Painting Front Bumper Cover

[Wufei]

Hey guys,

I need some advice. The '99 GS (non OZ ed. ) that I bought had the front bumper replaced...EXCEPT it's a different color -_- The problem is that all the places that I've asked to get it painted wanted around $300 for it...so should I just get a new bumper cover off of eBay or what?

Oh, and if anyone's in the Indy area and knows of a place where I can get it painted w/o getting ripped off I'd really appreciate it

 

[cubedmayhem]

Try macco,but i would ? the job they will do. I have heard 50/50 rewiews with them

 

[Wufei]

Yeah, they are a lot cheaper, but a friend who got his car painted there had the paint start to peel off 6 months afterwards, same thing happened to his friend's Z28.

 

[blcknspo0ln]

at the least prep the bumper yourself... run 400 on it and work your way to 2000... then have them prep and paint

 

[Wufei]

at the least prep the bumper yourself... run 400 on it and work your way to 2000... then have them prep and paint

Heh, sorry for being a newb...but what's 400 and 2000?

 

[Mack]

That refers to the sandpaper grit.

 

[Wufei]

Ok, thanks!

Anyone know of a reputable national chain or a good Indy paint shop?

 

[DSMigraine]

first of all...stay away from Maco or any other "pay and spray" shops of that nature...they dont do quality work. Also, you get what you pay for in the paint world...most of the time anyways, unless its done by a friend for real cheap. If you wanna prep it for paint...start with 80-180 grit and get out any deep scratches and scuffs, and use polyester putty (icing) where needed (assuming the panel is in decent shape...if in worse shape, you will need something more durable such as fiberglass to make repairs). Next sand everything smooth to about a 320 grit... the whole panel. If you feel like venturing past this point, its time for primer if you used any icing/bondo/fiberglass. Other wise, wet-sand with 600 grit and it should be ready for paint. You dont need to go 2000 unless you really want to. 600 is more than smooth enough and still leaves something for the paint to bite into alittle. The paint process is a whole other bag of worms, and I suggest you let a proffesional take care of it (unless you have some experience or just feel ambitious) as there are many variables and factors that take years to learn and master. Best of luck

 

[Wufei]

Thanks for the help! I found a local guy that'll do it for $170ish

Should I do it now or wait til spring? I kinda want to do it this weekend (should be around 70's here)

 

[miteclgst]

Don't start off prepping your cover with 80 grit paper, this is overkill and even in the hands of a professional can cause a catastrophy with 80 or even 180 it is really easy to "flat spot" a curve or to take off too much material. Bumper covers should not require a great deal of body work. Do not use bondo on a bumper cover because it is not flexible and the first time you bump something it will crack. If there are any tears of cracks in it use an SMC adhesive or something formulated for SMC or TPO to fix it. YOu can even use something like a 2 part epoxy glue to fix such imperfections. Don't use fiberglass, unlike the bumper cover fiberglass dries rigid for the most part and also bonding fiberglass to SMC or TPO is hit or miss. As for finishing grit 320 will work and 500 is better, paint needs something to "bite into". A coat or two of sealer and your base coats will level out themselves. Your best bet is to make things easy on yourself if you want to prep it on your own. Get a quality cleaner/degreaser and clean the bumper thoroughly this will remove anything that could cause "fish-eyes" or mess up your adhesion. Wet sand the bumper using a mixture of both soft blocks and hard blocks with some 400 grit sandpaper. Be sure to scuff all of the "shiny" areas. If you cant reach an area with the soft or hard blocks then a maroon (or 400 grit) scotch brite pad will do you well. Good Luck.

 

[Wufei]

Woah awesome. Thanks for the great tips!

 

[96whgsx]

This guy painted his bumper and showed all steps with pics. Here it is:

http://www.miata.net/hakuna/rbnose.html

 

[Wufei]

Finally got my car painted! One of my friend's coworkers at Quint's Kustom Kolors did the great job, color match is fine, AND he'll stand by the work. Even gave me a silver Mitsu badge for the front ^^

Pics:

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He said to not wax/put the bra on it for 2 months, with winter coming up, is there anything I need to worry about?

 

[Scrymerr]

Don't start off prepping your cover with 80 grit paper, this is overkill and even in the hands of a professional can cause a catastrophy with 80 or even 180 it is really easy to "flat spot" a curve or to take off too much material. Bumper covers should not require a great deal of body work. Do not use bondo on a bumper cover because it is not flexible and the first time you bump something it will crack. If there are any tears of cracks in it use an SMC adhesive or something formulated for SMC or TPO to fix it. YOu can even use something like a 2 part epoxy glue to fix such imperfections. Don't use fiberglass, unlike the bumper cover fiberglass dries rigid for the most part and also bonding fiberglass to SMC or TPO is hit or miss. As for finishing grit 320 will work and 500 is better, paint needs something to "bite into". A coat or two of sealer and your base coats will level out themselves. Your best bet is to make things easy on yourself if you want to prep it on your own. Get a quality cleaner/degreaser and clean the bumper thoroughly this will remove anything that could cause "fish-eyes" or mess up your adhesion. Wet sand the bumper using a mixture of both soft blocks and hard blocks with some 400 grit sandpaper. Be sure to scuff all of the "shiny" areas. If you cant reach an area with the soft or hard blocks then a maroon (or 400 grit) scotch brite pad will do you well. Good Luck.

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, however I was doing some bumper repair of my own, and the front bumper is NOT TPO. If you look on the sideskirts, they say >TPO< on them, while the front bumper says >PUR<. The PUR type is different than the TPO, and is classified under "semi-rigid" material, along with PPO and RRIM. I use Duramix *edit 4030 not 4040 oops* and some window screen to repair mine. As far as the paint needing something to "bite into", this is false- 800 grit or a grey scotchbrite should be used when hand sanding- anything else will be too coarse. There are a few other products I will be using to repair and paint my front bumper, and if anyone needs help, I will be more than happy to explain more thouroughly how to repair the bumpers.

 

[miteclgst]

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, however I was doing some bumper repair of my own, and the front bumper is NOT TPO. If you look on the sideskirts, they say >TPO< on them, while the front bumper says >PUR<. The PUR type is different than the TPO, and is classified under "semi-rigid" material, along with PPO and RRIM. I use Duramix 4040 and some window screen to repair mine. As far as the paint needing something to "bite into", this is false- 800 grit or a grey scotchbrite should be used when hand sanding- anything else will be too coarse. There are a few other products I will be using to repair and paint my front bumper, and if anyone needs help, I will be more than happy to explain more thouroughly how to repair the bumpers.

I'm sorry but truth and personal preference are two separate things. Paint needs something to bite to, you can call which ever tech line you feel is necessary and they will verify this. Depending on the primer the manufacturer will suggest a specific grit for surface preparation. Most primers (sealers) suggest something around 500 grit. A surface can be prepped with 800 or grey scotchbrite if the surface is already sealed and you only plan to spray base or color over it. There is no practical reason to prep with anything higher than 500 grit. Two coats of sealer will easily fill in any sanding scratch if that is what you are worried about. Time-wise it is inefficient to prep with such a high grit paper. If prepping with anything of lower grit is considered too coarse then I will have to inform the shop that I work for. They have been doing award winning restorations for 10 years and have a 5 year waiting list. We have won several national shows and have many top end (6 figure) vehicles under our belt.
I never claimed to be a TPO-RRIM-PPO-PUR-SMC expert, but I do know that products such as fiberglass and bondo will not produce favorable results when used with these materials. That is what I stated, thank you for clarifying the exact material and repair product. But don't ressurect an old thread to call me out like I am spreading misinformation.
If you would like to keep wasting your time for no real result by prepping with 800 grit then by all means go ahead. Just don't attempt to convince everyone else that your way is the be-all-end-all method.

 

[Scrymerr]

I'm sorry but truth and personal preference are two separate things. Paint needs something to bite to, you can call which ever tech line you feel is necessary and they will verify this. Depending on the primer the manufacturer will suggest a specific grit for surface preparation. Most primers (sealers) suggest something around 500 grit. A surface can be prepped with 800 or grey scotchbrite if the surface is already sealed and you only plan to spray base or color over it. There is no practical reason to prep with anything higher than 500 grit. Two coats of sealer will easily fill in any sanding scratch if that is what you are worried about. Time-wise it is inefficient to prep with such a high grit paper. If prepping with anything of lower grit is considered too coarse then I will have to inform the shop that I work for. They have been doing award winning restorations for 10 years and have a 5 year waiting list. We have won several national shows and have many top end (6 figure) vehicles under our belt.
I never claimed to be a TPO-RRIM-PPO-PUR-SMC expert, but I do know that products such as fiberglass and bondo will not produce favorable results when used with these materials. That is what I stated, thank you for clarifying the exact material and repair product. But don't ressurect an old thread to call me out like I am spreading misinformation.
If you would like to keep wasting your time for no real result by prepping with 800 grit then by all means go ahead. Just don't attempt to convince everyone else that your way is the be-all-end-all method.

Well you know what, don't get loud with me; I didn't ask for you to get defensive. The point of my post was first of all to correct you on the correct product to use for the material our front bumper is made out of, and secondly correct the misconception that paint needs something to bite into when working with plastics. Whether you have been able to use 500 grit with your primer sealers, great, im sure no scratches would show through if you used 220. The point is that you can sand plastic with 36 grit if you want and it is not going to enhance the adhesion of the paint. I was simply adding information on the topic, and you had to take it personally. Don't tell me what to do, I am simply trying to help people out.