There's literally a chunk of plastic missing from the rear bumper cover and the only thing touch up paint can do is just turn the black polymer material into vista blue. I might as well get a ball peen hammer and start trashing the rear cover because there's no point in keeping it looking new anymore.

So what are some options for new bumper covers? I kind of like the GT/CS's rear diffuser. Does anyone have the Ford part # for this rear cover and what is involved in the swap?

How much will it cost to have it professionally painted (Vista blue, clearcoated)?

 

What happened? Did you get rearended?

 

I'm not sure how much it will cost to fix this bumper, but I'm guessing body filler is needed, plus primer and special "flex" paint.

It's about 1/8" deep.

I'm not sure I want to spend the $400 for a new GT/CS bumper cover because it'll probably get torn up again.

 

That's super minor. Just get it repaired. If you buy a new cover you'll have the same labor as the repair (both need complete paint) but you'll be out the cost of the cover as well. If you plan to definitely do the cover down the road then why pay for paint twice? Do it now.

 

I agree. I'm not even going to bother to have this cover repaired, but I also don't want to spend $400+ on something that will get torn up again later on. I might get a knife and carve "CHEVY SUCKS". The cover is FUBAR'd; the gash is dead center under the trunk area right above the license plate. Stripes wouldn't even cover it.

 

Any idea how this happened to your bumper?

 

Check this thread :

http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=63383

Kevin posted a part # in post 16.

 

You know, if you're super patient you could probably fix it yourself so that it'll look good from 5'. If it's all below the surface you could start filling it with touch-up paint. If you wait long enough between coats (weeks probably) you could build it up quite a bit. When you get within a few thousandths of the surface switch to clear. Once you've built it up higher than the surrounding area just hit it with some 600 paper followed by 1000, 1500, 2000 then finally compound. If the color is close you'll likely have to tell people where it is.

 

The depth of the gash is about 1/8"-1/4". I thought about filling it up and using touch-up paint, but it looks like I need some type of body filler? What should I use for the soft/flexible bumper cover? I have a bottle of the standard touch up paint, but I'm not sure it can be used on the flexible bumper cover.

 

If it's that deep you should fill it first. Just stop by your local body shop supply. They'll have the filler for bumpers. Regarding the paint, you should be fine using your touch up paint. It's such a small area anything significant enough to stress it will likely be destroying the bumper in the process.

 

Will I need to apply primer or any other paint products to the cured filler?

 

Not for such a small repair. From the looks of it I'm guessing it's about 1/4" wide and less than 1" long. Is that accurate? I doubt you'll end up with a perfect repair, but at least it'll be the right color and if you're able to get it level the reflected light won't make it too obvious.

 

I'll see if I can find the body filler. Would Autozone or Advance Auto have it in stock, or is it special enough to be found only at auto body repair shops?

Here's another pic of the gash. It's a little bit bigger, but it's already got a "V" so that saves me the trouble of grinding it. The bottle of Motorcraft paint that I have is a lacquer based paint and not urethane. I suppose this is worth a try!

 

OH MY GOD he rubbed the dirt away from the scratch dry!!! - faints -

Anyway, they may have it. But you'll definitely find better products at a paint shop or even one of the Napas that sell paint products. You really don't have anything to lose at this point except a few bucks and some of your time.

I'm of the school that I'll try anything if the worst outcome will lead me right back to the same outcome I would have had if I didn't try at all. Makesense?

 

Yes it does! Someone recommended I check out Fusor products:
http://www.lord.com/tabid/3401/Default.aspx

#114 looks like it might work for the bumper cover.

 

Of course the other option in between filling/painting it yourself and getting a body shop to fix/replace is to buy an original take-off piece and install it. I think $200 is the going rate for a rear bumper.

 

Where can I buy a take-off piece?

 

www.newtakeoff.com I need to buy a new front bumper. very similar problem as you, not a huge gash, but i want it fixed cause it bothers me.

 

RobK: It makes perfect sense. I'm going to give a try in fixing it.
I bought 3M Duramix 4036 (TPO repair) and Duramix 4924 (TPO Adhesion promoter).

It looks like the bumper material is Thermoplastic. The Saleen body kit also uses TPO, so it makes a bit more sense. I'm not sure why Ford didn't use urethane, but it's possibly due to weight and cost restrictions.


Do you have any tips for repairing gouges in TPO? It looks like sanding isn't that necessary since the adhesion promoter is going to be used. I was planning to just grind/file the gouges so that they could hold the TPO repair material. I'm not sure how I should smooth it out and repaint.

 

Hey Metro, when did you get a Vista Blue stang? I thought you had your silver one, then replaced it with a Alloy grey, did I miss something? Either way as far as a painted take off, call Corey(takeoffstang here on TMS) over at Primacy Auto 1-800-756-5681. he is a great guy, he gets new stuff in all the time, and he will give you a very fair price. (I just ordered my bumper cover to fix my goof up) sometimes the covers just need a little buffing to take off any marks and your good to go.