Tech Tip for Review: Bumper/facia repair (Moved)

[WingsofDeath]

Well, its been a while since I've posted here. I changed careers and started doing autobody repair for a local Chevy dealership. I've learned many new skills and thought I'd share how I managed to repair a crack in my front fascia. You'll notice that the bumper was reinstalled & removed a couple times during the process. Since it was "free" and during down time at the shop, it happened over a couple weeks time.

Here are a couple pics, inside & out of the original damage.




First, after removing the bumper, I used a soldering iron to melt into the back of the bumper:



These marks will not glue the crack back together, but will provide purchase for an adhesive later. The plastics they use now, will not melt back together very well.

Next I cut SEM Plastic Reiforcing Tape to cover the damaged area:


Then I covered the area with 3M Automix Adhesive & placed the reinforcement tape over the adhesive & the put more adhesive over the tape:


Now that the crack in the bumper is solid, the next step is sanding off the paint & preping for plastic filler (similar to bondo).



Then adding plastic filler & sanding until smooth. This can take a couple applications & sandings.



After the filler is smooth, you prime damaged area:


Then the bumper is stripped of all accessories (grill, chrome "steps", fog lights, etc). Its then blocked smooth, painted, clear coated & reinstalled. I didn't take any pictures of these steps because our painter finished the project, and I did not want to interrupt. I actually did this last summer and the repair has held very well. Although the car doesn't get driven much, it looks good as new. During this process, I also was able to paint my front license plate frame, mud flaps, windshield washer nozzles, and Sirius antenna. Here is the final product:

[Concrete]

The finished product looks solid! This thread could become a DIY for those willing to do it...

[tx_bandit]

I agree with Concrete, this is "sticky" qualified. Thank you for the step by step instructions as I just started thinking about how to repair a urethane body panel and this answered all the questions. Great job!

[Fisch]

Nice write up!

I wish I had the berries to tackle my rear bumper.

[bruno]

Welcome back to 3CF! That's a very nice, informative tutorial on the fascia repair and should probably be moved to our Tech Tips for Review which I can do. How do you feel about that?

bruno

[WingsofDeath]

Thanks for the kind reviews. I'd be happy to see this moved to the Tech Tip section.
<Done! Thanks!>

Although this is above and beyond the average DIY repair, I hope it can help someone out that is trying to save a little money & doesn't need a new bumper. Of course the professional advice, tools, facilities (spray booth & paint mixing system), and painter, add up to a quality repair. If this bumper was claimed on an insurance policy, it would be replaced, not repaired.

I'm glad to be able to give something quality back to this forum, its been very helpful to me since before I purchased my car.

Chad

[GoofyTimL]

Great write-up. I had a similar repair done to the MSRT8 by our local Chrysler body shop. Although I didn't witness their process, the result was a lower fascia look that was as good as original AND sagged less in the middle of the fascia skirt underneath.

Definitely a thread to subscribe to for future reference!

[stevesrt8]

If everyone is in agreement I can move this one.

It's simple and easy, I really appreciate the OP's time here.

[WingsofDeath]

I wanted to share with you the end of this fascia. A couple weeks ago, I had a bit of bad luck. On my way to the airport, for a vacation, I slid through an icy intersection and t-boned a mini-van. The fascia I repaired above (and the hood, driver headlight, fender, etc, ect) was destroyed, but still drivable. To top that off, driving home from the airport, I hit a deer, and damaged the other passenger side equally bad. Hopefully, I've got my bad luck out of the way.

I thought I'd post pictures of the damage, its kinda interesting.

Don't feel bad, I'll post pics of "new hottness" soon.