rgs944

Today I took off my front cover for repaint. I already have a good color match that I have using for touch up and repainting my rub strips. It is Chrysler's paint code but matches much better than the Porsche code. The original paint code can not account for aging. I decided to punt on the doing the bumper myself. I think I could have made it look good but was not 100% sure. This way I also have piece of mind that the clear coat will not start peeling away in a few years. I will post pics and price when I get it back from the paint shop next week. I plan to get rid of the washer nozzles but do not know how to go about that yet. Should we just puddy and smooth the hole? This body guy works out of his garage but has done work for me before and is highly recommended locally.

17prospective buyer

I like the washer nozzles... great conversation starter, people are like, "what are those little things..." or something.

Mrmerlin

if your bumper has cracked paint it would be best to fully strip the PU cover then start fresh,

if this isnt done then the cracks will come through even if the surface is sanded down,
then you will see the area where work was done BTDT

In the long run stripping the PU cover is easier than trying to refinish a small area or trying to sand down rock chips.

Good Luck with your project .

BTW Walnut media works well for stripping the PU cover

Opelotus

I will be keeping my eyes on this thread. Just spent 2 hours hand sanding my front bumper cover this afternoon and got about 1/4 done (bumper has been repainted before and the paint has been cracking and peeling severely from lack of proper prep work).

I found that the spider cracks go deep into the first layer of primer so it will all need to come off. If I can find someone locally who can do walnut blasting I may save myself the time/headache and have that done.

Interested to see how the OPs bumper turns out!

KenRudd

I'm watching too. Front end respray in my near future as well.

The Fixer

The correct way to do this would be to have the painter or a automotive paint store match the paint for you prior to painting.

Rub strip may look like a match but painting a front valence where the sides and top willl butt against your fenders and hood is not going to turn out well.
You can bring your fuel filler door or simply drive your car there in advance of removing the valence and have them put the electronic eyeball on your hood or front fender.
They will start with the Porsche code and tweak it to match exactly with the computer. You can bring them the valence anytime after for paint.

As far as the painting process, leave that to the painter, if in decent shape wet sanding is all the prep it will need for primer/sealer. if they have a good reputation they know what they are doing and more than most on this forum. If you tell them how to prep the valence the price will start going up and the job turn out the same.

As to how to close up the P.U. holes, I'd PM Tony77, or Dinsdale they removed the bumperettes on Tony GTS.
I could tell you how I'd do it, but since I have not done it successfully yet i will not.

Stan is right any damaged or cracked areas will have to be completely sanded out,

and if your red 928 is a single stage paint job (maybe not in '87), make sure he paints the valence the way the car is painted.
If single stage, ask him to buy a single stage urethane paint for the job, i would recommend DuPont's Imron is is tough as nails and perfect for a bumper repaint. If not have him use what he is used to painting for its 2 stage respray.

Good luck.

rgs944

As usual a lot of great things to consider and take into account. I was planning on doing a two stage but will check into the availablility of the Dupont Imron. I feel like the bumper is in good shape so I was not planning on stripping. The primary reason for painting is the original paint was just so faded and was too thin to polish out. I did do the color eye with the fuel door but it was a terrible match. I feel really good about this Chrysler color being the right choice. Any more input on the best way to go about the nozzles would be great. I plan on keeping the bumperettes but going with clear lenses.

rgs944

I guess I already did buy the clear bumperette trim piece but I am not sure what to do with it. What do you do with the bumperette mounting bracket that is held on with rivets? The new clear trim has only one center screw to hold it in place.

The Fixer

If your car is single or two stage will determine whether you repaint the bumper in single or two stage. Drive your car to the paint store again and get them to match a few pints for you. They should be able to get it exact. They will put the eye on the hood or fender which is close to the valence.
It is easy to get a slightly off color to match on the side moldings (because they hit the sunlight differently than the sides of the car).
I am positive of this.
I would not use the Chrysler color it is a very bad idea.

17prospective buyer

What about the seals or "gap/imperfection fillers" as they should be called for the bumper? I have heard you can nix those if your bumper looks flush when mounted, for a smoother look? Any info about these seals?

dr bob

The welting fills the gap between the plastic nose and the metal fenders. I guess you could extend the bumper plastic next time you are making one, then figure out a way to get the plastic to adhere to the metal. Anything's do-able.

17prospective buyer

I thought the bumper and fenders were designed to (in theory) mount flush together, but that the seal was just there to bridge the allowable tollerance/gap due to the unavoidable (at that time) manufacturing variation, or make it less noticeable.

rgs944

I have used the color eye and the match was absolutly terrible. I have never heard anyone who uses them to claim they are perfect? The Porsche paint code was not close either. I have had numerous people look at this color with a bare eye to come to using this color match. I wish you could see it in person and I am sure you would come to the same conclusion that the color eye or Porsche code is not nearly as good of a match as this Chrysler color. I value your opinion but I am very confident that I have the paint matched. It is not only the rub strips that match perfect but it is also the chip touch up I have been doing is spot on perfect. I searched for a long time to match my aged Indiscrott and it is not easy. I feel like I got very lucky.

rgs944

I was not planning on deleting that bead trim but has anyone done it with pics? The thing I am really confused about is how to go about mounting the clear lense bumperette trim.

svpmx83

If using urethane - get your painter to use a flex additive in the mix along with the hardener for both undercoat and topcoat, this keeps the paint flexible and stops the cracking seen in other repaints, also it tolerates stone hits better