Hey guys,
When I bought my third gen it had bumper damage. Thinking it would be fairly easy to buy a used bumper, have it painted, and throw it on I bought a bumper on craigslist for $40. However after shopping around it seems everyone in my area charges at minimum $350 to paint the bumper. So I am looking for another option.
Can I paint it myself? I don't have a paint gun or compressor big enough to support one. I know the "rustoleum paint job is very popular. Since its not a show car is this a viable option? Would this be very durable? What other options are out there?
Im just trying to spend under a couple hundred bucks to get a bumper that looks ok. Its going to get full of chips and scuffs anyway.
Thanks
Bill

 

If you are not going to paint it correct then just go get some spray paint of your color code, sand and shoot.

 

How durable will this be? I'm mainly just looking for it not to chip away.

 

Not very durable.

You have a choice to make:

Pay someone big bucks to do it right.

Pay big bucks for the equipment and paint to do it right yourself.

Prep the bumper to the best of your abilities and rattle can it with a paint that approximates that of your paint code. When it gets looking crappy, repeat process.

 

PLEASE!! No rustoleum. Don't perpetuate the 3rd gen stereotype. You can have spray cans loaded with paint mixed to your code or buy some touchup cans if you don't want to pay to have a proper paint job done on it. Saving money on paint now will cost you in the longrun when you want to fix it right and have trashed your bumper with paint that will never bond to it.

 

I'm thinking dupi-color cans might be my best option. Im just not willing to spend over $300 to get my bumper painted as the whole car will need a paint job at some point. However I am currently asking around to see if I can find someone in my area with equipment who wants to do it.
Anyone have any experience with the Eastwood 2k can clear coat? Would this be a better option than the rattle can clear?

 

If this is your only option then I would go to a auto paint store and have them mix me up the right paint code in a spray can just like Joe Tag said it wont be a perfect match but it will be better then what you are looking at then you can buy aerosol can that you can mix up your clear and spray but then again add up the cost and you close to what it would cost to have a shop paint it and they will color match

 

If I were to use "real paint" what type of paint do I want? Can I use a single stage paint without a clear coat?
Could I use spray can adhesion promoter and spray can primer than shoot only the Color out of the gun? What kind of price am I looking at for the paint?

 

paintforcars.com has good single and dual stage kits for less than $200 (comes with enough paint and clear to do the whole car).

Alternatively, if it's just the bumper, you could buy a bra for the car and just cover the whole thing up until you're ready to paint it.

 

If its a solid color then you could go with single stage and you wouldn't have to clear and they make a flexaible primer that you can buy it in a can also as cost goes it all depends on what you buy you can buy deltron it will run you around $150 or you can get nasson for half that