Bumper cover

[Idrisbey]

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[galaxy]

Ooohhhh, not soo fast....do some homework first. You may find yourself surprised on what plastic damage can be repaired. I had a similar mishap with my rear bumber skin. I was fully prepared to pull the trigger on a brand new cover until @Tomster talked me into what I just said; investigate it first. They fixed it flawlessly. There are zero signs of damage or edit. And I saved a shitton of money over buying a new skin.

 

[Tomster]

Do you have a photo of the damage?

If you have stripes, have a look at how much they cost to replace...... They aren't cheap.

The only problem I see with repair is your color. Where the damage lies is important too.. If your body shop can match the paint and blend it in, then I would go with the repair option and have them blend the paint and re-clear the area. If they are not comfortable or able to do it to your satisfaction, then pull the bumper, use a heat gun to remove the stripes, repair the ABS plastic, and paint.

It really does depend on the damage, usually you don't need to replace the bumper fascia.

 

[Bugs]

As one who has removed both the front and rear bumper covers on my '19 GT350 for tow hooks, I'd like to elaborate on Idrisbey's question. I damaged the left rear attachment plastic hooks built into the cover when I removed it.

After removing the screws, the shop manual says something like "Carefully pull the cover away from the chassis". I'm wasn't sure how to interpret their usage of the word "Carefully". Internet research for better instructions didn't prove very valuable at that time.

So, I dove in starting on the right side. I gradually increased my pull force. After applying what felt like very high force for a plastic piece, the bumper edge finally came free with a loud raspy "Pop". Upon inspection, I saw that the bumper plastic tab simply presses into plastic and metal clips on the car. I didn't see any way to relieve the clips attaching force, which I assume is why the instructions are simply to give it a good pull.

OK, one more time. Unfortunately, on the left side, this technique broke two of the bumper's plastic tabs.

I'm still not sure what else I could do to be more "Careful". My cover now has a small gap where it protrudes from the left fender.

Anyone have suggestions on a better technique to remove the cover without damage?


Sigh. My '65 is so much easier to work on.

 

[Idrisbey]

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[Tomster]

Thanks for the advice Galaxy and Tomster, I showed the photos to my buddy and to my delight, he is in agreement with both of you. He said it is totally reparable. I will not need a new bumper cover.



The stripes were purchased from Bigworm Graphics and installed by me. (the car did not come with stripes from the factory). I will reach out to them to see if they will sell me the ones that go on the bumper only.

Excellent.

As for the stripes, I assumed they were OEM

 

[Idrisbey]

,

 

[Tomster]

Oh, its your front..... Still repairable.

 

[460Fred]

The real question is.....Is your nephew going to come over and wash your car once a week? Forever? ;-)

 

[Idrisbey]

The real question is.....Is your nephew going to come over and wash your car once a week? Forever? ;-)

 

[Big Ernie McCracken]

As one who has removed both the front and rear bumper covers on my '19 GT350 for tow hooks, I'd like to elaborate on Idrisbey's question. I damaged the left rear attachment plastic hooks built into the cover when I removed it.

After removing the screws, the shop manual says something like "Carefully pull the cover away from the chassis". I'm wasn't sure how to interpret their usage of the word "Carefully". Internet research for better instructions didn't prove very valuable at that time.

So, I dove in starting on the right side. I gradually increased my pull force. After applying what felt like very high force for a plastic piece, the bumper edge finally came free with a loud raspy "Pop". Upon inspection, I saw that the bumper plastic tab simply presses into plastic and metal clips on the car. I didn't see any way to relieve the clips attaching force, which I assume is why the instructions are simply to give it a good pull.

OK, one more time. Unfortunately, on the left side, this technique broke two of the bumper's plastic tabs.

I'm still not sure what else I could do to be more "Careful". My cover now has a small gap where it protrudes from the left fender.

Anyone have suggestions on a better technique to remove the cover without damage?


Sigh. My '65 is so much easier to work on.

I have pulled many a bumper off and some of them fit tight and need some careful love. Some pull out of the tabs not so bad and others you need to carefully poke and prod and get a flashlight to locate the release tabs. I use a small flat blade pocket screwdriver a lot for that work. Matco and Snap On have similar angled flat blade pry tools that have been awesome for reaching into those tight spaces to trip the tabs and not scratch the exterior paint.

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