Styling Smoothing tips!

[JustAndy]

Im wanting to smooth pretty much all my car, front and rear bumpers, bonnet and remove side strips but im not sure how id do the bumpers because if i remove the strips there will be a gap where they were and im not sure how i would go about filling and smoothing that out

 

[JustAndy]

just thought id put up some pics so you know where i mean on the bumpers

obviously the main black strip across the top of the reg plate

Not sure how id do that one because i dont like the gap at the top of the reg plate or the plastic its attached too but im putting mesh in the main gap under the reg plate

 

[bredsticz]

Just colour code the black strip, easiest way. Also the gap above the plate I'd leave, it's there for cooling and air intake, again just colour code the black on the front bumper.
I seen blue mesh on eBay aswell for the front maybe?

 

[DaveMcT]

The groove *can* be filled but its going to use a huge amount of filler and one minor bump will crack it.

Find out what the back strips are made of. If its polypropylene it wont take normal primers. You have to flame the plastic and use a special bonding primer while its still hot. Not an easy job even for the professionals.

Plastic - floppy flames - melting - flammable spray - Hmmm

And oh yes - dont damage the existing paint.

 

[snapyoursticks]

If one was to remove the actual bumper-looking bits on the front (the bits that sit proud of the rest of the bumper, either side of the reg plate), how would you go about filling the gaps that they leave behind? Filler and sand smooth? Any tips?

 

[DaveMcT]

Like I said LOTS of filler and LOTS of time and effort.

Google it for the fine "how to" details.

Chances are the filler will crack the first time someone taps your nice smooth bumper in a car park. I mean the sort of tap (bump) that would be harmless without the filler.

 

[snapyoursticks]

Chances are the filler will crack the first time someone taps your nice smooth bumper in a car park. I mean the sort of tap (bump) that would be harmless without the filler.

Surely there's a way of doing it that won't have that nasty side effect... is the filler technique how the bodyshops do it?

 

[Fiatpuntomk2b]

dont they do something called plastic welding ??

 

[DaveMcT]

Plastic welding works for joining sheets or repairing cracks. It wont put a strip of plastic cover a moulded panel groove. Even if you could do that you would still have a pair of tramlines to be filled above and below the strip. These will crack soon enough and look terrible.

Plastic is great for a continuous surface but try adding layers and it all goes wrong.

A seriously top totty plastic welder would cut out the groove and inlay a new strip. That would only need minor filling before painting. But imagine the cost of that - if you could find anyone with the skills to do it properly.

Abarth bumpers are probably the best way to go.