Paint/Body Corvette Materials, Techniques, and How To

Fixable?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Apr 8, 2017 | 06:32 PM
  #1  
armybyrd's Avatar
armybyrd
Thread Starter
Drifting
 
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 15
From: Martinsburg WV
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.
Reply
Old Apr 9, 2017 | 05:35 PM
  #2  
DUB's Avatar
DUB
Race Director
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,753
From: Charlotte NC
Default

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
Reply
Old Apr 10, 2017 | 08:05 AM
  #3  
armybyrd's Avatar
armybyrd
Thread Starter
Drifting
 
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 15
From: Martinsburg WV
Default

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.
Reply
Old Apr 10, 2017 | 06:05 PM
  #4  
DUB's Avatar
DUB
Race Director
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,753
From: Charlotte NC
Default

Urethane bumpers take a lot of time to prep correctly...so telling you which one to pick is had for me to say.

DUB
Reply
Old Apr 11, 2017 | 03:48 PM
  #5  
csherman's Avatar
csherman
Le Mans Master
Conversation Starter
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 5
 
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,510
Likes: 1,954
From: Plano IL
2026 Corvette of the Year Winner - Unmodified
2025 C1 of the Year - Unmodified Winner
2019 C1 of Year Finalist (stock)
2018 C1 of Year Finalist
Default

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...
Reply
Old Apr 11, 2017 | 05:56 PM
  #6  
DUB's Avatar
DUB
Race Director
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,753
From: Charlotte NC
Default

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
Reply
Old Apr 11, 2017 | 09:59 PM
  #7  
armybyrd's Avatar
armybyrd
Thread Starter
Drifting
 
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 15
From: Martinsburg WV
Default

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?
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2017 | 05:42 PM
  #8  
DUB's Avatar
DUB
Race Director
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,753
From: Charlotte NC
Default

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
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Fixable?

Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-5

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-8

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

 Joe Kucinski




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:18 AM.

story-0
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-1
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-3
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-7
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-8
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

Slideshow: 10 major Corvette problems from the last 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-14 16:37:05


VIEW MORE