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Wondering what kind of bodywork would be done to fix this.
Hi,
My car was at the mechanic shop, a few weeks ago, and a tow truck backed into it. Long story short, it just got taken to the body shop today. My question is: Does anyone know what kind of repair would be needed to fix this damage? I have no idea what the process is. I know the insurance company for the tow company will be in contact with the body shop, regarding fixing this. I just want to be sure it's fixed right, but not sure what that would entail. Will the bumper need to be pulled? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Thank you! Quick question: I had the car painted back in 2020 and I had the guy remove the spoiler that I hated on the back. He did so, but I have since found out, since the car was hit, that there should be a seam across the back. Of course, he puttied over that seam, I guess. I hate that happened with him covering up a seam, but do you think that really makes a big difference in the look of the back area there? I guess the guy did not know you're not suppose to do that - cover the seam.
If the bumper is a rubber one, as in the original type, you cannot just sand and putty over it. It is flexible and I have never heard of anyone making repairs like that to a urethane bumper. It would need to be replaced. If it is a fiberglass bumper, yes you can just patch it. And if it is fiberglass a lot of people cover up the seam as your guy did. A lot of people like hiding the seam, again, if it is fiberglass. If it is urethane, the seam will eventually crack. The good news is that they owned up to it. Nice looking car you have there.
I think that bumper is plastic. It's "soft." You made me feel much better about the seam not showing. Like I said before, I had no idea a seam was supposed to be there. I did not know this, until the mechanic who had the car after it was hit, told me the seam had been covered up. Thank you!!
If it’s soft, it’s probably urethane.
Depending on the damage to the urethane itself, a really good body professional may be able to heat the urethane with a heat gun and pop the bumper back into its original shape and paint it.
Bondo or anything else may stick for a while but may also fail before too long and you’ll need to have it repaired again.
I would demand a new bumper cover and if you don’t like the 74’s seam get a 75 bumper cover because there was no seam on a 75.
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
I had very similar damage inflicted on our '78 about 25 years ago, while parked at outside Claremont Corvette, in the UK - a local turned too tight and and hit the corner of the bumper. It also is the original polyurethane bumper. It appears that the damage to yours is similar in that the outer "skin" of the bumper has not been torn too much. I took ours to a local body shop that had some, but not a lot of knowledge of fibreglass and "poly" repairs. But, they did a great job and the repair was invisible and, it still is after all those years. The bumper stayed on the car and they actually repainted the whole thing, up to the seam. In your case I'd say you definitely do not need a new bumper!
As for the seam - I have friends who have had them smoothed over. I don't dislike the look, so I would not get involved in trying to put the seam back on yours, unless you are desperate to do so! (And I assume that you do mean the seam between bumper and the deck, not the '74-only" split down the centre of the bumper?)
Thanks for sharing your story. I had no idea there was even supposed to be a seam there. Now that you, and a few others mentioned that having them smoothed over, isn't that big a deal, does make me feel better. I wish the original painter had known better than to cover that seam, when he removed the awful spoiler.
I just hope when the body shop is done, it looks like it was never hit.
If you can tell that it has been hit after it’s fixed don’t accept it. A good body shop will be able to make it so that the car appears as if it was never hit.
True. The body shop just e-mailed me. Super nice guy and he explained the insurance co. wanted an estimate and picture. He also explained about the bumper and wrote quite a bit. Very detailed and I like that.
Wondering what kind of bodywork would be done to fix this.
