Bought an AP2 bumper from someone, it's a darker silver than my SSM.

I plan to Sand, prime and paint it myself. I have never done body work but have the space, tools, patience and desire to learn (I am pretty good mechanically and would like to add bodywork to my skill set)

I tried to find a good diy but couldn't come up with anything.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

Dont waste your time. It wont match the car and you wont be happy. Just take it a good body shop and let them spary it for you. Should be able to just get the bumper sprayed for around $250 bucks

 

The prep depends on the condition of the bumper. If the OEM paint is cracked, then you would have to sand it to plastic in those areas. If it has "dents", deep scrapes, or cuts, there is a special filler used on plasic. If the OEM paint is in good contition but has rock chips, then don't sand it down. Just fill the chips with body filler and scuff the whole bumper as your new paint will stick to the OEM paint better it will to the raw plastic of the bumper. I don't know what your planning to use to paint with but be advised that rattlecan paint might be the right color but it is not the same as the paint sprayed from a paintgun. Regular autobody paint is much harder when it drys and will better withstand the abuse that paint on a front bumper sees. Getting a paint that matches is almost impossible. Most bodyshops would paint the bumper and then blend onto the hood and fenders so the color difference would be less noticeable. Since this is your first experience with body work, good luck................Your gonna need it.........

 

The body filler is called Spot Putty and is red in color. If you plan to do it right, sand the whole thing down and fill dents with the spot putty then prime it. Sand the primer down 1200 in steps. Shoot at least three coats of color with a paint gun or a custom spray can made by a paint shop. It kind of is a pretty straight forward thing...make sure no dust or debris is around where you are working, don't miss spots when sanding or painting. Biggest mistakes are done with the clear coat and the sanding/buffing of it. If you take too much off the clear when wet sanding/buffing you will notice it and it may burn to the color.

 

Sebring Silver or Silverstone? Silverstone is a tricky one to match and I would really recomend a shop do it otherwise you might spend the $$ on materials only to have a shop re do it... If you decide to do it yourself make sure to really clean the surface properly to avoid issues with adherence.. use a quality Primer Sealer after you scuff the paint to avoid any beedback issues which might cause fish eye in the finish. Keep your paint mixed well while applying the paint so you do not end up with spotty metallic too.

 

do not sand the primer to 1200, sand it to 600, at most.

 

Do you have a paint store in your area? They can take a pic and along with oem color code should be able to match the paint pretty good.

Can you post a pic? IMO if you have "spider cracks" I would let the body shop do it. Spider cracks a hard to get rid of.