VintageWatercooleds.com Technotes

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VintageWatercooleds.com Technotes :: greggearhead Technote - Painting plastic Bumpers  

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[editor=timbo]Not done formatting this one yet - but here it is...[/editor]

This was done on my lobuck Dasher project, but is applicable for most VW bumpers:

So, after living with the new suspension and the look of the black alloy wheels, I came to the conclusion that the silver bumpers were sticking out like a sore thumb. In my opinion, wheels and bumpers make the biggest difference to the way a car looks.

Since I can't install bumpers with normal brackets or bumper-strut mounts, I have resigned myself to the stock Urethane bumpers that just slot in and are held on underneath with a thin metal bar.

Well, having a large amount of experience rattle-canning about everything, I knew normal paint wouldn't stick very well to the flexible bumpers. Now, a body shop using real paint could mix in some flex agent - as I had done on my old Scirocco bumpers. But, my lovable Dasher continues to be a low-dollar project. so I thought I would try something I saw an advertisement for on TV.

Krylon came out with an aerosol paint line called "Fusion." It is made specifically for flexible plastic, without a need for prep or any special procedures. For $4-$5 a can, I thought it was worth a try.

BTW, it comes in several colors, but black is the only one I wanted, and probably the only one appropriate for bumpers (unless you want red or green, etc)

Now, it says no sanding required, but I usually find sanding always helps a paint stick to a surface so I hit the bumpers with some 220 grit and scuffed them up. 220 is far to course for a perfect glossy sheetmetal paint job, but fine for textured bumper finish. After sanding, I sprayed them down with brake cleaner and wiped them off with a t-shirt-rag so as not to leave pieces of the rag all over it.

I used about one and one-third cans for both bumpers. I was surprised how much coverage I got out of them. They came out surprisingly good, and the paint dried very quickly - like I was able to handle them in 15 minutes.

I don't have any good pictures yet, as it snowed here today and I only took an early morning shot yesterday. The only thing I am not happy with is that they are more of a semi-gloss than the semi-flat I was hoping for. I might try some matte-clear coat if I don't like it enough.

Before:



After:

Of course the big Dodge was in the way of the light, so it is a bad picture, but you get the idea.


 

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