How to repair a fibre glass bumper!

[PaRaDoX]

hey guys... i stumbled across this at the wreckers last week and coulnt leave it there,

its a Group A rear bumper, first of all it was alpine white (1J052, paint code)
which is exactly the same as my car... anyway, it had a crack in it and various paint damage and alot of discoloured paint

stage 1
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take a look at the bumper and see if it can just be filled or if it needs more work (more fiberglass, only nessecary if there is a big hole in it)
if you just need filler go to your local auto bahn store and get some body filler $9.99 per tub which should be more than enough, next find your paint code which is located in the engine bay on the drivers side on a silver plate (attached to the firewall)

stage 2
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find any cracks / big dints and sand them before appling the filler,
dont worry if it looks really rough your going to sand it down anyway

stage 3
--------
sand the filler back and sand out any smaller dints as shown, you can use a electric sander or your hand, first use a really course paper (400 or so)
then use a really fine pape to give a smooth surface the paint will stick onto

stage 4
----------
paint the bumper, hold 20cm from target and dont hold it
go from left to right then release, then repeat, dont apply too much in one go..

allow 15-30 mins for each coat to dry for best results

stage 5
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apply clear coat to finish and protect the paint, after this it will be shinny, i havnt done this or got pics of this yet but i will soon..

[HDT_aero]

good job and nice write up... i would probably reinforce that crack or the right side by sanding the rear of it and throwing a few fibergalss sheets at it

[PaRaDoX]

used adheasive to reinforce back ( a fair amount ), lol forgot to mention
also had to rebuild 1 of the main rear mounts as it was entirely snapped off..

not bad tho,

bumper - $32
paint - $9
filler - $10
finish - $15

total spent = $66

cant wait till ive got the rest of the bodykit =D

[IhateRICE!]

Hey Guys

I've got the normal excutive ( crappy plastic) and i have a crack right thought the front bumper at the bottom (under that little air space ) i would like to know how i could fix that.
1. What do i need?
2. How much?
3. And can a dumbarse like me do it?

Thanks

I HATE RICEZ

[PaRaDoX]

ok ok, first im assuming u have those ugly un painted ones... to be honost.. its not worth fixing...

go to the wreckers and u can get a complete one with mounts for $32 (pick a part have heaps of VN's)

[IhateRICE!]

hey 1337paradox

i would but i don't have the money see i'm only 16 and just started a job so. And how much would i cost me to spary it to match the car colour do u think??

Thank

I HATE RICEZ : rice:

[PaRaDoX]

umm...

to spray it, you'd need a coupple of cans, id say 2 big ones maybe 3 depending on the amount of coats u get, you would also need plastic primer and clear coat, is it bare ??? because you might need to sand it down a bit before spraying...

just to give you a idea on the costs involved

2-3x$15 per big can
1x$15 per clear coat can
1x$15 per primer can

its cheaper to try and find your colour bumper on cars at the wreckers... just keep going there every week and take a look round, you find bargins every now and then... your 16 so they'res no rush... heres some advice, fix up the problems.. then do it up..

[premmy186]

ur my hero paradox the knight in shinning armour always there to help! haha sorry just had too :P

[IhateRICE!]

hey paradox

i've already got all the stuff i need the only probelm is that (is that i can't spell) lol i compresser to do it myself so i'm after prices. Because i have all the stuff already except the thinners do you think they would do it cheaper??

Thanks

[PaRaDoX]

haha premmy,

ihaterice, umm i assume your after just the paint yeah?? because you have the compressor.. + gun?? im not sure what places sell auto paint for compressor guns but i dont assume it would be too hard to track down, but i cant help you on that.. i dont think you'd need over 1-2 litres of paint both bumpers,
as for thinners, you dont need one dude... if its raw plastic then there is nothing to thin... u just need plastic primer

im off to finish the bumper today as i just got paid and i have lotsa money to fiddle with :P

[premmy186]

think i might investigate this bumper rumageing myself, im after a group a kit, n i don't quite have $1350 at the moment for a brand new one.

[PaRaDoX]

bumper rummaging is fun :P pick and match diffrent kits to get your own unique look

[premmy186]

lol its a one of a kind 3.8litre sv3800 vx ss group A, only one was ever made :P

[jamieaus]

You will need thinners to thin the paint if you are using a spray gun and compressor you should be able to find a car paint shop in the yellowpages speak to them you will probably need a special plastic primer you don't need clear unless it is a metallic paint, you should be able to get 1 litre of paint for about $60 shop around there are big differances in prices even on the same brand paint thinners costs about $100 for 20 litres to paint the bumpers you will probably get away with a 4 litre can. mix about half paint and half thinners for the topcoats not so much thinners in the primer. sand primer smooth with 600 wet and dry before painting topcoat.

Getting one the right color from the wrecker if the prices above are correct will be much cheaper.

[PaRaDoX]

yeah actually the bumper came my exact colour, but had far too many dints/paint scratches, hence why i filled it

as for the paint, i painted it and it looked perfectly fine, untill i put it next to my car, its not far off, when i sprayed it i had sanded the bumper, so it was %100 sport on, as i didnt respray the entire bumper, just parts of it... so the top layer was just faded to the same degree as my car....

therefore a cut and polish should make the car whiter and look the same colour as the bumper...