BRZ Front bumper question
 

Been a long time lurker here. I have owned my BRZ for almost a year now and I'm finally ready to get rid of the only thing I hate about the beloved BRZ; the black plastic front bumper part! (the mouth guard, mustache, or whatever). I was wondering if there was any way to change the black plastic part? I have searched for a long time, seems like the only way is to change the entire front bumper? Are there any alternatives? I have the 2014 limited SWP edition so swapping it with a FRS wouldn't work (fog lights). Anyone have any ideas? Thank you so much for your help!

I've seen a member here that sanded it smooth and painted it glossy black. It looked so nice. I can't recall who it was but I'm sure someone knows. That's the route I'm going when I have the bumper repainted after one of these winters.


I know it's still black, but it gets rid of the cheap plastic look if that's another route you'd want to go..

As someone who sustained front bumper damage, maybe I can help a bit:

The front bumper on the BRZ is all one piece, including the mustache. As far as making it gloss black, or body color I guess you could sand it down smooth and paint it. Other than that, or possibly a whole new aftermarket bumper, all you can do is sand it and paint it.

@chanomatik

i'm going to cut my mustache completely off once my custom crash bar gets built.

It'll just grow back...but thicker!

That's just a myth :D

The more you cut it, the faster it grows back!

Here I is! I had my shop do it. I don't know the EXACT procedure, but I know it entails some filling in because the piece is heavily textured, then some sanding to smooth it out. I don't know what it was filled with, though. Anyone with any kind of experience could probably guess it easily if you're paying someone else to fabricate it. After sanding, you'll want to have clear bra put over it after the paint has either had time to cure properly or just dried completely, depending on paint used.

Here's basically what it looked like when I first got it done.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7402/...a2c7498b_h.jpg
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5574/...3f51cc96_h.jpg

When it was first done they just painted it with whatever they had at the time and told me to bring it back in a week after the paint cured. No clear bra was applied at the time for that reason. Well, in Anchorage, Alaska, they lay down gravel on the roads instead of salt, so my front was dinged up. They never actually got around to applying the clear bra or touching up the paint, so here's what it looked like during the middle of summer (kind of hard to tell, you'll need to blow it up a little).

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3857/...7f3364c6_h.jpg

Those little white splotches are dings in the bumper. Eventually they took the car back and got it professionally painted, where it dried in a day, then had clear bra put on it. That was maybe 5 months ago now and the bumper still looks brand new. Actually my entire front looks new because I had clear bra applied right after I bought the car and they replaced the clear bra, so the paint is untouched. I don't have a current picture of the front, but it looks the same anyways.

I don't know how much it would cost to have it done since mine was done for free. My shop takes REALLY good care of me and I'm super appreciative of their kindness. I show it by continuing to bring them business!

Anyways, if there's anything specific you want me to ask them about the procedure, let me know. A member on here pointed out that it mostly works on my car because it's already black. Honestly, I was going for a lighter black, more of that duller, yet glossy dark gray that the BRZ STI Concept uses. I think if you could get it closer to this instead of the deep black like I have, you'd be golden!

http://www.autotribute.com/wp-conten...cept-front.jpg

thanks for everyone that replied! Wow that looks amazing on your car... But I don't think that would look good on mine. Like you and other members have said, it works since you have black car. I think if I did it on my car, it would stand out more. I remember reading another thread about painting the mustache. But imo, it looks hideous if I paint it white. (Not to mention all the trouble and cost).

As to others that mention cutting the plastic. I don' think that would be a possibility for me since I wouldn't know how to add something to change it. I have seen pictures in another thread of people just cutting the plastic off. It looks like an open mouth (Look like those Mazda 3s). So i guess there's no other alternatives.... =/

Yeah, sorry. :( The only other thing I kind of liked was the overlay that either looks like carbon fiber or IS carbon fiber. It's from S-Craft.
http://www.frp-craft.com/cgi/pd/img/100.jpg

HKS Kansai is an option too, especially since it sticks with the body lines.
http://www.kansaisv.co.jp/sp_info/im...007pic_2_7.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j4..._carbon_01.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j4..._carbon_02.jpg

Otherwise, yeah, not much for options besides just getting a new front bumper. Honestly, only we car enthusiasts REALLY care. The average Joe will still think you have the prettiest car ever and just wonder how fast it is. ;)

Dang looks great.

I'm sure Evercoat Polyflex would do the trick.

The mustache doesn't bother me, but chanomatik's alteration looks REALLY good. Curious if it would blend as nicely on a color other than black...

How much did it cost to do the mustache augmentation?