What to do about ripped bumper holes?

[idosubaru]

My bumper got ripped off in an accident and most of the mounting points between the headlights were ripped.  It is otherwise in good shape and that odd Taupe color so finding one to match isn't likely.  Is there a way to easily repair or otherwise attach it?  I tried some washers under the heads of the grommets to widen the contact patch and hopefully help it hold but it didn't, they gradually came out. 

 

But i didn't have the ends of the bumper attach, it probably would have lasted a lot longer if i had attached thsoe end points around the fenders.

 

I'd prefer to not use self tapping screws....

[idosubaru]

Can I use my propane or Oxy torch to simply weld some plastic across the broken tabs?  Cut some old bumper pieces off another car and melt it on like this:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCf1U8UaGpA

[Fairtax4me]

What's wrong with duct tape?!

 

Not real sure what you could use other than self tapping screws. I know that washers work better for holding if you can slip something under the "open" side like a shim to make it press harder on the surface you actually want to hold.

[lmdew]

I've used pop rivets before.  Yes it's a pain if you have to take it off, but when is the last time you pulled a bumper?

[gbhrps]

Don't use a torch, use a soldering iron instead, less chance of ruining the cover and no chance of a fire or melting too much.

 

I suggest pulling the entire cover to do the job correctly. Because of the wind and body movement on rough roads, the most important attachment points are at the wheel well openings. You might get away with double sided automotive tape around the headlights, but only if the seams along the fenders are firmly attached with bolts or screws, another reason for pulling the entire cover.

 

The other route is to pull one from a wreck, sand it with 600 grit to get a good paint adhesion, and have a auto paint store match the paint colour in a spray bomb that you can spray yourself. We have several places locally that make up the spray bombs in proper codes, for about $35 CDN. Follow with a clear coat spray bomb for around $8, and you'll be far more pleased with the results. Good Luck!

[cal_look_zero]

http://www.harborfreight.com/plastic-welding-kit-80-watt-iron-67102.html

Plastic weld. Best part about it is that you can go to a junkyard, get a scrap of bumper plastic, and never need to buy material to "weld" anything.

Confession: When I was first getting into dirtbikes, I got a set of plastics for free that were chewed up. I had a cheap soldering iron, and bought a bag of army men from the dollar store; used them as a welding medium. It was ugly, but it worked.

Edited March 6, 2013 by cal_look_zero

[idosubaru]

sweet - soldering iron it is, i can do it in my warm house!  it's already off the car so that makes that part easy.

 

torch does seem like it would be messy.  i've got a soldering iron,  hopefully i have some source plastic pieces at home for "welding" rod.

[garrettG]

Yeah get the plastic welding kit from harbor freight. It works just fine:)

[ShawnW]

The rivets suggestion above is probably the best but you rivet a piece of sheet metal to the edge.  On Some Subaru bumpers the factory even does it this way in places to make it more rigid.  The metal you can trace a hole onto and then rivet it under the edges where it ripped.  I have done 3 so far and they look like it never happened afterward.

[idosubaru]

soldering iron worked like a champ!  that was awesome.  all the holes were ripped and i soldered them all back up.   i used some grommets and zip ties as filler material.  worked great.

 

if i ever do/did it again i'd use bumper material as it's more flexible.  the grommets/zipties were brittle when finished and not as pliable as the bumper material, but nonetheless it's all back together.

 

rivets - i've never used them so i'm confused with "sheet metal to edge" and then "rivet under the edges where it ripped". i'm done but curious what that means.  are you completely bypassing the holes or repairing/using the original holes somehow?

 

the bumper grommet holes protrude out (the lip is thicker there than elsewhere) so the remaining material isn't much to work with if one wanted to drill new holes for new grommets.  i had thought about that - drill holes to the left or right of each ripped hole - but the material depth is much less there.

Edited March 16, 2013 by grossgary