painting my own bumper...progress pics

myfirstlincoln

myfirstlincoln

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I'm a teacher and school is out for the year so I have some free time and I decided to tackle my front bumper today. It is a complete mess from paint chips (driving to work on the highway) over the last 2 years. I'm trying it myself using some paintscratch stuff. I'm using their flexible primer, got a couple cans of custom match paint and also a couple cans of catalyzed clear coat (extra hard). Obviously I have a long way to go but I am pretty happy with how its turned out thus far...This is where I'm at after about six hours of filling, sanding, priming.

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Wow, will be interesting to see how this turns out! You are going to have to buff the hell out of that with rubbing compound and a polish to get it to shine!

Props for doing it yourself!

I am lookin' forward to more pics.
 
how much is it to paint the bumper? 200-300 bucks?

you got more guts then me to try and paint your car
 
Every shop I went to wanted over $1000 to fix the bumper and paint it. In fact, a few places told me they wouldn't even waste their time filling and sanding and I should just buy a new bumper. The supplies cost me about $100 total so I figured I might as well give it a shot. If it looks like crap I'll take it to a shop. I am pretty darn picky but I do have time and this is a learning experience. My dad has also worked in the paint industry for over 30 years painting all kinds of stuff so I'm not going in completely blind.
 
Dang, $1000??? What if you brought it to them with the paint already stripped?


Also I am surprised you are doing this with the bumper still attached, it is easily removed in case you were afraid of it being hard.
 
i was going to remove it, and probably should have, but I am just trying to get it to look nice before I get my LSE bumper. Hence the reason I don't want to pay a lot to have it painted. I know a lot of people will think it's stupid or don't think it'll ever look good, but I'm still gonna give it a shot. It can't look much worse than it did and it's only temporary until I get an LSE and of course I'll pay to have that painted.

As far as the price, the problem was that a lot of the paint chips were deeper than just the paint and required filling. Plus, the lower grill portion is a total pain in the ass to fill and sand. One place quoted me at $2300 to fix and paint the bumper. I laughed.
 
I just bought a sport bumper and I am looking at automotive touch ups paint.. I will be using a gun to spray mine.

I am going to keep watching this to see how it turns out..
 
Props for doing it yourself. I need to get mine repainted soon also. I was thinking about taking it to the college here. I've seen the work a few students have done. Not bad, and all i pay for is material. My sister did the auto-body program so I got to meet all the instructors. They seemed like cool guys and said they wouldn't allow their students to do a job they didn't think was in their capabilities. They quoted me around 250 for my front bumper, side skirts , and that rear black piece below the bumper on non-LSE models. Keep us updated on how this project comes out.
 
Cool, dude. Never be afraid to tackle this kind of stuff.

Trick is to keep crap from sticking to the wet paint. I used to paint guitar bodies and doing them in a clean room vs outside = big difference.
 
I think it is great that you are doing this yourself. One tip, wet the floor down before ou spray the color and clear coats. It will keep the dust down. Post some pics when you are done, I am thinking of doing mine this year too so I am anxious to see how it works for you.
 
Good luck with this! Hope it turns out well :)
 
myfirstlincoln said:
I am pretty darn picky .
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I could've told you that since you said you were a teacher. You guys are the pickiest lol. I've had teachers as customers before, and every single one has had near impossible expectations.
 
Haha thanks pektel...but I am pretty young (25) so I don't consider myself to be the stereotypical old, boring, annoying teacher. Hell, I have several lessons that revolve around The Office, Family Guy, Jay-z, Metallica, etc. so don't lump me in with all those dull teachers :)

Thanks for all the tips guys. I called my dad and he also recommended wetting the area and also laying down plastic before the final spray. I've been using one of those spray can holders so you can use a spray can more like a spray gun and it has been working great. Right now I'm allowing another coat of primer/glazing to dry and then I can sand. I'm hoping to get a couple coats of tundra green on there by tonight so I can clear tomorrow. This project will be done by Sunday night at the very latest no ifs, ands or buts and I'll post pics.
 
myfirstlincoln said:
Haha thanks pektel...but I am pretty young (25) so I don't consider myself to be the stereotypical old, boring, annoying teacher. Hell, I have several lessons that revolve around The Office, Family Guy, Jay-z, Metallica, etc. so don't lump me in with all those dull teachers :)
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haha yeah I was mainly referrring to the older ones. Not saying that all of them are unrealistic in their expectations, but most have been pickier than the average customer.

Nice work on the bumper so far.
 
Andrizzle said:
Wow, will be interesting to see how this turns out! You are going to have to buff the hell out of that with rubbing compound and a polish to get it to shine!

Props for doing it yourself!

I am lookin' forward to more pics.
Click to expand...

the more you wet sand and go higher in grit, the less work it is polishing
 
More sanding, filling, priming today. I have worked my way from 300 grit to 2000 grit on my primer and tomorrow morning I will be applying the first coat of actual color. My dad stopped by to check up on me and make sure I wasn't completely destroying my car and he seems to think it'll actually come out pretty good. He has painted steel his whole life (from huge pieces for bridges to roller coasters) and has given me some good tips.

Here are a couple pics earlier in the day. You may notice some areas I missed but I have probably corrected them since.

I'll post pics tomorrow after the color and then hopefully Sunday with some clear on it. She's smooth as butter haha

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