulling and painting my headliner and A/B/C pillars so I didn't get much fabrication done.
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Old 10-05-2008, 01:39 AM   #25
scby rex
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your one busy mother ****er!!
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