Need help with my bumper

[StoopidAlero]

Can anyone help me get this fixed? I have done a little glass work before but Im not confident enough to tackle this one on my own. Chris or Richie, or anyone.. Help me out with a "how to" I need to know what materials to get and everything.

[AGT]

Dude....

New bumper or junkyard grab...

Oh wait...that is @EDeedadee bumper isn't it...no help here my bad

[StoopidAlero]

The first picture is from me backing into a pole.. Which never should have been there in the first place! ( Its been there for over 45 years and ive known about it for 20 ) And to top it all off, 3 days after that, the bumper literally took flight on the highway. I got stuck between 2 semi's that were doing 70+ while I was trying to get on the highway. It just sucked the bumper off. Broke the side brackets and everything. I didnt find the bumper until the next day. And it was all in one piece still, just scratched up and has the crack ( second picture ) At least these A3Dee bumpers are tuff as shit!

[StoopidAlero]

And yea, its "that" bumper.

[AftermathAlero]

Its repairable. Lot of work. First of all, you would need to grind down any cracks, spider webs out of the gelcoat. But do not grind the fiberglass down to where it makes hole. Just the surface layer. Grind that whole section out. Then lay new glass over the whole area. grind/knock down the high spots, sand over the newly glassed area w/ 36 grit paper, bondo, putty, .. primer and ur done.

[AftermathAlero]

Pics of my repair when i had my deer accident.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/Aftermathalero/Deer%20accident/DSC01745.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/Aftermathalero/Deer%20accident/DSC01763.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/Aftermathalero/Deer%20accident/DSC01766.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/Aftermathalero/Deer%20accident/DSC01775.jpg

[StoopidAlero]

Im wondering if I should just take it to a body shop. Im sure its going to be rediculious though

[billytheman1188]

DO NOT fiberglass it. If you fiberglass it, it will crack over time because its on a flexible part......You need to get a tube of semi rigid plastic repair, a gun for the tube, mixing tips, adhesion promotor, and a spreader. Dish out what you need to repair with 180 grit, DONT v groove it....when you dish it out there is more surface area for the plastic repair to stick to and it wont crack over time if done properly. so dish it out, then blow off the area/wipe it with a dry towel. DO NOT use cleaner on bare plastic cause it will absorb it..yadayadaya...lol. after it is cleaned, apply plastic repair to the area, COVER THE WHOLE AREA your fixing with the plastic repair....then use the spreader to spread it out. Let it dry until it isnt tacky/you can scratch the surface with your finger nail. then sand and repeat steps if needed in order to get it straight. If you need to use the gun again when your done sanding, USE A DIFFRENT MIXING TIP....that plastic repair stuff hardens up in tip so you cant use it again. Also, when you get the plastic repair coming out of the tip, run a 3-4 in bead on a piece of cardboard or something....cause all the shit that is in the tip needs to mix properly before you just got slap it on the bumper. I hope im making sense here cause im trying to type this real fast....lol. Plastic repair is MUCH EASIER and BETTER than fiberglassing or using regular filler to cover that.

[Silentalero]

DO NOT fiberglass it. If you fiberglass it, it will crack over time because its on a flexible part......You need to get a tube of semi rigid plastic repair, a gun for the tube, mixing tips, adhesion promotor, and a spreader. Dish out what you need to repair with 180 grit, DONT v groove it....when you dish it out there is more surface area for the plastic repair to stick to and it wont crack over time if done properly. so dish it out, then blow off the area/wipe it with a dry towel. DO NOT use cleaner on bare plastic cause it will absorb it..yadayadaya...lol. after it is cleaned, apply plastic repair to the area, COVER THE WHOLE AREA your fixing with the plastic repair....then use the spreader to spread it out. Let it dry until it isnt tacky/you can scratch the surface with your finger nail. then sand and repeat steps if needed in order to get it straight. If you need to use the gun again when your done sanding, USE A DIFFRENT MIXING TIP....that plastic repair stuff hardens up in tip so you cant use it again. Also, when you get the plastic repair coming out of the tip, run a 3-4 in bead on a piece of cardboard or something....cause all the shit that is in the tip needs to mix properly before you just got slap it on the bumper. I hope im making sense here cause im trying to type this real fast....lol. Plastic repair is MUCH EASIER and BETTER than fiberglassing or using regular filler to cover that.

Billy, its a fiberglass bumper. Its fine to FG over it. Do what richie said,

If you need a list of items to get.

* Fiberglass mat
* Resin
* Sandpaper
* Gel coat
* Evercoat rage gold of rage extreme filler (its a form of bondo but bondo is its own name brand)


if you tackle this yourself and end up creating a hole, just put something behind it and build up the hole. IE cardboard, but put aluminum foil, or painters tape so the FG doesnt stick to it.

[StoopidAlero]

Eh.. Im going to go with Richie's plan. I dont think that plastic repair is going to work out so well with this. I know I will need to glass over where i backed into the pole. The part thats cracked is where im confused on how to fix it

[StoopidAlero]

I think Im gonna take my orbital sander and just knock down the whole bumper. Then start with the middle section and start glassing over it. As for the side thats cracked.. Should I use the FG mat, or kitty hair? Or both?

[billytheman1188]

Billy, its a fiberglass bumper. Its fine to FG over it. Do what richie said,

If you need a list of items to get.

* Fiberglass mat
* Resin
* Sandpaper
* Gel coat
* Evercoat rage gold of rage extreme filler (its a form of bondo but bondo is its own name brand)


if you tackle this yourself and end up creating a hole, just put something behind it and build up the hole. IE cardboard, but put aluminum foil, or painters tape so the FG doesnt stick to it.

oh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. i forgot about that..... LOL. well now you know how to do a repair on a plastic bumper;)

I was wondering why richie fiberglasses.....im like "richie should know better than that!", i couldnt beleive it!:lol: :lol:

[StoopidAlero]

:wtf2: :nuts:

LoL. Anyways.....

So just use 36 grit paper for taking down the FG and Bondo? Do I need any other grits for smoothing out the putty or glaze?

[billytheman1188]

:wtf2: :nuts:

LoL. Anyways.....

So just use 36 grit paper for taking down the FG and Bondo? Do I need any other grits for smoothing out the putty or glaze?

yea, when your all done go over it with 320. when you get the FG down enough, use some 180 until it feels nice and smooth...dont use 36 grit when you get close cause thats a real aggressive grit and your more likely to make a low spot in the FG...then you will have to slap more than needed on it, hehe. after it feels good and you used 180, finish with 320 and its ready for paint ;)

[bdyman]

DO NOT fiberglass it. If you fiberglass it, it will crack over time because its on a flexible part......You need to get a tube of semi rigid plastic repair, a gun for the tube, mixing tips, adhesion promotor, and a spreader. Dish out what you need to repair with 180 grit, WRONG!!!!!!! DONT v groove it<<<WRONG AGAIN....when you dish it out there is more surface area for the plastic repair to stick to and it wont crack over time if done properly. so dish it out, then blow off the area/wipe it with a dry towel. DO NOT use cleaner on bare plastic cause it will absorb it.<<<WRONG ONCE AGAIN!!.yadayadaya...lol. after it is cleaned, apply plastic repair to the area, COVER THE WHOLE AREA your fixing with the plastic repair....then use the spreader to spread it out. Let it dry until it isnt tacky/you can scratch the surface with your finger nail. then sand and repeat steps if needed in order to get it straight. If you need to use the gun again when your done sanding, USE A DIFFRENT MIXING TIP....that plastic repair stuff hardens up in tip so you cant use it again. Also, when you get the plastic repair coming out of the tip, run a 3-4 in bead on a piece of cardboard or something....cause all the shit that is in the tip needs to mix properly before you just got slap it on the bumper. I hope im making sense here cause im trying to type this real fast....lol. Plastic repair is MUCH EASIER and BETTER than fiberglassing or using regular filler to cover that.


your half right, where your wrong you will see my WRONG to fix your wrong info

can it be fixed yes, fiberglass matt, resin, brushes, sand paper, a D.A. grinder, but if this is accident related, there might be more damage behind the bumper, so you might be better off going through insurance

[shez]

you should just get rid of that god awful bumper all together. :)

[StoopidAlero]

LOL! You might be the only person that thinks its god awful.

[StoopidAlero]

and chris.. what do you mean by Brushes? You mean to spread the FG evenly?

[adam337]

imho.. i think that bumper happens to be quite sexy.

[Silentalero]

and chris.. what do you mean by Brushes? You mean to spread the FG evenly?

He means the cheapest brushes you can find, some 2" throw away brushes at HD or lowes. Also, keep some acetone around so you can reuse the brushes.

[clutch1]

You're lucky some other Alero nut didn't spot that hunk of FG layin on the side of the road and snap it up :ninja: I know I would've lol

Shouldn't be too hard to fix.. the good thing about FG is that it's SO forgiving.. if you mess up just grind it down and start again.. and even if you're layup isn't too smoothe, that just means you've got a little extra bodywork to do before it's perfect again.

Good luck.. the key is patience and lots of sanding haha.

[shez]

LOL! You might be the only person that thinks its god awful.

i'm just not into HUGE bumpers on cars that don't look right with them.

[powerlifter812]

Aftermath is right but I would like to add a suggestion to his answer. Because this part is subject to wind, vehicle vibration, etc. it needs to have it's structural integrity regained and then maintained while subject to these forces. I would suggest that you:
1. Put a wide angle V cut in the cracks (about 1/4" beyond each side of the crack) with an angle grinder and a heavy grit paper (36-50 grit will work fine).
2. Stick a piece of duct tape to the back side of the crack to stop any resin from leaking through.
3. Cut out a piece of fiberglass mat just big enough to fit in the bottom of your V crack (against the tape).
4. Cut the next piece slightly larger and place it on top of the first.
5. Continue to do so until you have enough layers to fill the crack.
note: the idea here is to mimic the original lay of the glass so make sure you're not wrapping the edges of your mat up the sides of the crack.
6. pull all of the mat out of the crack.
7. Mix up your resin and apply a thin coat to the repair area.
8. Put your smallest piece of mat into place, resin it and repeat until all pieces of mat are in the crack.
You should build your glass slightly higher than the finished surface and sand it back down to obtain maximum strength.
9. After finishing the top side you can pull the tape off of the back side of the bumper, scuff the area with your 36 grit paper and resin a single layer of mat (approximately 1/2" wide) over the back side of the crack, this will ensure that everything stays put.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

[StoopidAlero]

Thanks everyone for the info and help.. I have a 1963 corvair that I was trying to sell or trade, and a guy here locally just offered to fix my rear bumper and paint my alero in trade for the corvair! I just need side skirts now!

[kwhauck]

LOL! You might be the only person that thinks its god awful.

i second it.....

[cherrington17]

i've never been an @ED fan. seems too boxy/rigid edged for me.... I prefer the AAS...


trade a car for bumper repair, eh? sounds like a great offer... as long as he does it right!

[StoopidAlero]

He does classic car restorations. He showed me some pictures of the work he just did on a 64 VW bug. That lil thing looks sic. Im going to check out his shop monday. My corvair is just sitting here collecting dust, and if he wants to do some glass work and paint my car for it, Im all for it.

[Gr1m]

just take your time and dont rush it if your not too familiar with FG/bondo

[StoopidAlero]

Yea, I dont think I want to mess with it. Im gonna give this guy a shot.

[Gr1m]

you will probably take it in the ass for around 300 to fix that bumper because it is a lot of work and expensive from a body shop, but then again they are out of business so its not like you could get a new one anyway.

[StoopidAlero]

Yea i know. Im trading my 63 corvair to a shop owner. He is going to fix the rear bumper and repaint the car.

[shez]

i've never been an @ED fan. seems too boxy/rigid edged for me.... I prefer the AAS...


trade a car for bumper repair, eh? sounds like a great offer... as long as he does it right!

thank you. i knew i wasn't the only one.

it looks like a refrigerator box that was painted black and slapped onto the car.

[StoopidAlero]

thank you. i knew i wasn't the only one.

it looks like a refrigerator box that was painted black and slapped onto the car.



Uhhh ok... Anyways, feel free to close this thread.

[cherrington17]

going with the same color?

[Nate's Alero]

going with the same color?

any other color would make the box bumper stick out more...

[clutch1]

You should paint it dark blue with blue grafitti all over it.. wait a second...

[StoopidAlero]

The base coat is staying the factory black, then I have 8 oz of rainbow flake that is going on with 3 coats of clear. After all the standing flake is knocked down, then goes on more clear. I have 2 gallons of clear for the car. I dont know if we will use it all. But this is what ive got

[StoopidAlero]

Ok, the bumper went into the shop as of thursday. I will try and get pics soon. Im waiting on paint to arrive and im in desperate need of SIDESKIRTS!

As soon as I have all that, and a warm day, the car will be fixed and painted. Woot

[bdyman]

CORRECTION, WHEN A METAL FLAKE IS APPLIED WE DO NOT SAND METAL FLAKE, OR SAND A MID COAT CLEAR

is this going to be PPG harliquien?? or house of kolor, ppg clear can go over house of kolor, and thats it nothing else can go over that product, i tried and i failed learned my lesson

once a pearl or metal flake is mixed with mid coat clear like ppgs dbu or dbc 500, the way it goes on is the way it looks, no sanding never sand mid coat clear,

3 coats of clear is enough with todays high soild clear, remember 1-1 1/2 coats are sanded off, 1 more coat is buffed off leaving you wil 1 coat of clear

should i put more claer on to avoid this??? NO!!!!! 4 coats the clear starts to look cloudy, orange peel gets to heavy, runs, solvent pop, wrinkling, 3 coats is the perfect number

[clutch1]

3 coats is the perfect number

Good info to know, I've always wondered about this! :yahoo:

[billytheman1188]

The base coat is staying the factory black, then I have 8 oz of rainbow flake that is going on with 3 coats of clear. After all the standing flake is knocked down, then goes on more clear. I have 2 gallons of clear for the car. I dont know if we will use it all. But this is what ive got

yea......2 gallons is A LOT for just a bumper. thats all thats getting painted right?

[StoopidAlero]

No.. Its the whole car thats getting painted. I ended up having 2 quarts mid coat, 1 gallon of clear. Its all Kustom Shop Paint products. Sorry to disappoint many, but I couldnt afford HOK.

[bdyman]

some friends of mine tell me that the kustom shop product is just like house of kolor crap, and be glad you didnt buy house of kolor i never liked, you really really need to be a good painter to spray house of kolor

ya might want to get another gallon of clear, 2 qt of the mid coat is fine, i would do another gallon just on the safe side, when i did my alero i went through 2 gallons like it was nothing

or,,,,,,,,if ya went ppg dbc system you could have used there cheaper line of clear called omni, and just used the slow activator for the complete, its just a reforulated version of ppgs 2021 clear, its something ya might wat to rethink to save money

or you could have done this, gone with ppgs dbc system gone with your black, and then had one of the perals applied over, like blue, and violet, to save money, and trust me it looks awesome over black

its not to late you can still do it

[Cliff8928]

Ya, pearl over black is hot.. One of my favs is the PRL98? (copper).

[palefacetsw]

I tend to be partial to silver...lol. It's my first Alero...

[StoopidAlero]

I ordered everything except the 2 quarts of GM black yesterday. Hopefully I will have everything by this weekend. I asked the guy at the shop to take pictures thru the progress. Ill post them as soon as I get them

[StoopidAlero]

Got all my paint today! W00t. Ill get a pic of all the paint here shortly

[StoopidAlero]

Ok here is the rear bumper completed, It needs just a lil bit more work on the passenger side where it was cracked.. But im very pleased with the fitment and the way it turned out. I just dropped the bumper off, he didnt even have my car there.

[StoopidAlero]

He has the front bumper right now.. He is shaving the front emblem indention. Hopefully Ill have the AAS sides by next week. And here is some pictures of the paint