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  1. #1
    FEP Power Member fgross2006's Avatar
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    Default quality paint for front bumper cover

    I have an 84 LX vert. I had the whole thing painted 3 summers ago. Had to have the hood and front bumper cover redone last year. This year the front bumper cover is till not taking paint well. Looks good when its fresh but I have dings and chips all over from road debris flying and the grill is once again spider web cracking.

    It's going back to the body shop again so is there anything I should ask for in terms of paint? Something that can deflect tiny rocks better? Wont crack in a short time frame? I had my wifes Hyundai front bumper cover repainted 2 years ago, its also plastic and no cracks. Whats going wrong with the bumper cover on mine?

    Its actually a GT bumper cover from an 84 GT that I had installed when we did the bodywork. Each time they rework it, they strip it to bare plastic and re-do it.

    Is there flex paint? additive? a deflective clear coat? I hate the idea of a bra for the nose. It would hade the work that was done. Bra's are for Camaro's.

  2. #2
    FEP Super Member bwguardian's Avatar
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    Are they shooting a primer adhesive prior to paint? Yes it should have a clear coat applied if the rest of the car has it when repainted. How many coats of what are they applying?
    HAD
    '82 GT monochromatic (red)...black cloth

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  3. #3
    FEP Power Member Broncojunkie's Avatar
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    Was it painted using single stage or base/clear? A 2k urethane clear should be pretty durable. The way you're describing it, it sounds like maybe it was painted with a 1-part paint, such as a lacquer.
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  4. #4
    FEP Power Member fgross2006's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Broncojunkie View Post
    Was it painted using single stage or base/clear? A 2k urethane clear should be pretty durable. The way you're describing it, it sounds like maybe it was painted with a 1-part paint, such as a lacquer.
    The whole car is base coat clear coat.

  5. #5

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    As others above have stated, it's all about prep & quality of materials. One thing you'll always have to deal with on a daily driver is chips. If you have it resprayed, i'd look into something like a 3M clear film to go over the front areas that would help prevent the rock chips.

    Nice to see someone still driving these daily. Good luck with it.
    84.5 GT Convertible Build Thread
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  6. #6
    FEP Power Member fgross2006's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by graphicdesigner80 View Post
    As others above have stated, it's all about prep & quality of materials. One thing you'll always have to deal with on a daily driver is chips. If you have it resprayed, i'd look into something like a 3M clear film to go over the front areas that would help prevent the rock chips.

    Nice to see someone still driving these daily. Good luck with it.
    Im not driving daily. It sits in the winter. I drive it occasionally in the summer.

  7. #7
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    Found one huge advantage of owning a black car: plenty of black paint choices. Types, shades, formulas.
    Universal color. Black paint cost and availability is great for respraying areas as needed.

    2x layers of the 3M film mentioned to protect fog light glass lens working fine so far. Cannot tell its there.
    Product works as advertised and not hard to find nor expensive for what it does.
    Handle the sticky part very little, especially at the edges, so they wont lift and collect dirt, which is noticeable.
    The adhesive can show fingertip prints until installed.
    Otherwise the product is thick, cuts easy, backing easy to remove, sticks very well to glass, stays clear.
    Prob will try some for first 1" of the hood leading edge, which seems to get a lot more noticeable damage of all the front body parts.

    Car bras were popular sort of fad that faded. Bras are ok can add to a look. Multi function, one is _ made to look at.
    Then take them off to find body edges have worn or scratched but paint under is not faded as nearby paint surfaces? Car bras.
    Sand gets under car bras and car covers. Sandpaper like residue accumulates between the two surfaces.
    Rubbed on the paint they were supposed to protect?

  8. #8
    Moderator wraithracing's Avatar
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    Part of the issue is the old urethane that the OEM bumpers are made out of. If you look at the backside they are yellow plastic. The newer urethane bumpers are generally black or grey in color. The older urethane just because of its composition and due to age is less flexible than the newer urethanes. So unfortunately is it more prone to chips, and cracks.

    Using a quality adhesion promoter will help. Using the right type of primer will help too. Epoxy primers are great for sticking to stuff, but if sprayed too thick they can have cracking and chipping issues on flexible parts. Often you want to use a quality epoxy primer base and then a filling primer over that that is urethane based. Flex agents can be added to not only primers, but base, and clear coats. You just have to be extra careful to not add too much and cause other issues. Many shops today don't use flex agent like old school painters because the urethane paints and the urethane bumpers today don't really need it. Older urethane bumpers and hard plastics often do need the flex agent.

    The other issue with the old urethane bumpers is also to not try and fill all the deep cracks and chips with primer. Instead actually use a quality urethane filler like Poly-Flex (Evercoat) or a 2 part filler such as Lord Fusor 114LG plastic finishing adhesive or similar. These products will do a better long term job of making repairs to chips and crazing areas on the bumper. Then use a medium fill primer, block sand smooth and then spray BC/CC with any flex additive as needed or recommended by manufacturer.
    ​Trey

    "I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"

    "I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."

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