Dodge Challenger Bumper Repair

A large section under the grille opening of this Dodge Challenger front bumper cover was broken in a collision. Notice that the bumper is bright yellow; an exceptionally difficult color to match. If we replace this bumper, it is likely that the paint we mix wouldn’t match.

If we repair this bumper, we can blend the color in the panel to avoid having to do so on the fenders and hood. Fortunately, damage such as this provides an easy repair opportunity using tools and supplies from Polyvance.

Check out our Welding Rod List to pick out the perfect welding rod for your project. If you aren't sure which rod you need, visit our Plastic Identification page.

Always wear proper safety gear while working!

Let us know your thoughts on this video by leaving a comment on YouTube!
Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F2pK_GpIro

Products Used:

Note: This is a list of the Polyvance products that can be used to make this repair. This list does not include sanders, grinders, or other common tools you will need. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call technical support at 800-633-3047.

• 6204 Hot Spot Cordless Rechargable Plastic Stapler
• Aluminum Body Tape (several options available)
• Nitrogen Plastic Welder (several options available)
• Polypropylene Welding Rod(several sizes/colors available).
  Note: We used polypropylene here because of the identification symbol. Choose the rod that matches the plastic you need for your repair.
• 6145 Hand Seamer

Video Notes:

• The yellow 6203 Hot Spot Stapler shown in the video has been discontinued. It has been replaced by the 6204 Hot Spot Stapler.
• English Closed Captions have been provided for this video. Click on the CC button to turn them on or off.
• The length of this video is in no way representative of the actual time required to perform a complete repair and therefore should not be used for estimating purposes.

English Transcript:

The length of this video is in no way indicative of the amount of time it takes to perform this procedure. It should therefore not be used for estimating purposes.

A large section under the grille opening of this Dodge Challenger front bumper cover was broken in a collision. Notice that the bumper is bright yellow, which is an exceptionally difficult color to match. If we repair this bumper, we can blend the color in the panel to avoid having to do so on the fenders and the hood.

After cleaning the plastic, staple the back side using Polyvance's 6203 Hot Spot Cordless Plastic Stapler then apply aluminum tape over the staples to prevent plastic from melting through the crack. For this repair we will be performing a front side weld first.

Grind a V-groove along the crack using a rotary tool. Weld a pass of polypropylene along the V-groove using R02-01 welding rod then another using R02-07 ribbon. Smooth using the airless plastic welder. It's possible that it could fall subject to sagging around the weld due to pressure and weight. If this is the case, you might want to push upward on the weld with a gloved hand and then force cool with clean compressed air. Repeat this process on the opposite side.

Remove the aluminum tape and staples from the underside of the first weld. Then grind V-grooves and weld the underside just as you had on top. Again, the weld may begin to sag slightly, and the type of sag can vary from one repair to the next. Here we used a razor knife to push up an area that was slightly out of line.

Finish the underside weld by capping the crack with a "T" for additional structural support. Use R02-08 ninety-degree corner welding rod to reinforce the flanges as you see us doing here. Then repeat this underside repair on the opposite end.

If at any point you find that the flanges need to be flattened due to misshapen plastic or excess welding rod, you may use a hand seamer to do so, as we did here. If that situation arises, you might want to apply an additional pass of plastic after using the seamer.

After the welds have cooled completely, use a rotary tool to scuff the weld area on the front and then feather using 80 grit sandpaper on a DA sander. Continue by hand before finishing with 120 grit sandpaper on a DA sander. Repeat this process on both ends of the front side. This bumper is now ready to be primed and painted. This type of repair might seem intimidating, but the ability to do so opens up endless opportunities for the body shop technician to profit.

Look to Polyvance for all of your plastic repair product and training needs. We offer I-CAR Industry Training Alliance courses as well as other hands-on classes in addition to the video resources you can find on our website and on our YouTube channel.