Polar LT4

My front bumper got dinged & it needs to be repainted.

Does the bumper need to be entirely repainted or can the paint just be blended in? If the entire bumper needs to be repainted, does it have to be removed? It seems as if the hood is removed & the engine covered, the whole bumper could be repainted w/o removal.

I want to save money where I can, but want it to look good when done. If I would prep (& even remove bumber if really required) how much can I expect to pay for someone just to shoot the paint?

BTW, I'm in the Cincinnati, OH area, so if anyone knows of a good body shop that would work w/ me on this let me know.

Thanks!

Sharky Guam

It really depends on the body shop that you select. Some are really good at spot repairs. My opinion is that complete panels need to be painted whenever there is damage to any portion of it. With todays paint technology, you can paint small areas of the body and still get a good blend and color match. In the past, more than 15 years ago, paint such as metallics could not be mixed exactly from batch to batch, so perfectionists simply repainted the whole car whenever repairs were performed. Because fiberglass tends to flex more than steel panels on other cars, it is desirable to limit the overall thickness of the paint in order to reduce the chance of cracking or peeling. If you desire to have the job done right, I would consult with the body shops in your area and select one that is capable of doing the job that you desire. In most cases, you get what you pay for. Good body shops usually know what they are worth and charge accordingly. Find one that is familiar with spot repairs and fiberglass work. Good luck! :cheers:

Polar LT4

ttt

BrentDev

Just FYI - I had my front bumber dinged, so it had to be replaced.

New Urethane bumber and painted came out to around $954. I think the new bumper was around 450 of that alone???? So, labor and paint was $500. I think the labor was mostly the pain of swapping out bumpers....lights, connectors, shims, bolts, etc etc.

J Z06

Hmm, what about trying to find a used bumper? that's what I did when I updated the body styling. You can find some that are in good condition. Not Just Vettes in NY would be a good start, Contemporary Corvettes in PA is also good,or in addition, Page Karshop(Fantastic Guy to deal with) in C4 Parts For Sale Wanted. That should get you back on your feet a little more economically.

thrills

I had my front and rear bumper and the piece behind the targa top done for $660. They don't recommending a blend (asked about it for my hood) becuase he said eventually the faded part becomes obvious. I imagine just the front bumper would be only $250-350!

BTW, it's been 2.5 years and most people don't ever notice it's been redone. On my car you can tell in certain light because it's a metallic, but on yours it should be almost invisible.

Polar LT4

How bad is it to remove the bumper? A GM dealer will work with me on repainting the bumper. I'm pretty good on the mechanical stuff, just don't know squat about body work.