rigid bumper repair D.I.Y

[littlegreek]

ok,so the bumpers on our cars in north america are not designed very well and are prone to cracking.they are also next to impossible to find in decent condition and when you do find them,they can be very expensive too!this is how to repair any rigid bumper for a fraction of the cost of replacement.
what you will need to do the job right.a can of brake clean,zip ties or mechanic's wire,scott blue towels,plastic spreader,something to grind with,something to mix the plastic repair and RIGID plastic repair/adhesive.

next you will need a good enough bumper to work with,my bumper from my coupe is a perfect specimen because its not missing any pieces
and the cracks are not at any major stress points.what i mean by stress points?anywhere a bolt would run through it to support itself.

[littlegreek]

next,wash the surrounding area with water/dish soap.let it dry then blast the area with brake clean.once you cleaned the area,you MUST not touch it with your hands/fingers.any oil contaminants,including sweat will ruin the adhesive properties of the repair so that means dont go eat a big mac and fries while doing this
next,use a NEW steel brush wheel and slowly remove material a couple inches from the surrounding area next to the crack,it is best to fix one crack at a time. dont rush!

next,as you can see with this bumper,it is split open and it will need to be supported to do the repair.what im really stressing here is that the area being repaired must not have any movement while you are applying the material and while its curing so lay the bumper down in a good spot somewhere and then drill a couple 1/8 holes alongside the crack and loop a zip tie or mechanic's wire and tighten then crack until its even and tight.

[littlegreek]

next,go grab something flat to go mix your material,dont forget,oil free or this all will be a waste!squeeze out some of that nasty goop, 50/50 mix and mix EVENLY with a spreader.
before you go playing with any autobody repair products,be warned,read all the labels because this stuff is poison.when mixing resins and catalysts,a chemical reaction is actually occurring,the fumes created from this are VERY dangerous and lethal.isocyanate gases will be released from this mixture so
dont be a dummy and stand over the mixture while mixing and applying.ventilated area should be used while mixing and applying too!

next,apply in a smooth/flat manner like this

work fast because it will harden in one minute!

[lotar_6]

pretty smooth! I might have to try this. Do you remcommend using some sort of mesh or fabric like material to provide added support? I've done repairs like this on my bike's plastic and the best reults I had were with glass resins & cloth. Also, do you have any pics of the described process of drilling & zip-ties to hold the piece together? On the smaller area (above the bumer rebar) how can you do this and not end up permanently adhering the zip-tie to the bumper?

also, what off-the-shelf brands (and stores that carry them) of the mixture do you recommend?

Thanks for the info!

[littlegreek]

part 2 of this D.I.Y will be coming up by the weekend where i can explain more.as for the zip tie question,which is a very good question,the purpose of tying up the crack is solely for the purpose of being able to apply the material without the bumper having any movement while spreading.if you move the bumper while the material has not set yet,the repair will NOT work.30 minutes after the bumper is rock hard,you can remove the zip ties by sanding/grinding them off.
as for the mesh question,mesh/cloth question,there is a specific mesh that can be purchased from an autobody supplier but id only use it if the bumper you are repairing is broken in pieces,i personally have only used mesh/cloth on fibreglass.
the bumper repair material im using is from a company called dominion sure seal which is pricey but worth the money.that small tube cost me $12.
you can use fibreglass to repair any bumper but it will only last a short while for two reasons.fibreglass has no flexing properties,unlike plastic so any shock or pressure on the repair will fail eventually and applying fibreglass to plastic is like a hit or miss as to if the materials will actually adhere to each other so spending an extra $10 to do it right shouldnt be an issue.
lastly,im trying to get this job done with as little money as possible,i dont want you guys buying $500 in materials to fix a $200 bumper but at the same time a quality repair should be the end result.im just a poor ex-bodyman that knows most guys on here are on a budget so im trying to keep this simple.i have repaired at least 2000 bumpers in my life,been in the auto body industry since i was 12 years old,got carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists as a result and now drive a truck
part 2 is coming!

[Snowhere]

Looking good, I need to do this for my motorcycle fairing. Will the same flexible epoxy work on ABS plastic?

[HighDesertAudi]

I have a quick question for the body shop guru:

I have a Fiberglass RS2 Replica bumper, what would be the best was to get rid on the indention where the europlate goes?
Thanks,

[lotar_6]

Quote, originally posted by HighDesertAudi »

...what would be the best was to get rid on the indention where the europlate goes?

put a euro-plate in it!

[littlegreek]

Quote, originally posted by Snowhere »

Looking good, I need to do this for my motorcycle fairing. Will the same flexible epoxy work on ABS plastic?

im not using epoxy,im using rigid bumper repair.usually on all plastic parts there is a 3 digit code in letters stamped on the back.one example is ABS,there are hundreds of different plastics out there and once you get the code then go to an autobody supply place and they will give you the right material for the repair.if you cant identify the type of plastic then bring it with you and usually there is someone knowledgable behind the counter that can help you pick the right stuff.
as for modifying fibreglass bumpers or fibreglass anything,you would have to cut out the area where the europlate is and build it with cloth and resin to the shape you want it.stuff like that should be done by people who know how to work fibreglass because its not that easy.if you insist on deleting that europlate from that bumper then first go find something else first to practice with.it will be a shame to destroy a good bumper for the sake of learning.
lastly,because of the nice weather were having in toronto lately,ive been caught up with running ss braided lines on my coupe.as soon as it gets stupid cold ill resume this d.i.y.in the meantime,i can answer any questions that you guys may have.

[Snowhere]

Any online sources for supplies? The nearest supply place is probably over two hours away.

[littlegreek]

Quote, originally posted by Snowhere »

Any online sources for supplies? The nearest supply place is probably over two hours away.

sorry man,im not even in the same country as you so maybe ask on your regionals?
anyways,its stupid cold up here in toronto,eh,and now i can resume the d.i.y.hopefully by now you have covered the outside and inside of the crack and it has some strength.if you feel that it isnt,dont worry,what you do next is thisn the inside of the bumper where the material is,sand/grind 2 more inches further away from the crack.the material that you applied is glossy/shiny,sand/grind it too but just enough to lose the gloss.next,mix up some more material and spread it over the entire sanded area.
what you are actually doing is making the area around the crack strong,only do this on the back where its hidden,for obvious reasons,lol.

now here comes the hard part,as you can see i've been working in sections,i repaired the large,easy area first,now there is a break on the top which i will repair next.

[littlegreek]

so here is a pic of the zip ties in action.i have got the bumper back to one
piece again and saved a guzilion dollars.i can show you how to refinish next but i dont have a bodyshop in my apartment,lol.
now that the bumper is repaired,you can drop it off to a bodyshop and get it prepped and painted.
if anybody has questions,feel free to ask.i will ask the mods to sticky this to the d.i.y. section and any new questions can be asked by creating a new thread.