Final request on fiberglass

[speedman]

I am ready to buy a yellowbird front bumper. I have searched this board and I get allot of stuff about the different companies selling to each other. If Getty makes MA Shaw and GT Racing makes Renspeed how can the price vary so much. I just want to get a good piece so lets put so information down about who and what is the best. I am looking hard at the Renspeed, but MA Shaw told me that they put more fiberglas in the mounting areas so the cost more. HELP!!! I want to buy this week

MA Shaw $525
Getty $575
Renspeed $325
GT Racing $425

By the way Getty will not confirm who they sell to, they laugh about all of the talk on the boards. So who makes what for who.

[PcarPhil]

Well...I have Rennspeed Yellowbird bumpers and think the mounting points are plenty strong. I don't think stronger mounting points are worth an additional $200 over Rennspeed bumpers.

Now if the MA Shaw pieces are a 100% exact replica (rear horizontal bumper slats, rear fog lens mounts, front spoiler lip) of yellowbird bumpers then that could be worth extra money.

[slammed1000]

if fit and finish is worth anything to you i would shy away from gt racing or renspeed. if you have a good body man or do it yourself it may be ok but it will cost you more in the long run in bodyshop prep time. my buddy bought a set from a manufacture in the st. louis area that was alot more money but they were made awsome. fit was great with little prep time. i am sure someone will chime in with his name..

[CRNT918]

I just saw an ad somewhere about someone making urethane Yellowbird bumpers, I'll see if I can find it!

[slammed1000]

bw motorsports is the manufacture i was talking about. i think bill verburgh will vouch for their products.

[charleskieffner]

hey heres the big problem you get to look out for. i wouldnt snivil about the bucks IF their quality is 110%!!!!

the vast majority of these molds are NOW going on 20 yrs old!!!.

quality of parts dumped out of these molds have suffered the last few years. how do i know? because i just went thru it. patrickmotosports has been getting crappy fiberglass and has had days involved reworking glass to make them either look 100% or to fit. some he ships back due to crappy condition.

when you receive parts look them over real close. good luck.

possible question to vendors.........."how old are your molds?"

[Zeke]

Originally posted by speedman
I am ready to buy a yellowbird front bumper. I have searched this board and I get allot of stuff about the different companies selling to each other. If Getty makes MA Shaw and GT Racing makes Renspeed how can the price vary so much. I just want to get a good piece so lets put so information down about who and what is the best. I am looking hard at the Renspeed, but MA Shaw told me that they put more fiberglas in the mounting areas so the cost more. HELP!!! I want to buy this week

MA Shaw $525
Getty $575
Renspeed $325
GT Racing $425

By the way Getty will not confirm who they sell to, they laugh about all of the talk on the boards. So who makes what for who.

I think you are misinformed. If you looked inside Shaw's factory, I doubt you would assume that they buy form outside sources. Anything is possible, I guess. Again, Peter at Rennspeed is not likely buying from Hank at GT. Could actually be the opposite and that would certainly explain the prices you post.

As an ex fiberglass shop owner, I can tell you that some of the info talked about here is probably true. Most molds are not 1st generation molds. In fact, the only 1st generation mold for an RS ducktail was owned by Porsche!! And even they probably had a 2nd generation.

Each generation suffers from part shrinkage. So, unless one builds a part back up to spec to be used as a plug for a new mold, each generation will be smaller (in the case of a male part from a female mold) and most likely warped in some way.

I worked for a brief period in a pattern shop where molds were made for prototype fighter aircraft. The plug was made of plaster and the caster weighed each batch of material to be mixed, took temperatures of all components, and mixed the materials with a drill press set at an exact speed. He could tell you within seconds when the plaster would get hard and how much heat it would generate in curing (not drying, they are different).

I can tell you with the utmost certainty that these exacting procedures are NOT used in the fiberglass aftermarket parts industry. It's hard enough to have a proprietary product out on the market for any length of time before your parts are "plugs" for someone else's molds. The rip offs are legendary in this business.

Real nice parts are going to be somewhat thick and heavy. the real light stuff is throw away. Carbon fiber epoxy vacuum bagged stuff is over the moon in cost. There's just no pleasing everyone when in the FG business. I don't miss it one bit.

BTW, you missed at least one company: Better Bodies.

[Jeff Alton]

The Shaw ducktail is one that suffers from the shrinkage that Milt mentions. The gaps are big. However the layup in pretty good.

I also have a GT racing rear bumper and the fit was not that great. It fits now but it took some work. The layup on that part is average.

I have a hood and a 951 front splitter from Rennspeed. The 951 splitter is made by AIR or else peter makes them for AIR. How do I know? The mold it came out of is embossed with the logo. The layup on both parts is average but the hood had too much catalyst in the resin as to much heat in the cure has caused some contraction. It will be easy to fair though.

I have a front bumper I bought used. It was purchased new from Steve Alacron (sp) who is an infrequent poster here. I don't know if he made it or has it made somewhere but it is really a step above in quality. There is no print through, it is nice and stiff and fits near perfectly. A first rate part.

Shaw and Getty have alot (if not all the same parts). I don't really care who makes what for whoever, but there certainly is some horse trading going on in this industry.

Oh, I do know a bit about fiberglass so take my comments as you see fit. My father and grandfather were building the largest fiberglass comercial fishing boats in Canada at one point some years ago. My father also taught mold making, lay ups and repair. But I have only been working with the stuff for 25 years or so as a hobby.

Milt knows of what he speaks.

Cheers