can you spray the standard black plastic bumpers on the escort?if so what do you neeed? laquer,paint an that? and will it last long if i do,or just peel off? also can i do door handles and bump strips in same way?again, roughly how long will it last,cheers,matt

I resprayed my front and rear bumpers.....

 

If you want to get rid of that "pressed sand" texture on the plastic, be prepared for a hell of a lot of sanding and prep work - after all, that's what gets you the best result. This is an account based on my experience spraying and MK5 and a MK6 rear (which I have yet to install).

 

First of all, check the plastic for any cracks or major cosmetic flaws such as scrapes etc. If there is anything nasty then remove the worst of it with a stanley knife, sand with 80 grit paper and use some decent sandable filler to repair the damage. You will have some pretty nasty looking flash injection lines around the bumper which you can sand out with 100 grit paper and a sanding block. They look crappy when you've resprayed a bumper....

 

Once you're satisfied that the bumper is ready to prep, wash it down with soap and water (very dilute) and when dry, clean with methylated spirits or with the bumper prep spray Halfrauds sell. That takes off any nasty surface crap like waxes and dirt which can spoil your good work :-)

 

TEXTURED SURFACE > SMOOTH

I used a ton and a half Halfrauds filler primer (yellow) to build up the primer layers and to round out texture in the surface. Give it plenty of thin layers over a few days letting it dry well in between each coat *important*. Leave the primer to cure a couple of days after the last coat before sanding it back with *wet* 400 grit wet and dry paper which should *hopefully* leave the filler primer in the recesses of the texture and cut back the primer on the raised bits. Let the dust settle for a couple of hours and wash the bumper again with bumper prep spray to get rid of the dust. A handy tip here is to have a wet floor when you do the sanding and washing as the settling dust won't get picked up again ;-)

 

Hopefully what you'll have achieved now is a part-primed *smoother* bumper. Repeat the priming process here, but cut back the primer with 800 grit wet and dry instead of 400. Check the smoothness of the finish with your fingers and give it a good eyeballing. Should look pretty shite hot by now ;-)

 

Give the bumper a clean with bumper prep (this is your best friend) and start priming the bumper with plastic primer. Giving it a good three or four coats is plenty. Make sure you're giving it a good coat on the edges and complex areas like screwholes and the vent. Don't put on a thick coat "to make sure" just work your way around the bumper sensibly. Don't shove the can "right in there" to spot-spray paint or your end up with thick spots with a runny bloom. If anything, suspend the bumper from the roof of your roof using the inner mounting bolts. You can spray the rear vent front *inside* the bumper ;-)

 

Okay. You should now have a well-primed and well prepped bumper ready for the paint coats. Give it a good visual and manual inspection, especially in the awkward to see/reach areas. Sand back any runs or inconsistencies with 800 grit wet and dry. Make sure you have no thin areas, especially those with plastic still showing ;-)

 

Apply your paint layers *thin thin thin*. Allow plenty of time for them to dry in between. Don't be tempted to spray thick just to obscure the primer or to "see your final colour" because all you'll do is create runs and inconsistently-coloured areas especially with metallics/pearlescents. I found spraying from a little further back than 30cms gives the finish a better chance of laying thin. YMMV.

 

Be prepared to spend a small mortgage on tins of spray. Like me. Alternatively, consider your local bodyshop for a comparatively-priced professional two-pack job which will be done in a quarter of the time allowing you to do other things, like drink beer, Waxoyl your chassis or install NOS.

 

This information is from my personal non-professional experience. I did not carry out all of the steps above because I am impatient and discovered what goes wrong by missing out those vital steps highlighted in RED. Always leave paint or primer to cure for two days before sanding it back. Clean the bumper of dust and other airborne cack before any spraying work. The worst culprit is overspray which solidifies as paint dust and gets *everywhere*. A wet floor helps more than you know ;-) You can never hurry this job or spend too long considering your next step carefully.

 

Post photos of your progress and we'll help as your go along. If you have any doubts then of course we'll help you along matey.

 

All the best.

cheers for all the effort there mate, really helpful info there,ta

i did mine a while ago and it started to peel recently, so now it has been done properly und looks way better!