The AUSubaru.com.au Forums

Guys -

OK I HAVE JUST CUT AND PASTE FROM ANOTHER THREAD THE POST BELOW - I HAVE CHOSEN TO CREATE THIS NEW THREAD TO ALLOW AN ACCURATE FEEL FOR AUS INTEREST - THANKS !

Sorry to be the bearer of REAL BADDY BAD news I was informed this week that there are now no more Mk2 Brumby tailgates avalible from Subaru Japan - so thats fenders and Tailgates now off limits
Gets worse too....
The fenders will not be re-run by the Taiwanese copy cat manufacturer - so expect prices to rise for any originals still out there.........

However we are looking at commissioning a pattern for Composite replacement Brumby tailgates here in the UK along with front wings too.
Had a meeting yesterday (Friday) with the company who is to quote me for this.
I have accuired some brand new un-used wings and a new tail gate to form the pattern from so they will be as perfect as can be.
The chosen company already manufacture vehicle body parts and the quality is excellent and they have the working knowledge to make the parts we need.

Mr Frog could well be the Aus point of contact if things come together and we have batches made. (he doesnt know just yet though !!)
Please post any serious interest here so as to gauge if we can seriously export numbers to Aus. (the more we ship the cheaper each unit can be)
Makes economic sense to have one pattern only made so as to keep artomisation (spelling??) costs per finished unit as low as possible.
I am able to handle this here in the UK from a development and quality point of view and can then go onto orgainise shipments.
If there was a similar op happening in Aus then the tooling cost versus the numbers to be made each end would be very high = high unit sale cost.
Sorry - too early for prices just yet but will be pushing on this heavily as there is a paitently waiting group here in UK wanting these items.

More news as things develop.

I would be very interested depending on price but?

Are they making a fibreglass / Carbon Fibre / Steel copy?

1111giles wrote:Guys -

However we are looking at commissioning a pattern for Composite replacement Brumby tailgates

Matt wrote:I would be very interested depending on price but?

Are they making a fibreglass / Carbon Fibre / Steel copy?

Composite = fibreglass or carbon-fibre.

I would guess once they make the moulds they could do it in either - although wet-laid carbon-fibre is not as good, strong or pretty as the F1 pre-preg autoclaved proper CF.

I would definitely be up for at least 1 tailgate, maybe 2 and maybe a couple of guards as well - depending on price. I seriously doubt that there will be enough interest to get the cost down enough once you include shipping from the UK. Would be cheaper to make more moulds, ship a set of moulds here and manufacture them here.

So, how long before someone suggests a one-piece fibreglass flip front?
Oops! I just did.

Sunspares already have a fibreglass tailgate, at least they used to, saw it myself years ago, so maybe you can save making that...

Wierd! I just came across another post mentioning the glass tail gate on here! I havent thought of that for ages and them BAM twice in one morning!

Sounds great to me, it would mean I could get composite guards and a tailgate for PJ

I dont suppose anyone has thought of a composite bonnet?

TOONGA

a tail gate you can't stand on I bet - fibreglass.

steptoe wrote:a tail gate you can't stand on I bet - fibreglass.

Exactly, why would anybody want a fibreglass tailgate on a ute?

Hi Gary, my brother-in-law used to own Sunspares Subaru when it was located just south of Buderim. Because of the demand for Brumby tailgates (due to inherent rust problems) he had a die made to make fibreglass tailgates. I distinctly remember him jumping up & down on one to demonstrate that there were no strength issues wrt loading or standing on it.

I recall that when he sold the business, he retained the "rights" to the Plastic Tailgate, but I don't think that he has done anything further with it. I'm away at present but when I get home, I'll give him a call and see if the die is still available - maybe an enterprising business like The Subaru Shop would be interested in having a number of them made as Brumby's are definitely making a revival and the demand is there for a business to seize the opportunity.

(Posted by Backyard_Brumby's dad, John)

littlewhiteute wrote:Exactly, why would anybody want a fibreglass tailgate on a ute?

Correctly designed and made the strenght wont be a problem. Why would you want one ? The fact that you cant have original steel ones for starters, plus they wont rust !
Without these Brumbys and MV's and L's will diminish in numbers as we run out of viable secondhand parts.

If there is a mold in existance in Aus and is still able to be used then I could do with knowing so we dont end up pay for a mold here and end up doubling whats already there.

Shipping to Aus will not kill the units on a cost basis if we can achieve numbers.

Please keep your notes of interest coming guys !
Thanks.

steptoe wrote:a tail gate you can't stand on I bet - fibreglass.

You could always incorporate internal metal ribbing on the inside for strength, and around possible weak spots

Dont worry, Strenght will be a design requirement for this if all goes to plan.
Yes, inserts are possible, but do complicate the mold and add to the cost.
But as previously said - it will have to be right and of excellent finish.......................or I aint playing ball !:mrgreen:

I took Scoobs down to the factory I have found to make the composite fenders and tailgates. The boss man measured the panels up, said it was not a problem to make the parts and will quote me next week for patterns and unit costs.
Had a look at some of their work too ...... I'm impressed - so thats good.
More info as it comes..........

It looks like the Brumby tailgate die that my brother-in-law had is "lost". He sold Sunspares Subaru 15 years ago and at the time, the die was at a fibreglass business at Noosa on the Sunshine Coast (& he can't be sure of the name of the business or whether it is still trading). As there was no demand at the time, he didn't bother to collect it and even if he was able to find the business, proof of ownership would be an issue.

It's a shame that it's not available as the durability of the fibreglass tailgate was impressive. My brother-in-law had a Brumby (now unregistered & being used on a cattle feed lot) fitted with the plastic tailgate for the previous 15 years and it looked as good as the day it was fitted despite the fact that it was used on a lot of construction projects.

Giles, good luck with your plans for the new tailgates - I hope they are not too expensive to ship to Oz.

Posted by Backyard Brumby's dad.

Just posting here if you can get me any address or URL, phone number for someone who has a Brumby tailgate mine is an '89 but they are fairly universal Cheers

Ok Guy's I can now report to you some progress !
Have just been down to the GRP / Composite factory.
Here's what we have so far
This is the completed mould for the driverside (or RHS) front wing / fender.
The black colour is the inner face of the outer coating of the first wing to be produced, they then coat with bonding agent and then lay the GRP onto this black surface and then apply more bonding - allow to set and da-da a new wing is formed ! I am collecting this first off wing tommorrow


This is a close up shot of the wing mount indicator position - this of course can be filled over for our US friends so that the outer surface is flat (as per US spec.)



This is the underside of the mould (RHS wing / fender)


This is the LHS wing /fender mould "work in progress" the pattern new steel wing can be seen inside the mould and is being worked around to create a similar but opposite mould to the first.


Another shot of the LHS mould work in progress.



So next is the first fit onto the GLF-5 modelling car I have accuired - so we can engineer the best fit possible. More progress reports as this happens.
Anyone interested in purchasing any of these - NOW is the time to get your orders in !!
And we will move onto the Brumby tailgate next complete with steel anchor points for strength !
I noted a few comments relating this in earlier comments - don't worry guy's I am a time served design and development engineer and also work with machine tools too. I am fully aware of what is needed so rest assured it will be all done correctly !
Shipping out to Ozland will not be a issue and initial costing are encouraging - we just need numbers.
Remember guys -these panels are no-longer available ex japan so it either a used one (take your chance on condition / rust) or a GRP one !
Keep you posted !
Cheers
Giles.

WOW I've not seen work like that in nearly 20 years.

I'm putting my hand up for a set of guards for sure. A tailgate would be fantastic as well. (guards for sure for now)

While you are at it Giles would you mind getting them to make a fibre composite bonnet or 30. (yeah a carbon fibre strengthened bonnet) A nice dream but I suppose I need to earn the money first

LOOKING GOOD

TOONGA

Absolutely amazing work! If shipping here is no problem then put me down for 2 fenders. That is of course if the brumby fenders fit exactly to the MY which I think they do (can anyone comfirm/deny?)

Exactly how encouraging are the initial costing figures? And time frame? Just want to know how long I've got to save up the dosh

A tailgate would interest me. depending on the coin involved of course

niterida wrote:Composite = fibreglass or carbon-fibre.

More accurately FRP...Fibre Reinforced Plastic.

This means fibreglass, Kevlar, carbon fibre, etc

PS: you often hear "graphite" being (incorrectly) used. Graphite is a soft powder used as an ingredient to make carbon fibre & pencils. It has no strength & is also used for dry lubrication like in locks.

I would guess once they make the moulds they could do it in either - although wet-laid carbon-fibre is not as good, strong or pretty as the F1 pre-preg autoclaved proper CF.

F1, NASA, etc certainly lead the world in FRP, but anyone with reasonable skills can make CF products that most people couldnt tell apart. Although they will look similar, strength, impact resilience, etc cant be compared. But at prob 1/1000th the cost, do you care? lol

steptoe wrote:a tail gate you can't stand on I bet - fibreglass.

If made properly you could do a dance on it

littlewhiteute wrote:Exactly, why would anybody want a fibreglass tailgate on a ute?

As stated it will never rust. Also, small dings will just bounce out, it is way easier to paint, modify or repair & you can have it in pretty carbon

Silverbullet wrote:You could always incorporate internal metal ribbing on the inside for strength, and around possible weak spots

If you're doing FRP doors, you need to have steel intrusion bars. For other panels, I wouldnt bother. They have a habit of "showing through", slightly affecting the shape which will show up in a decent paint job & cause much swearing!

There are many stiffeners like "coremat", very basic, cheap, easy & effective. Or various closed cell matts. F1 uses aluminium alloy honeycomb

In areas like where the hinges go I would be adding a few layers of Kevlar.

The biggest problem is what is used to join the 2 skins. It must be very strong, sandable & paintable. I have used a custom "bog" mix with special bonding agents in it. I've never used Sikaflex products for this exact purpose but I know others have in motorsport. I know it sticks like s**t to a blanket but I dont know how easily its sanded or painted.


Basically, FRP is extremely versatile. There are many types of resin depending on the use & budget, & several types of fibre. There are many advantages & few disadvantages.

Hope this helps