Painting Bumper Bars? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

scribby · 02-13-2007, 01:08 AM

I'm thinking about painting my front and back bumpers, I think they look ugly black and I've seen some pics around the place where they match the cars colour and it looks quite good.

Has anyone done this? How would I go about doing it, I have totch up spray paint that matches the colour of my car and there would be enough to do the bumpers. Would I have to do some type of base coat to make sure the paint sticks etc..?

Its an Camry SV21 Sedan.

Tommy · 02-13-2007, 02:20 AM

youll never get it to look right spraying it from a can. needs to be color matched, and even then, paint doesnt stick well to the cheapo rubber bumpers. best bet is to find a set that are already factory painted and swap them.

scribby · 02-13-2007, 03:01 AM

Hm.. I've never seen SV21 white bumpers..
I'm yet to use the totch up spray paint, it is colour matched but I will be repairing some chips and i'll see how well it matches before I start using it on a large area such as the bumpers.

There must be some way to get it to stick better..

Tommy · 02-13-2007, 03:07 AM

dont know about aussy, but there's plenty of white bumper camry's here.

and no, anything out of a can is not color matched. color matching is changing the color of the paint to match what is on the car right now, taking in account for 18 years of weathering/fading.

The painted bumper cars are actually plastic bumper covers. completely different from what you have now. Painting the rubber has been done, but the results arent good and it will always flake/chip off.

nogard · 02-13-2007, 10:49 AM

I didn't realize there was actually a difference between the factory painted and the black. I thought they were the same material. But Tommy what you say makes sense.

Scribby one thing you might want to check into is using something to help the paint stick. The paint shop recommended an adhesion promoter when I painted my green wagon. But I never painted black bumpers, the bumpers on that car where factory painted to start with. This helps the paint stick and flex a little with the pliable bumper covers.

JetspeedCamry · 02-13-2007, 04:12 PM

If you put a flex agent in the paint, it will work fine. Use a spray gun/proper paint, not pressure packs.

Tommy · 02-13-2007, 10:21 PM

^no it wont. Been tried, the paint with no matter what amount of flex+addehision promoter, it will flake off and not stick. Just ask Fredk, he tried it on his.

fredk · 02-13-2007, 10:28 PM

you can shoot them body color, but be warned they are anything but straight and smooth and the paint will come off them much easier than the metal car, you are much better off getting some 1 piece painted plastic bumpers and putting them on and shoot them instead of the rubber ones, i know because i painted mine and have seen some painted ones come into the shop

***HomeGrown*** · 02-14-2007, 11:17 AM

Is there really a difference in the base material used on the black vs. body color bumpers?

My bumpers look & feel more akin to plastic than rubber, and really don't feel any different than the Gen II painted bumpers I've looked at. I've used black bumper cleaner on mine, and I don't think anything could stick well to them. If your bumpers are in good shape, the end result will probably look better if you just try to clean them really well. This sounds like one of those projects that will detract from your car if not done professionally.

The black bumpers on my '90 wagon are beyond cleaning. They appear to have weatherd severely, and have taken on this almost sandpaper-like texture.

fredk · 02-14-2007, 12:37 PM

mine are rough too, paint looks the same way on them

Tommy · 02-14-2007, 03:04 PM

the black bumpers are definatly a rubber material. just run into something and scratch them and youll see its definatly rubber. the painted ones are more like newer cars with body color matched bumpers.

JetspeedCamry · 02-14-2007, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tommy

^no it wont. Been tried, the paint with no matter what amount of flex+addehision promoter, it will flake off and not stick. Just ask Fredk, he tried it on his.

Well it certainly will over here. The "black" bumpers are feel morelike hard plastic than rubber. And if you use a flex agent in the paint, and do it properly, it will work perfectly.

Tommy · 02-14-2007, 03:07 PM

coming from experience or theory? because we have 2 people with experience saying that it will turn out like crap.

talked to 2 body shops when I had my gen2 painted, both said the rubber bumpers (and they definatly are some sort of rubberized material) would not hold paint well, no matter what they did to it. both shops actually refused to even attempt it, or offer any warranty on it because of that.

aussie_gen1 · 02-14-2007, 07:39 PM

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...rticleID=11157

like the picture

scribby · 02-14-2007, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aussie_gen1

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...rticleID=11157

like the picture

Still aint seen any at 3 junk yards I've gone too.. I've seen some toyota camrys goin around town that have the bumper the same colour as the car, but none of them have been white..

Unless it would be alright to get a different colour apart from the rubber black ones and paint them?