BLACK part of bumpers/ fascia -question???

[ttwo]

I am having the front and rear fascia repainted. I am using the 2011 Jeep color at noted in the forums.

The back portion on the rear looks great but the front is dull and faded etc. Is the black simply the color of the plastic or is it painted black?
Can I simply polish the plastic to improve the color or will it be better to paint the black portion ???

[dn010]

I have gotten away with polishing up the black portions since I've had my car but it is time for me to refresh them completely. Here is the thread I started with info on what black to use:

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?17389-Advice-on-fixing-fascia

I have not yet completed the work, life and other projects have taken priority but soon I will tackle this.

[Chris 16409]

I really like 303 aerospace protectant. Use a sponge and apply it to all the exterior black trim pieces. It's great.

https://www.amazon.com/303-Protectant-Plastic-Fiberglass-Leather/dp/B00JG3OIFU/ref=asc_df_B00JG3OIFU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198093981731&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13341910638783996760&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031813&hvtargid=aud-798931705416:pla-374671520048&psc=1

[ttwo]

i have used 303 but since i am getting the fascia painted anyway would it be better to sand/polish the bumper or paint it?

[dn010]

would it be better to sand/polish the bumper or paint it?

Tough decision you'll have to make. We can't see what you're working with nor are we getting the bill for the work. I will say that if you don't like it, change it.

[ttwo]

gotcha. The back looks very nice but the front is just worn appearing. I supposed i'll just have it painted. I just wanted to make sure that there was no problem in painting the bumper from others experience.

[dn010]

You may want to consider doing both it you do one so they’re not mismatched after it’s all done.

[Hill Valley PD]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the black portions or the bumpers are not painted, but rather are the exposed urethane. They can be polished up, or you can paint them. They did not come painted from the factory.

[Michael]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the black portions or the bumpers are not painted, but rather are the exposed urethane. They can be polished up, or you can paint them. They did not come painted from the factory.

Correct. The black portion can be wetsanded and polished if they are really aged but they will never look as clean and uniform as a properly applied paint job. The downside of paint is the part of the car that was designed to be resistant to rubs and chips is now susceptible.

[Rich]

Correct. The black portion can be wetsanded and polished if they are really aged but they will never look as clean and uniform as a properly applied paint job. The downside of paint is the part of the car that was designed to be resistant to rubs and chips is now susceptible.

+1

Since we don't know how far gone the front is it's hard to say if paint is the only choice for you.

You could go in stages. Start with polishing w/o wetsanding, then if you need to go deeper to get to 'black' then wetsanding+polishing may work to get down to black urethane again. Paint would be the last choice since it's hard to go back to bare urethane after that. Also the question of how to match it to the rear unless you paint them both.

Back to the non-paint method - we got our front and rear black sections to look like new by taking it to a body shop where they worked over both ends with liquid polish and an orbital buffer - no sanding. They knew what they were doing - they'd restored fascias on '80s 911s the same way. Still looks new 8 years later.

[ttwo]

i think I will get it pained as I don't foresee any risk of bumping etc as it won't be a daily driver.

[louielouie2000]

As someone who has owned a DeLorean that came with all its black trim pieces (professionally) painted, I really have to caution against going that route. If you or a previous owner has ever used greasy products such as Armor All you'll end up fighting bubbling, peeling paint. Exhaust all other avenues before painting... you'll be thankful later.

[Bitsyncmaster]

When I put my stainless letters on my bumper I cleaned that area with MEK which is the strongest solvent I know. I just used it on Q-tips and it did no damage so I would expect if you wipe down the bumper with a solvent it should remove any oils or paint.

[Michael]

As someone who has owned a DeLorean that came with all its black trim pieces (professionally) painted, I really have to caution against going that route. If you or a previous owner has ever used greasy products such as Armor All you'll end up fighting bubbling, peeling paint. Exhaust all other avenues before painting... you'll be thankful later.

This is always a concern when painting plastic. Most soft plastic, TPO, polypropylene, or whatever is somewhat porous but a good deep cleaning will remove most all dressings. The problem comes from newer bare plastic that you wish to paint as the chemicals used in the plastic itself will seep out over time (years even) but on 30+ year old bumpers, this should not be a problem.
It is however very important to use the correct type of primer and/or Bulldog it before any coatings are applied to bare plastic.

I have been doing this type of work every day since 2004. I consider myself a professional.

[ttwo]

good to know! I'll make sure to really have them clean it prior. I'd think he's stand behind it if it doesn't stick well!

[Helirich]

When I put my stainless letters on my bumper I cleaned that area with MEK which is the strongest solvent I know. I just used it on Q-tips and it did no damage so I would expect if you wipe down the bumper with a solvent it should remove any oils or paint.

Warning-thread revive.

I just got some SS letters from DGo. I was looking at the bumper and I see some peeling paint. Now I would like to refinish or repaint the bumper before installing the letters. Are you saying the MEK removes everything and doesn't hurt the base material?

Some have mentioned not painting. Is there a way to refinish the base that doesn't make it look gray? (Sanding/buffing)

What is the consensus for the best glue to hold the letters?

[Michael]

Warning-thread revive.

I just got some SS letters from DGo. I was looking at the bumper and I see some peeling paint. Now I would like to refinish or repaint the bumper before installing the letters. Are you saying the MEK removes everything and doesn't hurt the base material?

Some have mentioned not painting. Is there a way to refinish the base that doesn't make it look gray? (Sanding/buffing)

What is the consensus for the best glue to hold the letters?

With some time and patience the black part of the fascias can be sanded and buffed back to the original color and finish, or at the very least, greatly improve the appearance of very aged fascias.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Warning-thread revive.

I just got some SS letters from DGo. I was looking at the bumper and I see some peeling paint. Now I would like to refinish or repaint the bumper before installing the letters. Are you saying the MEK removes everything and doesn't hurt the base material?

Some have mentioned not painting. Is there a way to refinish the base that doesn't make it look gray? (Sanding/buffing)

What is the consensus for the best glue to hold the letters?

The MEK worked removing the paint and did not seem to do any harm. That was many years ago and it still looks the same.

[Helirich]

With some time and patience the black part of the fascias can be sanded and buffed back to the original color and finish, or at the very least, greatly improve the appearance of very aged fascias.


The MEK worked removing the paint and did not seem to do any harm. That was many years ago and it still looks the same.

I think I'm going to try to remove/revive the original finish. If it looks like shyte, I will paint it again. Funny, the front bumper looks great. You would have thought it would get the most ware.

[David T]

I used Black Again and got good results. Before trying to stick the S/S letters on you must get the surface VERY clean. One good way to do that is to wipe the surface several times with alcohol. There is some kind of release coating that, if not removed, the letters will fall off.

[artisticent]

My advice to anyone would be to go look at your bumpers carefully and check for physical damage to the plastic. If there is none, you can refresh the original black with lots of color sanding. Mine look better than perfect with no paint on the black part.

[Helirich]

My advice to anyone would be to go look at your bumpers carefully and check for physical damage to the plastic. If there is none, you can refresh the original black with lots of color sanding. Mine look better than perfect with no paint on the black part.

Yours looks fantastic! I may have a little warping due to heat, but no actually damage. What do you mean when you say "color sanding"?

[MrChocky]

My advice to anyone would be to go look at your bumpers carefully and check for physical damage to the plastic. If there is none, you can refresh the original black with lots of color sanding. Mine look better than perfect with no paint on the black part.

Well noted. On my driver DeLorean there is some fading, and if I ever decide to improve them, this is likely what I'll do.

However, the project is a different story. I've already painted the front spoiler with SEM trim black and also one of the rear rocker panels (that has a rough finish anyway). And both the front and back fascias have holes (front from license plate, rear from the bottom 7 studs being drilled and replaced by bolts), so these have to be filled, and probably painted over is the only good solution after filling. My experiments to date with both SEM trim black and rustoluem matte black is that if you do a reasonable job, you often can't even tell it's been painted, unless you are a stickler for such things.

Paint or no, the rear still needs a ton of prep. There were layers and layers of Hawaii registration stickers that have become part of the bumper itself, and whilst a little of the paint peeled off, most of it will be some serious work to remove, as well as fixing the blown out holes for the lights.

[David T]

To remove stickers try 3M trim adhesive removal spray. If that doesn't get it off you will have to sand it off!

[artisticent]

Yours looks fantastic! I may have a little warping due to heat, but no actually damage. What do you mean when you say "color sanding"?

Color sanding is the process of sanding a surface starting with a rougher grit and progressivly sanding the same surface with finer and finer until you're at a buffing stage. For example starting with 400 grit wet dry, then 600, then 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 then buff. I did this with all surfaces other than the stainless.

[Rich]

Color sanding is the process of sanding a surface starting with a rougher grit and progressivly sanding the same surface with finer and finer until you're at a buffing stage. For example starting with 400 grit wet dry, then 600, then 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 then buff. I did this with all surfaces other than the stainless.

I was unfamiliar with that term, too.

I endorse this process or a version of it for bringing dulled black sections of D fascias. I had an auto paint shop treat both of mine with just the buff job - no sanding - using paint polish on an orbital pad to restore the main black sections on ours which had become a bit dull. That was about 10 years ago. Both ends still look like new.

I top the black sections with a wipe of rubber and vinyl treatment about twice a year which has the benefit of keeping the bugs from sticking too badly to the one in front.

In case there are scratches or dings you'd want to start with some level of sanding, I guess.

[Helirich]

Color sanding is the process of sanding a surface starting with a rougher grit and progressivly sanding the same surface with finer and finer until you're at a buffing stage. For example starting with 400 grit wet dry, then 600, then 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 then buff. I did this with all surfaces other than the stainless.

That sounds like a plan. That's how we take scratches out of aircraft windows. (Plexiglass) except we end up with 4200 grit. I never knew they made that fine of grit. The first time you take sand paper to a $5,000 window, it's scary. How long has it lasted since you did it? Do you spray it with armor all or something similar?

[Michael]

For years the term was "wetsand". Color sanding is just the new twist to get people to fork over $2-4k to have their 6 figure exotic wetsanded.

[painterdave72]

remember color sanding was actually done on lacquer paint years ago.. between most every coat you would color sand then spray another coat etc......

[Michael]

remember color sanding was actually done on lacquer paint years ago.. between most every coat you would color sand then spray another coat etc......

I never sprayed single stage but yeah they would nib it out and lay down a progressively thinner coat(s). I sometimes do this with my clear coat if I have a lot of time and it's a surface hard to get into with a wheel.

[Helirich]

For years the term was "wetsand". Color sanding is just the new twist to get people to fork over $2-4k to have their 6 figure exotic wetsanded.

At first I was thinking you have to pay extra for sand paper the same color as what your sanding. Lol. I think you could talk someone in to paying for candy apple red sand paper. Lol.