Re-Painting Plastic Bumpers

I have never done this before, but i do know a good deal about painting. If you sand it and then coat it once at most twice then it should last longer. However, the more coats you have the more likely it is to peel off. I'd sand it really good and then add a coat. If it looks good and isn't too thin then don't add another coat. If you feel like it's too thin then i'd add only one more coat before taking it to the shop. Good luck.

Find a better "body shop"! Painting plastic is easy as pie, although the aftermarket ones do require some added brain matter and thought, as well as extra preperation.

That is where you too would be wrong. FIRST you must WASH the bumper in guestion so as to remove any and all mold releases. This goes double for after market crap.

Sanding it first will only BURY the existing crap further into the substrate that you wish to paint, causing you problems.

This is why that "body shop" you went to can't advise you better, beacuse THEY DON'T HAVE A CLUE!

Once it is CLEAN, then lightly scuff it, and then apply the proper ADHESION PROMOTER for the type of plastic that you want coated.

THEN use the proper primers and top coats that work also with it, plastics that are flexable(if need be) and that match and work with the top coats that will match your track's color!

Been their seen it done it!

Thanks!

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Thanks for the info, Mike! This is a 1990, so I'm assuming that you mean some kind of non-standard car washing technique that I need to do? Would scrubbing it down with acetone or methylene chloride be a good idea? That works good on fax and other rubber rollers to get the "bite" back.

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Where would I go to find out the type of plastic it is made of?

Thanks again. I appreciate the info.

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Just look in the Yellow Pages for an autoshop paint supplier. They will be able to advise the correct preparation and paints.

Stewart DIBBS

Wax and grease remover first, then, I have always used lacquer thinner with a scotch brite pad. Soap and water, again with another scotch brite, and when dry, One last time tith the wax-n-grease remover. Then spray on the adhesion promoter, primer/sealer.. top coats.

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Well, I went ahead with my best guess.... First I washed the car, using the kind of brush you use to wash vinyl tops - stiff but not enough to scratch the paint. Then I wiped down the rubber strips with acetone - man, that stuff got up layers and layers of "bumper black" paint. Once I got it down to the original rubber, I filled in any pock marks, aka holes, with an epoxy made for plastics. Then after dry, I sanded the rubbers strips, first with 200, then 400 then

800 the 1000 grit sandpaper. It doesn't look like new, but it is smooth and a lot better than before. The car is now being painted and I'll report back how it came out in a few days.

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Good luck, and I hope who ever paints it sands everything correctly, let alone applies the right stuff before painting. After all, 1000 is WAY to fine to sand anything for any kind of adhesion. I use that for "color sanding" before I buff the paint. 400 is still a little fine in my opinion.

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