Paint/Body Corvette Materials, Techniques, and How To

Fixable?

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Old Apr 8, 2017 | 06:32 PM
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Default Fixable?

No experience with body work. Is this fixable or would the whole bumper have to be replaced?


Not sure if you can tell from the pics, but the damaged part is raised up. I wasn't sure if this smc could be sanded down and then repainted or what.
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Old Apr 9, 2017 | 05:35 PM
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YES...but it is not going to be easy...and that is also depending on how critical you are going to be when it is done in regards to FUTURE appearance.

The urethane bumper looks to have been painted on after the factory paint job...because I can see how thick it is...which IS NOT good.

Secondly...the paint is popping off which also is not good and leaves me suspect to poor prep on the facotry paint...or if this bumper was replaced with a new one...it was not prepped and shot with the correct materials to keep it from doing this so badly.

So...getting back to what I wrote in the beginning of this reply....it will depend on how far you want to take this repair. This can EASILY start off as a small spot and GROW into a major issue due to improper prep from someone previously who painted it. The shear costs of materials for you to try to do this at home would make your head spin due to you are only doing one part. And finding a shop that will actually do it correctly....that is an entirely different scenario in today's world. They are out there.

As for the raised spot...it can be heated and molded back down to where it should be and the bumper allowed to cool down. But that is assuming there is no hidden crack...which I do not feel there is one...but there can be one.

DUB
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Old Apr 10, 2017 | 08:05 AM
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Originally Posted by DUB
YES...but it is not going to be easy...and that is also depending on how critical you are going to be when it is done in regards to FUTURE appearance.

The urethane bumper looks to have been painted on after the factory paint job...because I can see how thick it is...which IS NOT good.

Secondly...the paint is popping off which also is not good and leaves me suspect to poor prep on the facotry paint...or if this bumper was replaced with a new one...it was not prepped and shot with the correct materials to keep it from doing this so badly.

So...getting back to what I wrote in the beginning of this reply....it will depend on how far you want to take this repair. This can EASILY start off as a small spot and GROW into a major issue due to improper prep from someone previously who painted it. The shear costs of materials for you to try to do this at home would make your head spin due to you are only doing one part. And finding a shop that will actually do it correctly....that is an entirely different scenario in today's world. They are out there.

As for the raised spot...it can be heated and molded back down to where it should be and the bumper allowed to cool down. But that is assuming there is no hidden crack...which I do not feel there is one...but there can be one.

DUB
would it be easier to repair this one or the blue one in my other thread?
i was asking about the raised spot being fixable. The car was repainted by a previous owner and I'm sure was a budget deal considering they painted over the black trim and emblem. The paint is coming off due to contact with a tree-not an accident, the car rolled into it.

Last edited by armybyrd; Apr 10, 2017 at 08:09 AM.
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Old Apr 10, 2017 | 06:05 PM
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Urethane bumpers take a lot of time to prep correctly...so telling you which one to pick is had for me to say.

DUB
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Old Apr 11, 2017 | 03:48 PM
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the rear bumper may also been "bumped" - causing it to flex and pucker
seems to be a witness mark on the edge.
Dub is on it
I would strip it and see what the underside looks like first.
Some heat and hot water can also work wonders
Just looking at it - looks very fixable - but I would want to strip it...
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Old Apr 11, 2017 | 05:56 PM
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Originally Posted by csherman
the rear bumper may also been "bumped" - causing it to flex and pucker
seems to be a witness mark on the edge.
Dub is on it
I would strip it and see what the underside looks like first.
Some heat and hot water can also work wonders
Just looking at it - looks very fixable - but I would want to strip it...
Thanks and

The stripping part of either bumper is where the time is going to be quite extensive and INTENSIVE!

DUB
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Old Apr 11, 2017 | 09:59 PM
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Originally Posted by DUB
Thanks and

The stripping part of either bumper is where the time is going to be quite extensive and INTENSIVE!

DUB
can you point me in the direction of what's involved with stripping it?
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Old Apr 12, 2017 | 05:42 PM
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Originally Posted by armybyrd
can you point me in the direction of what's involved with stripping it?
This question is really hard to answer. They offer a chemical stripper for urethane but I have seen it swell up when I used it....I have seen bumpers that were media blasted and I have seen them come out OK and some that got fuzzy and lightly damaged which opens up the probability of having to make sure the repair is done correctly. I have hand sanded them.

SO...it depends...but that is why what I wrote in my last post is no joke.

DUB
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