I have opened a can of worms

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hamsterhats

hamsterhats

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Bought my 71 dart a little over a month ago, she has been bad, but i love her. This being my first project, I thought that I would tinker a bit and have fun with it. I am having a blast, with the exception of one thing. I feel like i am going in reverse, everything that I fix and get just right, will ultimately have to be disassembled, removed and then put back in just right after paint. I made an executive decision late last week. She is going to the body shop this tuesday. I am having little rust holes patched, new trim and moldings, engine bay and body painted. I am painting her a dark slate metallic with satin black accents(bumble bee, scoops and grill) Has anyone had experience with painted bumpers? Just curious how it would look? I will have a running 318 up for sale to anyone with a reasonable offer. She is getting a 406 stroker, new wiring new interior and the whole suspension re done. All i wanted was to tinker, then I saw all of your cars. I hate you guys. ha ha
 
Painted bumpers would look really good. Make sure you paint them body color and not the black accent color. Don't forget to paint the bumper bolts too.
 
I personally don't like painted bumpers, but everybody has different tastes and it doesn't make one idea any better than another.
I know how you feel as far as one thing leading to another. I started out with a modest rebuild plan. A crap load of money and 2 1/2 years later I was done. LOL

Jack
 
I've went down the painted bumper route before and had trouble with them. The paint started chipping off... they wasn't prepped right. I didn't do the painting so I don't know what happened. Not saying you will have the problem. Eventually I bought new chrome bumpers for the car (68 Charger) and really liked the look much better than the painted. It was brought to my attention that painted bumpers is a indicator that the owner couldn't afford to re-chrome the bumpers (took the cheap way out)... I don't know if that's true but it was brought to my attention.
 
if i am going to have chrome trim, chrome bumpers might be the option. Any clue as to the cost of re chroming?
 
I went with painted bumpers for the lack of funds reason. Cost of re-chroming ( when I priced it locally ) was starting at $350 per bumper and goes up from there depending on how much they have to repair....
 
....a bunch of mopars I have seen lately have painted bunpers..I was going to post a question re this but you beat me to it..I had thought of that reason and you confirmed it..thanks..

When I repaint, I will have chrome bumpers..

Grassy
 
man, those bumpers are gonna be the killer, the chrome trim too! I may have to paint them due to funds, we will see what the estimate brings! Is anyone interested in the 318?
 
i will talk to the body guy and see how he would prep them, i will post his plans tomorrow.
 
I think the painted bumpers v. chrome bumpers is an age thing. I grew up with chrome, and my personal opinion is that painted bumpers on anything but a black car look like the guy who owns the car was too cheap to pay for the chrome job. On a black car, they look like something from a Mennonite community. Younger folk are more used to seeing bumpers painted body color, so they probably react differently.

I just got thru getting bumpers from Tri City Plating out of Tennesee. Spectacular job. The bumpers were $325 each, exchange, plus $90 to do the bumper guards. So then, if you want to chrome both bumpers and both sets of bumper guards, you'd better budget for about $830. I used the Bumper Boyz on my '47 Chrysler, and they did a nice job, but they have gotten at least as expensive as everybody else, plus they have gotten rather prickish to deal with, to be perfectly blunt, at the car shows, plus their prep work can be marginal, at times. When I did my 65, I used a local place, they quoted me 2 weeks turnaround, three months later I had to resort to threatening phone calls to get my bumpers returned to me. Mercifully, they're out of business now.

At Carlisle, I witnessed a guy come up to the Tri-City tent, tell the owner that he bought a bumper two years ago, didn't like the way it fit, had lost his receipt, and wanted another bumper. He was told to bring in the bumper and they would exchange it. No questions, no hassles, nothing. I was pretty impressed. Tri-City offers a lifetime warranty, Bumper Boyz is 2 years, as I recall.

If you want it:

Tri-City Plating
218 E Mill Street
Elizabethton, TN 37643
(800) 251-7536
www.tricityplating.com
 
Another thought on the painted bumpers is that chrome is extremely hard, and I am not sure how you would properly prep it for paint. Would you take it to a plater and have them strip it of the nickel and chrome already on it? Or is there an adhesion promoter that would work?
 
I second Tri-City... this was my second time sending them bumpers on two different cars and they was perfect everytime.
 
Coyote Jack said:
I personally don't like painted bumpers, but everybody has different tastes and it doesn't make one idea any better than another.
I know how you feel as far as one thing leading to another. I started out with a modest rebuild plan. A crap load of money and 2 1/2 years later I was done. LOL

Jack
Click to expand...

Only 2 1/2 years! LOL! Just painted my Duster after 4 years of work and now i have to put it all back together again!:-D
 
EvilScamp said:
Only 2 1/2 years! LOL! Just painted my Duster after 4 years of work and now i have to put it all back together again!:-D
Click to expand...

Wait?? Are they ever DONE?????????
 
I like painted bumpers on some cars... depending on what the are made out of anyway. Glass bumpers i would rather body color than silver or black, but the steel bumpers I would rechrome. Just my 2 cents. Looking forward to seeing the car!
 
a friend of mine just bought back bumper for 300 for his 73 duster i think from amd nice looking only time will tell weather chrome holds up
 
im still on the fence. I'm a young pup, all I know is painted bumpers!
 
i had the shock of a lifetime today, took to buddy's body shop for an estimate. The car to me, a noob, looked solid as can be, i was wrong. He went around it and pointed out about a million bondo spots. If i were to purchase the panels and hinges and trim etc... He told me that i should expect to spend about 10 g's. I said hell no, murder it out! It is getting a new washable flat black, smoked lenses, engine compartment and black wheels. To tell you the truth, I am very excited, subconsciously, this is what i wanted. Now i get to have fun with it, tinker and take my time with no expectations. I can breathe now!
 
Had a 76' AMC Hornet w/ painted bumpers. Bought it new. 3rd time I took it to car wash the paint peeled like a boiled egg. Dealer made it right but was always skiddish when washing it after that. The bumpers on it were plastic thou. Uglymailman
 
you guessed correct! Ohio, 71 dart. It has lived in indiana and cincinnati ohio all its life, poor girl!
 
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