Hey all,

The bumper cover on my '86 TA has a tear at one of the fog lights and I think that I'm just going to replace the cover, get it painted, and get a reproduction of the graphics for it. Car is red and silver.

What should this cover cost? I found one source with one in stock and they want $1200 for it. That seems rather pricey and I can live with the tear for some time for that much money...

 

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$1,200 is outrageous, NOS or not. That part was probably less than $500 when it was available from the dealer, and that's adjusting for inflation. Seller is obviously trying to take advantage of you.

I'd try and find a good used one. I would think $200 max (plus shipping or local pickup) from a private party. Pull-a-part sells them for $27 (assuming you can find one). Not sure where you're at, but there's an 88 T/A at one of the locations here in Atlanta.

 

I just got mine from Classic,paid $373.39,that was with a 20% discount shipped.You should wait till they have a 20% discount sale,that covers the shipping charge,

 

Yeah, I figured that $1200 was ridiculous. My '78 Chrysler cost me that much for the whole car.

There is a guy who claims to be local with one for sale for $300, he says it's new old stock in the packaging, but his pictures are of ones on other cars. His area code isn't local though, so I'm of course tentative. I might see about going to look this weekend.

I'm in the Phoenix area, and this is the kind of part that unfortunately decays in the sun/heat. This car's is in good shape because it's been garaged.

If the car was black instead of red with silver rocker panels I'd look for a KITT one, but I think that it'd look silly on this one. I'd even go for a KARR clone if the coloring were closer...

 

They still used carburetors in 86 or is that an aftermarket, just curious.

 

x2 on looking at a local upull, junkyard, or search Craigslist for cars being parted out.
Only problem with used is sometimes they begin to sag, while new probably isn't as good quality wise as OEM.

 

What does a carburetor have to do with a front bumper cover???

 

I just show it in his profile and was curious sorry if that upset you.

 

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Looks quite rice-y for my tastes.

But not all that bad. Might look better on a car that isn't Subaru blue.

 

The Quadrajet was made by Rochester through 1990, and as far as I can tell, '86 wasn't even the last year for it in the F-body. The 305/4bbl appears to be the lowest engine choice in '86, with a couple of fuel-injected options for medium and high end.

This particular car has no tilt wheel, no cruise control, no power windows, no power door locks, no power antenna, no power mirrors, no power seats, the smallest capacity alternator, and no other upgrade option as far as I can tell. It does have the weird motorized hatch though, and has the four-speed automatic. I haven't tried to burn out the tires, but I'm pretty sure that it has an open differential as it doesn't have that slight interference feel that I'm used to with a limited slip. It feels like it was built to be light weight, reasonably powerful, and to not have a lot encumbering it from reaching fairly high speed. Obviously it would be nice to have closer to the 200hp of the FI 305s, but at less than 3500lb it moves along well anyway.

As for the blue one with the aftermarket front bumper, I've never been a big fan of ostentatious body kits and heavily ornamented front facias. Most of the performance front valences I've liked on seventies cars are simple, and when the cars have large fender flares instead of just wheel lip moldings I prefer that they not be too big.

I'm also not certain how long I'll be able to keep this car, my wife is getting antsy since we're currently at six vehicles and were at seven as late as last week. Before this we had her Acura Integra, my Chrysler Cordoba, my '82 Dodge D350 crew cab stepside, my Nissan Hardbody, my '95 Impala SS, and before it went away, my Dodge Stratus, plus we're storing dad's '72 Barracuda and sometimes store his '73 Charger SE.

The Cordoba and the D350 aren't registered as the Cordoba is mid-restoration and the D350 is next in line with a restoration and Cummins swap planned, but she wants me to get rid of something, and right now the most likely candidates in her eyes are either the Trans Am or the D350, and I REALLY don't want to get rid of the Dodge as I went through an ordeal to get it, and I like the TA but I've been more of a Mopar enthusiast for the last decade, only getting into GMs when I found that Impala with 6,400 miles on it and I never thought I'd find a car I wanted since I was fourteen as an almost brand new vehicle almost two decades later.

In the mean time I intend to keep the TA in good repair and to fix what little ails it, assuming that I can do it affordaby. Obviously a $1200 bumper cover doesn't fit that definition, but a $300 part in excellent shape plus another $300 or so for paint and appliques might. I'm still not thrilled with potentially spending $600 to fix a 4" tear, but I would like it to look good.

 

I'll sell you this one,
Has one coat of original paint,and a little crack on the top right hand corner,$100+ shipping

 

I have a feeling by the time it ships, it'll cost almost as much as the one I found local unfortunately.

Thanks though...

 

I paied 350 for an OEM front bumper cover from GM. The dealer had to call everywhere to find it.

 

$350 for an OEM sounds very reasonable. I needed a new one and every body shop told me they couldn't find one. (And they did really try to find one.) That was over two years ago. Since then I was lucky enough to find one well over a year ago (no tears) in West Palm Beach near where I live, and I'm bringing one more tear free cover back from Indianapolis that I found when I drove up here for military duty I pulled off a '86 TA. Since these used ones usually have issues you don't realize until you test fit them, hopefully one of the two will work in my restoration. But, point being, if you can buy a 85-90 OEM TA bumper for $350 shipped, I'd do it now. Finding one in a scrap yard is highly unlikely that isn't ripped or torn, especially where it mounts to the fenders.

 

$10 for a 3M Flexible Parts Repair kit at your local auto parts store. It includes a 2 part urethane compound, mesh, and a small spreader. I used this to repair the several tears in my '85 IROC-Z front ground effect, and it has held up wonderfully. Sand both the front and back of the area to be repaired, a couple of inches past the tear all around. Clean thoroughly with denatured alcohol. Cut a piece of the mesh the size of the backside sanded area. Now mix the compound in equal parts, a small amount at a time. Use less than you think you'll need, this stuff sets up in 5 minutes (or less, depends on humidity and temp). WORK QUICKLY. Put a small amount on the backside of the repair, and lightly spread it out with the spreader. Put the mesh over this, and another small amount on top of the mesh, then spread it carefully over the entire mesh. This is the reinforcement for your repair. Now mix another batch, and carefully work the front of the tear. It may take several applications over a day or two to build up if the tear is wide / deep, but it cures quick so no worries. If several applications are necessary, be sure to scuff sand in between to give proper adhesion, and always wipe with denatured alcohol after sanding to clean the area and remove anything that will cause reactions. After the area is completely filled in and repaired, lightly sand with 400-500 grit sandpaper, working down thru finer grits until the repair is flush and smooth with the surrounding area. Wipe with denatured alcohol again, prep with self etching primer, sand, and finally filler primer, and it's ready for final prep for paint.