Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Refinishing a bumper/ grill guard

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Refinishing a bumper/ grill guard

    After looking at the prices of new pickups here in Montana and getting knocked-over, I’m going to put some $ into my 01 RAM 2500. It’s been a great truck.

    I’ve been looking for a used heavy duty front bumper since everybody in this area of Montana has hit the idiot whitetails on the highways, and elk and moose accidents happen. A family of 4 hit a moose north of here, killing 1 snd hospitalizing the other 3.

    I found this bumper on Craigslist and met the seller at a Hone Depot. 2 1/2 hour drive north for me, same drive south for him.

    Let the project start.

    Picked it up today



    Somehow got it into my garage sliding/ dragging it solo across wood blocks.



    Looking a bit rough now.




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    #2
    Interested Bill, I have an 88 bronco with a monstrosity of a grill guard that I wanna redo. Will be following closely.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Comment


      #3
      My plan is to:

      - Bend/ hammer a few places back to original position
      - Remove rust with flap grinder
      - Prime
      - Roll on 2 costs of black Herculiner
      - Remove and Herculiner the chrome grill

      There are 2, 7” x 3” rectangles for fog/ driving lights. I’d like to find flush mount led driving lights instead of mounting on the L brackets behind the bumper.

      I may also put an led bar on it- and wire all the lights thru a relay to my high beams. That way when there’s an oncoming vehicle I can switch to low beams easily.

      I’ll pay a local mechanic who does a lot of diesel trucks to mount it. I’ve got a pair of 2” front leveling ‘pucks’ and I’ll have Joe install them and replace the front shocks. I can hear my wife ready about the height.

      To be continued.


      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

      Comment


        #4
        Sounds like a fun project. Don't forget to post pics of the truck before the new bumper . . .

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by TxHamJello View Post
          Sounds like a fun project. Don't forget to post pics of the truck before the new bumper . . .

          Here it is. It’s the middle of the Montana winter. A new, shiny one with a heated steering wheel and seats would be nice.




          Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

          Comment


            #6
            If you havent bought the roll on For the cost of the Herculiner you could get the raptor loner in spray cans and it would hold up better. The two times I’ve used herculiner it’s chipped and peeled after a couple of years, raptor liner on an old 4wheeler has been going strong for 5 yrs and get pressure washed often.

            Comment


              #7
              I don’t know what that stuff cost or what it would cost to get it powder coated up there in the great white north, but I got my full replacement professionally stripped and powder coated for $250 down here and it looks awesome. It’s been holding up really well. Just a thought!

              Comment


                #8
                Both good ideas, thanks.


                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                Comment


                  #9
                  I’ve never had to good of luck with Herculiner. I’ve had Monstaliner on some items for 5+ years and it’s held up well…may check it out as well for your bed liner.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I put Herculiner in 2 pickup beds. The first had sone peeling in a high wear area. The second has not peeled or flaked at all.

                    I was at the local Napa and spoke with a fellow who works there, who’s helped me in the past. He said his experience is if the surface is prep’d correctly, it works well. Any grease or oil and it has problems.

                    I appreciate all the comments. I finished a repair on my cattle gate opener today, so the bumper should be next- subject to any honeydos.


                    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Refinishing a bumper/ grill guard

                      Got going on the project today. I realized the red was not rust- for the most part, but the red primer where the black paint had been worn/ scraped off. I used a brass wheel on a drill to clean that up and wiped down with Xylol/ xylene on a rag.

                      I got 1 good coat of Ace HW Rust Stop primer on the bumper. I’m not sure if a second can/coat will do anything for me. But I already bought it.

                      It looks better already.











                      There ain’t no sense in washing trucks here in the winter- it would look like this in a week or 2. The full moon is rising over the Tobacco Roots mountains.




                      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                      Last edited by Bill; 01-16-2022, 05:46 PM.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        1 quart of Herculiner later.

                        Points to share:
                        - it stinks. My workshop was 47 and I kept a door open and the roll up 2’ up. If it were Texas-style heat it would have been ugly. Now I closed doors raised the heater to get it above 60 to help it dry. I’m sure it will stink in the morning.

                        - I tried using a texturing roller. Big mistake. As I rolled it sprayed black coating everywhere. I used an old bristle paint brush instead to get in corners and more dabbed it on.

                        - Keep stirring it so the crumbled tires or whatever give it texture stays in solution.

                        - it does thicken in the pan, I added a little xylene (xylol) to thin and stirred it up. Seemed to go on better.

                        - Xylene is great to clean up. I wore nitrile work gloves and it still got on my hands.

                        - 1 quart did the bumper, with a little left over. Herculiner recommends 2 coats for a bed liner, I’ll have to see how well 1 covered when it’s dry.








                        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Turning out real nice

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Refinishing a bumper/ grill guard

                            Thanks. 1 coat covered well. Since I’m not going to drag things on it like a truck bed, I think 1-coat is ok.

                            Next ordering some led combo spot/ wide area driving lights to mount while it’s still easy to get to the back.

                            What I want is for the lights to go on/off when my high beams are on/off, unlike fog lights connected with the low beams. I wonder if I can splice into a high beam wire to power, or splice into a relay and run a separate 12v and a deducated fuse.


                            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                            Last edited by Bill; 01-20-2022, 03:19 PM.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              looks good

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X