Anyway to repair a tear in a urethane bumper cover?

Yes. Check with your local body repair supply shop. Or do a google search for one.

Yes. You'll need some 3M compounds. Ford recommends some in the '97 shop manual I have but that may not apply to your '83.

I put a about a nickle sized gouge into my bumper cover and used 3M flexible bumper filler and touch up paint and it was fine for years... then someone rear ended me again (3rd hit to that bumper cover not including when I damaged it) cracking up the paint on the bumper cover. Body shop decided it was the same to replace as to remove the layers of paint on it and then get it right.

On a 83 you'll probably find replacing the cover cheaper than repairing one and having it repainted. I don't know the condition but if its origional pigment its probably time to re-paint. So to get by try to find a good one, same color in the salvage yards or on e-bay , replace it then when your ready to have paint sprayed fix the other one and re-paint car and covers so you'll have a spare.

There's a special type of flexible paint that you are supposed to use on the urethane bumpers.

".boB" wrote in news:456cefba$0$10721$ snipped-for-privacy@news.usenetmonster.com:

Thanks, Einstein. Now PLONK.

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (Brent P) wrote in news:Ec-dnfm2Y52_ZPHYnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

Thanks for the reply. I just want to make the thing passable until getting another one.

Another thing I remembered... since you have a long crack, you'll need the structural 'tape' that is made for repairing such things. A store with a good selection of body work supplies should have it. Thing is they have to match up for the type of plastic used in the cover.

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (Brent P) wrote in news:RYKdnWORiPeiyPPYnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

I was thinking about 1) taking the cover off, 2) using some kind of tape or backing material behind the rip to stabilize it, and then 3) doing the outside cosmetics.

Sound like a plan?

That's how it's done... just get the right stuff for the bumper you have or you might end up doing it again.