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Old 06-04-2012, 09:17 AM   #1
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DIY: Winnebago Bumper End Cap Repair

My neighbor has a 96 Winnebago Adventurer. The plastic end caps on his rear bumper were in pretty bad shape and one was in total disrepair. I looked them over and since they are reversible (left side fits right side, etc.). I decided that I could use the slightly broken one to make a mold after simply gluing the cracked part together.

After some glue and sanding I had this.





My mold flange. Simply 1/2" mdf scrap that I had laying around.





Cover the flange with painters tape. *aluminum foil or packaging tape would have most likely worked better here.



Trace part shape onto the tape.



Line the traced line with molding putty. Simply spread about 1/8" x 1/2" all around the line that you traced. This will hold the part in place as well as fill in any gaps that may allow the gel coat to get behind the part.

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Old 06-04-2012, 09:30 AM   #2
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Push the part down into the clay. Be careful not to push in on the long centers (bowing the part). With a popsicle stick cut at an angle "trim" the excess clay from the edge of the part. You will also need to fill or cover the bolt holes on the part (I used some clay for this as well).







Next is the application of some part-all film. I used a cheap spray gun from Harbor Freight and turned the air pressure down to around 40 psi, and set it to a very fine mist.



A few coats and you should look similar to this.





Notice how the tape wrinkled from the moisture. Packaging tape or foil would not have done this, and my flange would have stayed smooth. Anyhow, marching on.

Next up is Gel-Coat. I used 4 layers brushed on, with 4 hours in between layers. I also covered the entire flange so the mold would sit flat when it is complete.





**Notice that I am doing this outside. Do not do this indoors as it will stink up your house, garage, shed, outhouse, etc.

Okay next is the fun part........... Fiberglass. I am using poly fiberglass resin and some .75 oz & 1.5 oz. chopped fiberglass mat. I used the lighter mat to build up the tight corners in the first few layers.









After a day I laid up several more layers of 1.5 oz. mat.





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Old 06-04-2012, 09:51 AM   #3
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After 24 hours I unscrewed the two mdf pieces and removed them and the part from the mold. I then trimmed up the fuzzy edge of the mold with a dremel cut off wheel. Sorry I did not take any pictures during this step. It is very dusty, I suggest a dust mask, safety glasses, and that you rub down any exposed skin with baby powder before you begin cutting or sanding glass, as it tends to be quit irritating if it gets into your pores.







Woo-hoo now we are making some progress........... Now we can begin to make some parts. I lined the edge of the flange (next to the part) with painters tape. You need to wax the mold. Pretty much any carnuba wax will do. I used a mold release wax. Then you apply PVA in the same manner that you did earlier (with the cheap spray gun at low pressure). You want to put a few coats of PVA to ensure complete coverage.

You then apply gel coat to the mold, again 4-5 layers brushed on with 4 hour wait between layers. 4 hours after the last layer you can begin laying up fiberglass into the mold. Use fiberglass rollers to ensure that you do not have any voids (air bubbles) in the part. You should have something that looks like this.







Wait 24 hours and then you can remove the part from the mold.







The green tint is the PVA, a little water and a sponge and the PVA comes right off.









Trim up the fuzzy edge with your choice of tool (dremel, body saw, band saw, cut off wheel, etc.)









You can then repeat the part making process to make your second one. After you have both parts made, install them on the bumper by sticking them on there, and marking then drilling your mounting holes. My neighbor painted his end caps to match his bumper, but if you had a black bumper you can use black gel coat and it would match pretty well without having to paint it.



















The End.

I know this was rather vague, so if you have any questions feel free to ask.
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Old 06-05-2012, 01:54 PM   #4
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Great results!!!
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Old 06-05-2012, 02:02 PM   #5
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Nice job.....................................

And you have too much time on your hands.
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Old 06-06-2012, 06:18 AM   #6
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Wow, nice job with the post! Don't throw that mold away, I see part-time employment in your future. LOL
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Old 06-06-2012, 08:00 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ArmyGuy51 View Post
Great results!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluepill View Post
Nice job.....................................

And you have too much time on your hands.
ArmyGuy51 & bluepill

Thank You. I do have some free time on my hands.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lt46 View Post
Wow, nice job with the post! Don't throw that mold away, I see part-time employment in your future. LOL
Lt46,

Thanks. I still have the mold. It was my first attempt at copying anything, and it turned out pretty well so I thought that I would share.

There is another part on the back corner next to the bumper (although they are not reversible right/left) that seems to be damaged and could benefit from being made out of fiberglass.
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Old 08-08-2013, 06:49 PM   #8
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Summer Bump
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Old 08-11-2013, 10:41 AM   #9
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Very interesting post. I used to restore Corvettes and I learned (self-taught) to make parts basically the same way that you show here. Nice job.
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Old 08-19-2013, 08:43 PM   #10
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Nice job. I have the same rv and my rear bumper is bent also. BTWE I noticed the shiny blue paint. Another project?
Mine is as sun washed and faded as it gets. I need a re-paint.
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Old 09-29-2018, 09:58 AM   #11
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Long shot on old thread

I have a 99 Adventurer and need 2 rear bumper end caps. Any chance you would consider reusing your mold to sell me 2?
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Old 09-30-2018, 09:52 AM   #12
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Great Job ! I
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Old 09-30-2018, 10:04 AM   #13
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Can you come to CA and fix some things for me?
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Old 09-30-2018, 11:12 AM   #14
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I hope y'all noticed that this thread is 6 years old. Don't know if "Couch Potato" will come back to comment or not.
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Old 10-01-2018, 03:50 AM   #15
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I am still around.

I got a notification there has been some interest in this thread.

Sorry, California is too far to commute from Florida.

I still have the bumper end cap mold, so I can make some end caps if you still need some.
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Old 10-01-2018, 10:10 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CouchPotato View Post
I got a notification there has been some interest in this thread.

Sorry, California is too far to commute from Florida.

I still have the bumper end cap mold, so I can make some end caps if you still need some.
Nice to see you again, CouchPotato.

As a gentle reminder, I'd like to ask that any "negotiations" for the end caps be taken to Private Messaging since no buying/selling is allowed in the open forum. Thanks, all.
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Old 10-01-2018, 12:22 PM   #17
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Excellent, CP ...'nice to watch someone else get their hands sticky and arms itchy. Good job. Cheers.

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