QuestionGreat and fast advice! Thanks. Here's the damage:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a42/ml430/bumber008.jpg
Would you suggest I sand out and patch the entire area of that fork-like crack or just the crack itself? One last question (don't want to wear out my welcome) Any tips on pounding out the trunk edge? The paint did not spider web and I think I can get it with a rubber mallet as it's relatively thin in that area(heat gun?)-------------------------------------------
The text above is a follow-up to ...
-----Question-----
Hello William.
I have a 1999 Mercedes CLK with an aftermarket fiberglass body kit. I foolishly was distracted while backing up this evening and backed into a pole cracking the rear bumper all the way through the material in 2 places (I have pictures). I'm planning to replace the oem bumper tomorrow for the time being but would like to know if you could suggest a good tutorial as I've never worked with fiberglass. I'm good with a paint gun and can sand with the best of them, just looking for some pointers as I'd like to take this on myself to further my knowledge. Thank you. -Chris
-----Answer-----
Year One sells a book called "how to restore your collector car" part number FJ4393. I gotta tell you, fiberglass repair really sucks. It's itchy, dirty, and the chemicals are messy. I would leave the bumper on the car, it will help the bumper keep it's proper shape. Grind and cove the cracks on the face at least 4 inches on either side of the cracks. Carefully blow off, and wipe with a rag while blowing. Mix enough gel to cover the area, and to wet a patch. Use a paint brush, and brush a coat of gel over the repair area. Then, apply a 6 inch wide fiberglass mat patch. (I prefer the tightly woven patch material as opposed to the stuff called chop.) Brush fiberglass gel over the mat until saturated. Let completely dry. Now, remove the bumper. Rough up the inside of the bumper, at least 6 inches on either side of the cracks, gel and mat with 2 layers of matting. Bigger is better here. Now, once dry, the face can be sanded smooth. You can skim coat the gel with a body filler called Icing, from USC, part no.26006. Hope this furthers your knowledge base. Bill
AnswerWOW the damage is severe! It looks like it's so broken up, it's actually sagging where the feature line is. the fork is so close together, the repair on the outside is bound to overlap, but try not to thin the bumper out too much. Were this bumper in my shop, it would get replaced. It's that bad. Well, you can't possibly make this bumper any worse, and you want to learn how to fix glass, so go for it. The deck lid? You can bring the edge back up, but that little fold is there forever. I would suggest you see a dent wizard before doing anything to it. Hope this helps. Bill
