Repainting a faded bumper March 23, 2012, 11:15:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129351This is probably old news to the automotive experts in the group, but I thought it worth mentioning for those like me who had never seen bumper paint before. I found the stuff in a NAPA auto parts store: Dupli-Color FB105 Black Flexible Bumper Coating in an 11-ounce spray can for about six bucks. My 2003 rig's plastic front bumper had faded over the years to an unattractive mottled light gray, so I bought a can, figuring I'd give it a try. The results bowled me over. Here's a before-and-after photo:http://tinyurl.com/6prsclj (I know that links into our Photos section can be quirky, so if that doesn't work, look for my album "Bumper painting".) I cleaned the bumper with paper towels and rubbing alcohol first, then masked off the surrounding area. The black spray coating dried so rapidly in the Arizona sun that I was able to go back and respray immediately after finishing one pass. I gave it five coats altogether, with a few minutes in between each pair of coats to ensure complete drying. The difference is like night and day--the bumper now looks brand new. And I only used about half the can. I'll use the rest to repaint the bumper of my friends' 1992 Mitsubishi, and cover up the ugly mustard-yellow plastic that's showing through. :-)Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #1 – March 24, 2012, 11:58:27 am Yahoo Message Number: 129360Quote This is probably old news to the automotive experts in the group, but I thought it worth mentioning for those like me who had never seen bumper paint before.http://tinyurl.com/6prsclj The difference is like night and day--the bumper now looks brand new.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/ WOW! Andy. I bought my 2001 RK in 2009. I thought the bumper WAS grey. :-) Nice job.Ed
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #2 – March 24, 2012, 02:31:22 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129363Me too. It looks great.
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #3 – March 24, 2012, 02:34:48 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129364Arnie (arneblan) asked whether I had also repainted the red portion of the hood. Nope. I used the blue "Finish Kare" polish/sealant that the Lazy Daze factory recommends: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NZQWU2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=andbai-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002NZQWU2It's not magic, but with repeated applications, it does a pretty good job of brightening up the faded/oxidized finish on my 2003 red midbath. That said, the areas that are painted over metal shine up better than those with fiberglass. The lower (red) part of my entry door, in particular, has actual glass fibers visible above the painted surface. Apparently the gelcoat wasn't very thick. No polish is going to make that look like new, but at least the Finish Kare makes it look better. I'm sure there are other products that can do as well; I'm just reporting my personal experience with this one.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/ As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #4 – March 24, 2012, 02:37:48 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129365"I thought the bumper WAS grey." Maybe it was--I honestly don't remember. The NAPA store had the Dupli-Color Bumper Coating in both dark gray and black, and at first I was going to buy the gray... but after looking at the bumper again, I decided black would be better. It may or may not be the original color, but I like it. :-)Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #5 – March 24, 2012, 03:33:32 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129366Yours looks great Andy! I just finished washing our 2000RB and our lower bumper is grey and not looking too bad right now.Safe travels,Dave
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #6 – March 24, 2012, 03:37:21 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129367Quote "I thought the bumper WAS grey."Maybe it was--I honestly don't remember.Andy Baird Actually Andy, the bumpers were gray. Take a look at the pic on the home page of The_Lazy_Daze_30_foot_Island_Bed group and it shows it nicely.Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #7 – March 24, 2012, 03:58:00 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129368"Actually Andy, the bumpers were gray." Thanks for jogging my faulty memory, folks. ;-) Well, as I said, you can get the Dupli-Color coating in either dark gray or black, so if you decide to repaint, the choice is yours.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #8 – March 24, 2012, 04:25:57 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129369Andy,Do you think the black version would work on renewing the faux over cab windows?Dave
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #9 – March 24, 2012, 05:53:45 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129370"This is probably old news" Looks real good Andy, I know Dupilcolor makes a lot of neat stuff but that stuff is what I need for a few of my autos plastic pieces. Thanks for the great tip!Ramon
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #10 – March 24, 2012, 06:06:36 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129371"Do you think the black version would work on renewing the faux overcab windows?" You could probably use it for that purpose. But I don't know that it would be the best solution. I'd probably go with ordinary gloss-black spray paint. But actually, I found that the blue Finish Kare polish/sealer did a very nice job of shining up my rig's black overcab areas, when applied with an orbital buffer.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #11 – March 24, 2012, 06:53:48 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129372We also like the Finish Kare on the black over cab areas. They look better than new. We have several coats put on with the buffer. If you wash them off with water only, no soap, the bugs come off and the shine stays on !Annie Olson__ From: Andy Baird andybaird@...> To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2012 2:06 PM Subject: [LD] Re: Repainting a faded bumper"Do you think the black version would work on renewing the faux overcab windows?" You could probably use it for that purpose. But I don't know that it would be the best solution. I'd probably go with ordinary gloss-black spray paint. But actually, I found that the blue Finish Kare polish/sealer did a very nice job of shining up my rig's black overcab areas, when applied with an orbital buffer.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #12 – March 24, 2012, 07:57:58 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129373Many thanks for passing this on! My bumper also faded grey. I will buy a can and do the same.Bob Moore Auburn, CA. for a little while longer. Then F.T.
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #13 – March 24, 2012, 08:38:17 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129375Thanks for the tip Andy. Now all I have to do is get up there .Dave
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #14 – March 24, 2012, 10:31:14 pm Yahoo Message Number: 129378BEFORE the plastic part of your front bumper fades, you can keep it looking new with applications of 303 or that bad stuff that Joan says to never use on your tires, Armorall.OR just replace it. A trailer swing wide on us putting a gouge into the plastic. It was $110 to replace it, labor included.From near beautiful Payson, AZCheers, Don
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #15 – March 25, 2012, 02:01:57 am Yahoo Message Number: 129381Something else I should have mentioned was a product I used to mask the front end of the rig before painting. As with the Dupli-Color bumper coating, this was something I'd never used before--I just stumbled on it, in fact: USC Handy Mask #38081. You can see it in use in this photo:http://tinyurl.com/86rrb2p It's a 3.5" wide roll of thin paper that's folded over once and has a strip of masking tape along one edge. It comes in a handy dispenser with a toothed cutting edge. You unroll it, smoothing the tape into position, then unfold the paper for a 7" wide shield. This was a whole lot faster than the traditional method of taping old newspapers in place one after another. In fact, I masked the whole width of the rig in two or three minutes, and had plenty of Handy Mask left over. Of course, it costs a bit more than old newspapers and plain masking tape... but if you're lazy like me, this stuff is a great way to save time and effort on a paint job. I got mine at Home Depot, but Lowe's probably carries it too.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #16 – March 25, 2012, 02:13:30 am Yahoo Message Number: 129382I've added a photo of the Handy Mask package to the "Bumper painting" album, so it'll be easier for you to spot in the store:http://tinyurl.com/87k9mpfAndy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #17 – March 25, 2012, 10:34:25 am Yahoo Message Number: 129385Andy, I see what looks like a rubber piece
Re: Repainting a faded bumper Reply #18 – March 25, 2012, 10:53:26 am Yahoo Message Number: 129386"I see what looks like a rubber piece in the center of the chrome bumper. Is that to step up on and if so where did you get the piece?" Yes, that's what it's for. It's self-adhesive and has a nonskid tread pattern molded in. I bought it at Camping World, as I recall. However, I've found it less useful than I'd hoped, because the way the metal bumper slopes downward makes standing on it--even with the rubber tread--feel uncomfortable and insecure. So I rarely use it... instead, I stand on the inset part of the rubber bumper just below it.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
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