Front Bumper repair
 

There was a post a while back i stumbled on. It was on a Hot Lava, the bottom of the front bumper was scraped. The user repaired it and it looked like new.

I searched, and came up empty. But I did notice alot of people "scraped" their "front" "bumper" (those were my search terms)

I started in the DIY, but either I missed it, or it didn't make it there.

Help? :thanks:

You know, I remember that post too, but I'll be damned if I could find it again, even using more inventive search terms.

Repairs like the one in the post aren't difficult though. You will need the matching paint, clearcoat and primer in spray cans, some different grits of wet or dry sandpaper (240 and 400 will do) and masking tape and paper. If there are deep scratches in the plastic (assuming we are doing a bumper), you will also need some glazing compound (filler for small scratches, usually in a tube). First, scrape or sand off any plastic that is raised from the surface, then clean the area and fill the scratches. After the filler is dry, sand smooth with the wet or dry sandpaper and clean water, starting with the 240 grit. You may need to apply filler a second time, depending on the severity of the scratches. After the surface is smooth and has dried, mask the area and paint with the primer. When this is thoroughly dry, wet sand with 400 grit paper, clean the surface and allow it to dry, and apply a coat of the color. Multiple thin coats are better than one thick coat. After the color coat is dry, apply the clear coat. Don't sand the color coats, but do sand the clear coats between coats with the 400 wet or dry paper. When the masking is removed, use a polishing compound to smooth out the over sprayed clearcoat and the new painted area (after it has dried for at least 24 hours). The hardest part is rattle can technique- practice on a test surface before doing the real thing.

If the color match is good and you are a careful craftsman, you can do small areas like this and they are hardly noticeable.

Just keep posting. The owner will see your thread and reply.

Yes, that was me who did that work. I never notice it, nor does anyone else. It happens, and you can fix a fairly large area for less than $50. EDIT, here is a link to the original thread: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17698

before:

http://i.imgur.com/ou8RH.jpg

during:

http://i.imgur.com/DlrGw.jpg

After:

http://i.imgur.com/FgC0q.jpg

I mean make fun of me for doing such damage to my little creampuff, but it's whatever and I managed to fix it. Once I get a lip it will all be covered completely anyways.

Not at all man- stuff happens. Excellent job though. How good is the paint match in person?

I cruise with scott from time to time. its not noticable till you get real up real close then you can just see a line around the painted area. So unless you knew it was damaged and painted, its unnoticeable

the paint match is identical, there is not difference at all. I think I did 4 or 5 coats though and two coats of clear.

Thank You!

Exactly what I'm looking for. Great job done, which is why I was looking for your post specifically.