Friday, September 19, 2014

Rear Bumper Repair Tips

Older vehicles repeatedly posses custom bumpers that desire experienced function for repair.


Parked cars are targets for inattentive drivers and loose shopping carts. Dings, dents and bends in a rear bumper are unsightly and problematic. Most recent rear bumpers are fictional elsewhere of a arduous, moulded plastic which typically shatters upon bump. Older base vehicles adoption metal bumpers that should be replaced or repaired by a know onions. Adjacent a infrequent no problem repair tips can inspire your rear bumper back into the Correct shape.


Work Area


Attempting to commission on a bumper while it is mounted on the vehicle can be identical demanding. The top part you can determine is remove the bumper, which connects to the frame and oppose panels. A child's play socket wrench and pliers Testament disconnect all bolts and clips holding the bumper in community. Disconnect wiring harnesses and pull the bumper gratuitous of the vehicle. Put a cloth down on a difficult surface and rest the bumper on the cloth. You may appetite to clamp the bumper to the surface so that the bumper is steady while you repair it.


Cracks and Breaks


Newer vehicles account molded plastic bumpers. The upside is that the bumpers are quite impact-resistant. The downside to the bumpers is that the plastic has a proneness to fracture or split when under duress. Apply primer and paint to the crack after the epoxy dries to mask the presence of the damage.

Bends and Divots

Bends, divots or other similar concave impressions in a plastic bumper are not easily repaired. The plastic warps so that if you were to try and hammer out the bend, it will end up as a convex pimple on the bumper. Press a lenghty, confident, rod into abode perpendicular to the crack to aid back the crack. The rod should be held in place using the epoxy adhesive and be long enough to stretch two to three inches to both sides of the crack. You can sand the surface of the crack to remove adhesive that squeezes out. Unless you retain access to experienced moulds, you Testament acquire to repair the bumper using assist beams and two-part epoxies. Repair cracks by mixing up some industrial-strength, two-part epoxy adhesive. Practice the adhesive into the crack or between broken pieces and onto the back-side of the pieces.



The best thing to do with bends or warped bumpers, when the damage is concentrated to one area, is to fill the gap with a fiberglass body filler. The fill material adheres to the surface after a light sanding, and dries to a solid. You can sand the surface to blend it with the surrounding plastic creating a smooth surface to the bumper. Metal bumpers can have small divots or bends repaired using a ball-peen hammer and light strokes. Apply some heat to the bumper using a propane torch to soften the metal before hammering.