This is my first stang but not my first Ford with a modular V8!
The bumper gash won't buff out. It's a pretty deep cut. I was thinking about just inserting the TPO repair compound, sanding it down a bit, then covering it up with lacquer vista blue touch up paint (I have a small bottle of it from the dealership). It's not going to be professional, but it'll cost around $250-$300 shipped for a take-off, $150+ for a brand new bumper cover (add shipping and paint to be around $400) and add another $150 for the GT/CS bumper cover (about $550-$600 total). The repair stuff is $51 shipped.

I'll keep posting updates as they arise. The gash doesn't affect performance, as I found out when the pony's rear end wanted to break loose during a WOT 1-2 shift (on dry pavement with trac ctrl engaged) I look at it as a weight reduction mod.

 

Update:
I applied Duramix 4036 (TPO Repair adhesive) and so far it looks just like black RTV that gets pretty solid within the hour. I even bought the TPO adhesion promoter (which smells like strong solvents).

What is the best way of smoothing out the excess repair adhesive without harming the paint around it? I know this is half-a$$ed compared to the way professionals would fix the bumper cover, but I just want to get rid of that gaping hole with something that looks remotely flat and vista blue. A sanding block looks like it would have too much surface area. A grinder may work but I'd have to be ultra careful. I'm open to practical MacGyver-like suggestions. I found a cheap way of dispensing the Duramix compound without buying the $70 gun: Cut off the bayonet, and push in the plungers equally and mix the resin on a disposable board.

 

Best bet is to take it to your Dealer's bodyshop and tell them that you do not want to use insurance and that you will be paying for it. I remember someone smacking my rear bumper on my '02 Stang (Silver color)...it was a small area (about the size of yours)...for $325 they filled in the area and repainted the entire bumper...looked better than new. Even if you do the job yourself...you will never be satisfied with it. The bodyshop had the job done in 2 days. No overspray, etc. Check around, there has to be a decent bodyshop in your area.

Good luck!

(P.S. that scratch on your bumper would have driven me crazy...I would have already delivered it to the shop to be fixed as soon as possible).

 

I hear ya... I wanted to give this a try since it would cost me $51 (versus $300+). My last resort would be to buy a GT/CS rear fascia cover and have it painted at a shop.

Update: The Duramix 4036 TPO repair cures to a hard black plastic. I haven't sanded it yet because I wanted to give it more time to cure in case it needed it.

 

I called up Newtakeoff and they said they were out, but had bumpers that needed repair.

That got me thinking, do these places that sell "take-off" bumper covers simply repair the damaged bumper covers and sell them off as new take-off?

The dealership quoted me $251 to paint a brand new bumper cover (off the car, so I'd have to just bring in a new cover and have them paint it).

Any thoughts?

 

You never said what happened to make the gash.