Caseyjones

I have been dealing with the front bumper paint chipping off in pretty large pieces, aesthetically unpleasing. Searches mostly deal with repainting but not removal of the old.

I went to an auto paint shop and got them to match it and fill a rattlecan for me, got some suitable primer and some adhesion promoter to work on the plastic bumper. All good quality automotive products from a reputable vendor. They indicated that the bumper would have to be stripped completely for proper results but stripping it with the putty knife could be a full days work by itself.

Is there a good paint remover out there that wont eff up the plastic. Everything I have here is for metal surfaces only. What product would be recommended for this?

I'm a noob at body work so thanks much for any help.

Tony

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

go buy an orbital sander and get to work. make sure the primer and paint has flex in it.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

orbital sander might be too rough or fast for a urethane bumper if you are not careful. if you are using a rattlecan to apply the paint, then hand sanding is all that you need to get the surface smooth. also sand the primer as well. then wetsand the paint and/or clear coats.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

an orbital is standard in body shops as far as i know. DIY bodywork is generally ill advised but OP seems set on it, regardless of the results he's going to get shooting from a can in atmo.

the bumpers have decent meat in them, minimal risk of running through them.

Caseyjones

Thanks for the replies.

I have an orbital here somewhere, I was afraid to scar the bumper by using it. I was hoping there was a gel or something to soften the paint to make it easier to scrape off, something that wouldn't hurt the bumper material.

I know the results will be inferior to having a professional do it but will be far better than what I have now. I hope my expectations are realistic. If there is no paint softener or remover suitable for use on this sort of bumper I'll likely do it as well as I can manually.

I'll make sure this Bull Dog paint has some flex in it, I'm pretty sure the guy said it does. He looked at the car and said the bumper was almost certainly resprayed before and not prepped correctly hence the chipping away. He mentioned that it would happen again w/o adhesion promoter, it would fail to bond properly to the bumper. I do have to say that if it was ever sprayed before it came out damn nice, aside from not sticking to the car haha.

Thanks again.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

aircraft remover is what i would use, no idea if it's safe for use on polyurethane bumpers. but you'll have to sand afterwards to prep for primer anyways.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

I would just sand it down. From what I've read a stripper is not really safe to use on poly.

Caseyjones

I just went down and found some Aircraft Remover safe for flexible plastics. I will test it out in a small inconspicuous area tomorrow, weather permitting I will get as far with it as I can with refinish and respray. I'm still not able to post pics but I went ahead and took some.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

OK let us know how it works. Make sure to wear a mask and goggles. That stuff is strong.

Caseyjones

Mask and goggles... shorts and flip-flops, is there REALLY that big of a difference as long as I'm wearing something?

I'm going outside right now to try it out, protective gear in hand. Thank you for the heads up.

Caseyjones

Ok, the aircraft remover "safe for flexible plastics" is a big no go. I'm going to go ahead and NOT recommend it for use with the Lexus bumper. It slightly wrinkled the surface. Glad I test sprayed it on a small hidden area.

I'm taking the car to town now, the guy I got the paint from wants to see it so he can make a recommendation. I guess I'll be putting this off until around 1500 or so.

Caseyjones

Update:

The aircraft remover did cause some wrinkle of the bumper but it went away and became solid and smooth again, so I stayed the course and paint removal was a bit more work than anticipated, especially with bilateral adhesive capsulitis. Wife was very kind and helped do the whole thing, just as she helped build the Samurai. The paint match I got from the shop is pretty much spot on but I will have to use some polish on it to get the sheen closer to OEM. I spent a bit of time prepping but once the paint was going on I could see a few details I missed.

It looks great but an observant auto enthusiast would be able to see that it was resprayed by someone other than a top drawer professional. While not perfect it exceeds my expectations. It's more than acceptable for an 18 year old car with 175k on the clock. If the car were pristine and the owner overly particular I would have a body shop do it and spend the $$ but to make it look great as a daily driver I'm happy at under $75. It is very difficult to distinguish a backyard respray unless your looking for it. I feel compelled to note that I have seen more than enough body shop work that came out no better. For a savings of $500-600 I'm pretty happy!

I took before and aft pics and will throw them up when the forum will allow me to.

Thanks to all who lent expertise and experience!

Now tomorrow after I pull a rabbit out of my hat I'll remove and attempt to rebuild/repair my tilt motor so it works even when warm.

This forum rocks!

Tony

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Glad to see you got it down and are awaiting the pics.

Omen

Yes can't wait for pictures! I just purchased a 94 and have similar problems

Caseyjones

It looks like I can post pics now, the after pics were sun drenched so I'll get it again. I'm off Monday and Tuesday so I'll get it all posted up with a list of products used. The more I look at it the happier I am. I will say that a good paint shop that can do a good match is crucial to the end result. It really transformed the look of the whole car, it looks less like a Pine Ridge limo and more like decent dignified automobile.

Pics by Tue morning.