[speedkar9]

I patched up my bumper this weekend. It had a crack half way down.

Here's a short video on how I did it:

Here's a few photos of the process:

Cracked bumper, before:



Bumper removed:



Closer shot of the damage:



Crack from behind the bumper:



Sanded the edges and made a V-groove using a dremel:



Once the surface is cleaned, I taped it up from the front, matching the crack flush:



Put a clamp on the top to hold things tight. I used JB Weld Plastic Bonder to glue the bumper together.



The JB Weld is a 2 part mixture. I used a small card/spreader to spread it along the length of the crack behind the bumper.



I put some drywall tape behind for reinforcement:



The package says it dries in 15 mins, but it was more like 2-3 hours. Once the clamp is removed, I put some more epoxy right up to the edge of the crack:



Here's what it looks like after its been bonded. At this point you can apply touchup paint to the chips if your satisfied, or apply filler, sand and paint the bumper:



Damaged area sanded:



Bondo body filler applied. Note: use filler meant for plastic for better results. This filler didn't stick well hence not a perfect result at the end.



Filler sanded with 80 grit then 320 grit to smoothen it out:



Primer applied to the areas with filler:



Primer wet sanded with 400 grit:



I went to CarQuest and got them to mix me a spray can of paint for $30. The right way to do this is to repaint the whole bumper. I was looking for a quick cheap fix so I opted to just blend quarter of it.

The color is a good match, just a tad on the darker side but blends well. It is single stage, base, clear and pearl in one coat. Here's the first coat:



Second coat. I was really happy with the results, especially for a DIY home repair.



There's just a slight hairline mark where the crack once was. This could have been fixed by using the right filler:



Reinstalling the bumper:



Finished:

 

[Aviography]

Not bad.

My sister has a CRX with the same color, I also got a CARQUEST matched aerosol paint to do some minor repair on the bumper for her, the pain also was darker than the OEM paint.....

 

[JohnNH]

Nice work! That looks great! Thanks for sharing the repair.

 

[enne]

Not bad considering time and materials! I think you did a great job. Looks much better than leaving it or taping over it like I see some yayhoots do.

Maybe I can try the plastic weld on my Camaro's rear bumper instead of replacing the bumper. There's a gouge in it that goes through to the other side. Maybe a fiberglass patch would do the trick...

 

[qman]

Nice job but for the time it takes to remove and replace the bumper, you should have did it right. Just IMO which doesn't mean squat. I have to do my wife's bumper. The paint is peeling and you can see the black plastic underneath. No cracks, just looks like (BOWEL MOVEMENT).

 

[ctandc]

Not bad considering time and materials! I think you did a great job. Looks much better than leaving it or taping over it like I see some yayhoots do.

Maybe I can try the plastic weld on my Camaro's rear bumper instead of replacing the bumper. There's a gouge in it that goes through to the other side. Maybe a fiberglass patch would do the trick...

Don't use a patch. The bumpers are not fiberglass either, so that will just waste your time and not work well.

You can use a regular old soldering iron with zip ties for welding / filler material. Did this more than once when I owned / rode sport bikes. Used this method to fix the plastic fairings.

The "body filler" you need for bumper repairs is a plastic putty / surface filler. Go to your local auto body paint / supply - they will have everything you need.

Get the scotchbrite pads from there as well. They will save you a ton of time prepping and sanding.

Also - unless you used epoxy (true catalyzed - two part) primer on that repair, it's not likely it'll hold the first time that bumper flexes or impacts etc.

You can use a adhesion promoter if you want (Bulldog is one brand) made for repairing / painting plastic / urethane body panels. Or get a real 2K (2 part) epoxy primer from the paint supplier. They do sell it in a spray bomb.

WEAR A RESPIRATOR, not just a cheezy paper mask, when spraying anything that is chemically activated (Real primer, real 2K clear, base coat etc).

 

[Keystone]

That looks familiar. I fixed mine a little over a year ago with a plastic welder. Still holding up.

 

[Keystone]

One more pic...

 

[Catfisha]

If only I could find something along those lines to fill in the friggin', dry heave-inducing drilled holes in my front bumper for the stupid, state-mandated graffiti...AKA license plate. I did get this car used, but, honestly, WHO DOES THAT ON PURPOSE?!?! It's blasphemy.... I can't afford a new front bumper cover.

When I had my third car, I didn't have a front plate LOL, but I did have a BAD dream that the cops pulled me over and proceeded to drill two crooked holes into my bumper so they could bolt a plate on...:jawdrop:uke:

 

[enne]

The holes in the back of my car's trunk lid are not drilled straight...the front ones are though. How weird is that?

 

[Catfisha]

The holes in the back of my car's trunk lid are not drilled straight...the front ones are though. How weird is that?

50% chance of an idiot with a drill..? LOL

 

[qman]

If only I could find something along those lines to fill in the friggin', dry heave-inducing drilled holes in my front bumper for the stupid, state-mandated graffiti...AKA license plate.

Why can't you plastic fill it?

 

[Catfisha]

If only I could find something along those lines to fill in the friggin', dry heave-inducing drilled holes in my front bumper for the stupid, state-mandated graffiti...AKA license plate.

Why can't you plastic fill it?

I guess I could attempt it when I feel brave enough...
I need to find another plate holder that mounts from underneath....

 

[VFR4Lee]

No no, I told myself I would never do this kind of work again. Such a pita.
Might change my mind after I get some quotes to fix my bumpers. :dunno:

 

[speedkar9]

Thanks all for the feedback everyone

Not bad considering time and materials! I think you did a great job. Looks much better than leaving it or taping over it like I see some yayhoots do.

Thanks, yea I think it didn't come out too bad, I was happy with the results. The paint seemed to blend better on the bumper than on the body (more on that in a future thread).

Nice job but for the time it takes to remove and replace the bumper, you should have did it right.

The "body filler" you need for bumper repairs is a plastic putty / surface filler. Go to your local auto body paint / supply - they will have everything you need.

I wasn't really looking for a perfect job to be honest. I was fixing a dent in my fender and had to pull the bumper anyway and decided to just JB weld it to see how it will come out before sticking the bumper back on. The paint was left over from the fender job and it came out well. My initial intentions for this car was that I was going to do some vinyl wrapping, so I didn't really care for a perfect finish regardless.

I do wish I had the right filler on hand. I used bondo body filler which was meant more for metal. It doesn't stick to the bumper and most of it fell off during sanding. I know though that underneath the JB weld and drywall mesh will at least hold the crack together.

No no, I told myself I would never do this kind of work again. Such a pita.
Might change my mind after I get some quotes to fix my bumpers. :dunno:

Well for me a new primed bumper is roughly $90 around here, and I'd need a full can of paint for another $30 if I were to DIY. For how it turned out, I'm satisfied, the rest of this car isn't in that great shape and it has 311,000km on it.

 

[VFR4Lee]

Well for me a new primed bumper is roughly $90 around here, and I'd need a full can of paint for another $30 if I were to DIY.

Mechanic threw out "I have a guy that can redo that for about $300." My Dad tossed out the same number. So, $120 sounds pretty good, especially since no bondo work needed, the diy shouldn't be too hard. It's mostly the bottom and lower part of the front bumper. The PO may have gone in and out of driveways too fast a few times. :dunno: