Fix my bumper?

[Nil]

The plastic cowl that covers the front bumper of my 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis is broken underneath and the loose ends are dangling down and will surely get caught on something before long. I'd like to repair it before it gets worse.

What it used to look like:

What it looks like now (taken from below, looking up toward the radiator):

How can I fix this? the broken surfaces need to be strong against pulling-apart forces, so I guess simple glue or tape won't cut it. I was thinking of maybe drilling holes on each side and lacing the breaks together with wire or plastic zip ties. Appearance is unimportant, as this is underneath the car and not normally visible.

Any suggestions?

[Nil]

On 18 Mar 2018, Nil wrote in alt.home.repair:

This is a better picture - it shows the area below (parallel to the ground) that's broken. The front grill-like area is intact.

[trader_4]

I can't tell if a piece is missing or not. If not, I've used crazy glue for same kind of repair. What do you have to lose? If it comes apart again, yo u can try more complicated repair. If missing a piece find a piece of plas tic to bridge it, then crazy glue or fast epoxy.

[Nil]

On 18 Mar 2018, Oren wrote in alt.home.repair:

No, I haven't. I've used epoxy a couple of times for filling holes, but not for bonding. Do you think it would hold butted edges of plastic material like this against being pulled apart? Maybe a combination of that plus lacing them together would be good.

The bumpers sold at the site where I got those pictures from describe them as "plastic".

[Mike_Duffy]

Drill holes and use a large number of small tie-wraps.

[Nil]

On 18 Mar 2018, trader_4 wrote in alt.home.repair:

No, nothing's missing yet, which is why I'm eager to repair it before it gets worse and pieces start to fall off.

I like your idea or a plastic bridge. It should be something tough like the original material, as I think that area probably gets road debris thrown at it, and it gets scraped by things I might run over.

[Retired]

Drill holes and bridge with a piece of steel or hard plastic with nylon bolts & nuts thru the holes.

Or epoxy a piece of plastic bridging the break from behind, not just the edges of the break.

or both of the above ;-)

[Dean Hoffman]

T4's idea of bridging it would probably be best. Maybe use a plastic door sill along with epoxy? Brass or stainless screws? Wander around your local Ace Hardware. You'll get a moment of inspiration when you see something that would work.

[Vic Smith]

Any reason not to replace it with a non-broken boneyard part?

[Nil]

On 18 Mar 2018, Vic Smith wrote in alt.home.repair:

Besides that it would presumably cost me a lot more, I don't know where to get the part from, and I don't know how to install it, it's a very good idea.

I actually hadn't thought about it. I'll look into it. I have a Haynes manual - maybe that will give me a better feel for the difficulty.

Still, a little plastic, some epoxy, and some zip ties is bound to be cheap and effective.

[My 2 Cents]

Flex Tape !!!!!

let us know if it really works.....

[trader_4]

Just all the work and finding one that's the right color.

[trader_4]

Like I said, I'd go with crazy glue first. It worked fine for me. The advantage is that you only have to hold it for a couple mins and it sets up. As long as the surfaces mate back together cleanly, SG is very strong. If it's buggered up, pieces missing, can't align it right, then I'd go with epoxy. If that doesn't hold up, you can always go to the more involved repair.

[Vic Smith]

If the car is a beater, just do whatever works. You *might* encounter noise issues. Last week my son got a perfect bumper for his wife's '96 caddy at a boneyard for $50, but he's a mechanic, and is familar with doing it. Can't say you're on the wrong path.

[Clare Snyder]

Grab a few pieces of .030 aluminum sheet and a few stove bolts. match drill the aluminum, place one piece above and one piece below, drill the plastic and scsew it together. The joint will be stronger than the original part.

[rbowman]

If there is anything solid behind the plastic push pins might work:

There are a lot of different sizes but you'll be drilling you own holes so find one that suits. The best type has a protruding stem that you push in flush to lock the fastener. If you need to remove it, just push it in further to release.

[rbowman]

Theoretically you can weld many plastics with a hot air welder and filler from a similar material. Disclaimer: I never had much success with the technique.

[Clare Snyder]

It broke because some clown hit a parking curb once too often.

[Nil]

On 18 Mar 2018, rbowman wrote in alt.home.repair:

No, unfortunately, it's just like a lattice of plastic across open space. Above it is the area between the radiator and the front grille.

[Nil]

On 18 Mar 2018, Clare Snyder wrote in alt.home.repair:

I like this idea, too. Less messy than epoxy.