front bumper

[wheresmylicense]

my front bumper is in terrible shape... and i was thinking about what i could do... one was to get a whole new, aftermarket bumper that looked oem stylee, or just get the one i have on there repainted. i found the one i would want to buy, it's about 300 bux... how much would it cost to get my front bumper repainted? does anyone know?

[pdiggitydogg]

depends on how much work they have to do, really.

if you did all the prep work before you brought it in (sand and primer) it shouldnt cost a whole lot (100-300 shop depending)

...but...it wont match the rest of the car's color. Only way of doing that is to have the whole car repainted, including the new bumper

if you aren't very critical on exact matches, what you CAN DO:

go to autozone, pep boys, etc. in the paint section they offer a whole bunch of different types of touch up paint. they make specifics that match honda paint specs. not exactly, but damn near close enough. just look for import paint and there should be names on the paint that tell you what brand name car the paint is for.

what you need entirely: primer (you will or should know what kind you need... the automotive kind!) the paint, sandpaper or brillo/scotch brite pads, and clear coat. there are two methods of sanding.
there is scotch brite soap sanding (wet sanding) and dry sandpaper sanding. while sandpaper results in a quicker removal of clear coat (which is what you NEED to remove before you re-paint) you shouldnt remove the paint, it's not necessary. just take all of the gloss off, anything that shines, dull it out to heck. after you are done sanding, wash the bumper with dishwashing soap. this soap contains no wax or harmful residue leaving contaminants, it's ideal for this. be sure to let the bumper air dry, make sure all the soap scum is off.

the next thing you should do is get hold of some Bulldog Adhesion Promoter. IT works for all automotive surfaces to promote paint adhesion, thus..


spray on EVEN light coats of this, you won't need more than 2 layers. keep the spray can at a consistent distance from the bumper and move in straight lines, be sure to ease off on the sprayer when you reach ends otherwise you will get drips.

after this, go ahead and do the same thing with the primer. i reccomend 2 LIGHT, EVEN coats of this just like the bulldog. once the primer is dry, all you need to do is paint the bumper! 3-4 coats is the ideal.

it is important to remember to spray the bumper in light coats at proper distance (2feet approx.) dont get impatient and do heavy coats, you will pay the price!!

the LAST thing is clear coat. its also available along with all the other stuff mentioned at pep boys, autozone, etc. allow the final layer of paint to dry 1-2hrs before applying clear coat spray. 2/3 coats of this is ideal.

the last thing to remember after everything is dry, do NOT expose the bumper to moisture condensation. let it sit in a DRY moderate area.

thats pretty much all you need to know about re-painting pieces of the car. it sounds like alot but its actually pretty fun once you get past the sanding and the payoff is usually great! patience is the absolute key. the whole process should cost less than 40 dollars

[slowEJ6]

they can match the color of your paint.....its called PAINT MATCHING. most body shops are capable of this.

but expect to pay about $200 for a painted front bumper w/ prep.

[wheresmylicense]

the hard part is my car is black, but it's got what looks like gold specs in the paint... i've never seen this on a black car before... it looks cool, but might be hard to duplicate...

you have custom paint, it wont be feasible to match it exactly. if you arent critical, again, you can easily do it yourself.

IT is NOT custom Paint. ALL 97 civics that were BLACK have GOLD spec in the paint. as did some of the other colors. i have a BLACK 97' civic with same paint...

have fun duplicating the gold spec with out going and getting custom paint job

[wheresmylicense]

no, i'm more than likely gunna get a custom paint job, but i'll prob wait till i can buy a whole new bumper... i found one for about 300 that has the grille worked into it... take a look:



i figure it would look really clean and it doesn't look too... fast and furious -ish... figure another 200 to paint... it's about 500 all together. plus, i could put mesh in the holes, and it's look pretty cool. what do you guys think? would it look weird without side-skirts and a rear-valance?

its hard to say really, it would probably look alot more uniformed if the whole car had the body kit that matched. you can get clean kits that arent too aggressive looking if that is your concern. just do some shopping.

i never knew they had gold specks in them stock! thats pretty messed up haha

[TeriyakiBroccoli]

nooooooo not the sexy c-west kit! dont put mesh in that shiznat.. keep it clean and do it when u have the skirts as well.

[slowEJ6]

$300 for a c-west front bumper from where?
even used the authentic ones go for more than that.....and thats pricey for a replica.
which btw, replica c-west will probably end up costing you more than $200 to have installed. cuz its probably sprayed fiberglass in that case which will need modification to fit properly.

[pdiggitydogg]

if you know where to get a urethane cwest...id like to know (just curious)

and dont bother w/ a replica...it'll be crap