Prepping/repairing bumper cover for paint

[shoteen95]

So thanks to some kind west side folk here in MI, I have a bumper cover sans-hole. This is what the old one looked like:



For starters, the paint on my new (used) cover is absolutely shot, so it needs a repaint. Looks to be a mix of flaking clear coat, a few layers of rattle can, and portions that have nothing sticking to it at all (just yellow plastic).

I can probably get a decent deal from my neighbor to have it painted, but I'd like to do as much prep work as I can. How would I go about doing that? Just get some heavy grit sand paper and go at it?

Also, the new cover has a small crack near the bottom that looks like it could be repaired. I've read a little bit on repairing plastic bumper covers but it's something I've never done before. Anyone have any experience in repairing bumpers? I believe ours are made of urethane if that means anything.

 

[St Louis SHO]

3m makes a great repair kit for urethane bumpers, I cannot recall the PN, but I've used it before and its great. As for the stripping, a place called crest industries makes a stripper safe for urethane, i've used it before also. You should be able to look that up online.

James

 

[shoteen95]

Thanks It looks a little involved, but it's nice to know it's do-able.

I'll see if I can look up the 3M products you were referring to.

 

[JoesSHO]

If you go to a FinishMaster store, look for SEM (brand) bumper repair epoxy, they carry it. It's in a syringe type tube... Works great if the bumper is prepped correctly. I bought it there and used it with success.

Other brands to look for are Dynatron, (listed under plastic repair, may have at Pep Boys, or Murray's) and James is right- 3M makes a great kit too.

Git-r-done!

 

[ohfosho]

im sure that if you have the cover off, and therefore have escess tot eh inside, you can buy the bondo patch kits (just basically a screen to stick onto the backside), and then use fiberglass (i use bondo-glass...short strand i think), and plaster it on there, trying to keep it just a lil above the bumper level... you can smear some on the inside for extra too...
then sand with 100, maybe 120 grit sandpaper to get close to level, then switch down to 220 to smooth it out more closer to the bumper, and then get into the 500 or more grit to get rid of the sanding scratches, primer and paint, and clearcoat.

 

[Brett]

At school we have a busted ass daewoo, quarterpanel alone took me almost a month to straigten and fill. Anyways, we go the cheap way on everything, instead of buying a good bumper cover, we welded two half good ones together for the back. On the front, there was a 1ft by 8inch hole, i cut a piece out of another bumper and welded it in with a "plastic welder" (glorified sodering gun). Then we use heat-set to fill in all the weld spots, sand it down smooth with some 80 grit and put some poly on it.

 

[93rev2sev]

Goto Painters Supply on Middlebelt; South of Warren. They have everything. They supply the local dealerships with body repair materials.

 

[shoteen95]

Goto Painters Supply on Middlebelt; South of Warren. They have everything. They supply the local dealerships with body repair materials.

Awesome info. I must have never really noticed that place as I drive past it a few times a week. I'll make sure to check it out.