Prepping new bumber covers
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I wanted to see how everyone else is prepping their bumper covers. It seems like its taking me way too long to do them. What I have been doing is 600 grit wet on a soft block, then going over it with grey scotchbrite and scuff stuff. Is there a quicker way? Anyone using a DA? Maybe I am worrying too much about getting it completely scuffed (smooth) and thats not really necessary?
Raw plastic, OE primed, A/M primed…..?
Whats Len say :whistle:Kinda what Ding is getting at…I do each one a little different depending in what the finish is. A raw plastic one can be prepped in 5-10 minutes. A painted bumper with lots of edges crevices can take quite a while
The new bumper covers we get always come in primer.
So are they OE or Aftermarket. Does the primer come off with a solvent wash or is it properly adhered the the plastic.
Not all bumpers come primed,nissan,toyota,hyundai are all bare plastic.An oem primed bumper is ok,but most aftermarket primed bumpers should be stripped.
They are OE. Primer doesnt come off with solvent.
[quote=”Jayson M” post=33673]Not all bumpers come primed,nissan,toyota,hyundai are all bare plastic.An oem primed bumper is ok,but most aftermarket primed bumpers should be stripped.[/quote]
99% of the collision work we do is GM (most of our work is run off from the GM dealership). I did do a Nissan a few months back that came raw.
On those, typically 400-600 with an interface pad works good for the flatter areas then red scotch brite pads for the rest. Shouldn’t take more than 20-30 minutes per cover. Avoid burning through the primer, obviously.
Then just seal and paint
Thats pretty much what I am doing, but its taking me closer to an hour. I do use the soft Durablock. Maybe its still a bit too hard for this job? Its the soft block that is like 1/2″ thick dense foam feeling?
Sorry I misread. So you use a DA with and interface pad? Ive been going at it 100% by hand.
Interface pad on your sander…no need to use a block.
I will try that next time. Always a bit leery about using the DA on these for fear of breaking through the primer and adding more work to the job.
I agree with Ben and also would avoid wet sanding because its hard to see if your going through primer
Yeah that takes up much of my time. Squeegy and drying to see where im at.
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