Bumper repair?

[accord83]

I am sick of looking at this dent



Unable to find a good (cheap) bumper in G.B. I have figured out it is a box section behind the plastic, I have a Honda workshop manual and removal looks very easy, how bad is it to straighten these things, I assume cutting an access hole and a 'kin big hammer, has any one done this? John

[DBMaster]

I was able to get a similar spot out of my front bumper by heating the heck out of the plastic with a hair dryer. I had the bumper cover removed and applied the heat to the back side of the plastic. A heat gun would be better, though, as I burned out the hair dryer. My car was less than two years old at the time. Wouldn't hurt to try it.

[accord83]

I had been told about this trick, but the dent is in the steel box section the plastic covers, does the plastic 'spring back' and leave a pocket between it and the box section? If not it's "HAMMER TIME!" This is a GB spec rigid mount bumper, my shop manual shows CDN spec having shock absorbing mounts. Don't know about US spec as not mentioned. John

[2ndGenGuy]

I'm pretty sure the US models are sorta spring loaded so they'll bounce back. I thought that was the justification for them using the 3 piece bumpers on the 82-83 models. So that if they get hit, they'll slide into the car, and spring back out.

You're going to have a hard time with that bumper getting that dent out and making it look right. The weird ass plastic / rubber material they use isn't easily workable, and it's probably stretched out from the impact. Even if you pop out the dent, I think you'll still see damage there. If you can get it smooth, maybe painting the whole thing with some good adhesion promoter underneath the paint will get it looking right...

I'd say worst case, give it a try repairing it. Worst case, it will still be damaged somewhat, and you'll still need to get a new bumper. But I'd consider looking for another bumper. It sounds like you guys in the UK have a worse time finding parts than we do in the US.

[accord83]

Unfortunately scrap cars can fetch up to £130 ($250?US) here at the moment, and those Hondas from the 70's&80's are either in good order, or a pile of ferrous oxide held together by the wiring which are then scrapped. I have been showing my car this year and the initial reaction is, 'That's an Accord, it's not a classic car' then you roll up and ask the organisers when they last saw one. It is a slow conversion on the conservative show scene. I recently won best 1980's car at a show, the commentator was stunned, but the judge stated as an unrestored car with the weird Hondamatic box, it was the rarest and best in the class, (mainly Fords) I got a real fake wood plaque to prove it! John

[DBMaster]

The repair technique I mentioned probably would not provide satisfactory results. The 3G bumper "absorbs shock" through a piece of closed cell foam (like computer packing material - seriously) and a spot welded steel box frame that can collapse laterally or crush horizontally. It has proved to be surprisingly resilient. I took my bumper cover to a Honda body shop to paint it after I got the ding out. About 15 years later the paint started cracking. I guess they didn't use enough flex agent.

[2ndGenGuy]

Hondas really get no respect anywhere. I really don't understand it. :-/

[OldSkoolA20accord]

Hondas really get no respect anywhere. I really don't understand it. :-/

i dont understand it either. i think older hondas are better built than newer hondas.. i have an 88 accord dx with 240k used as a daily all its life and doesnt have one wear spot in the seat. my friend has a 2002 civic and he had to replace the seat.


in my opinion older accords are the way to go.

[accord83]

I have just spent a happy? afternoon on this dent, first my new airsaw seized due to some sort of transit wax. Fixed with WD40, then having cut a small inspection hole (x2 due to double box construction) I beat the crap out of the dent with a body dolly and 4lb hammer. Nothing moved (it kept springing back). The only way I would be able to fix it would be to knock it outwards then bang it back, which would knacker the plastic coating, I think I'll live with it until I source another bumper. Bloody Hondas, the bumper is like a Landrover, why couldn't it have been built crappy like a Ford John.

[DBMaster]

The US Fords from the 80's and 90's (not sure if they still do it this way) used some sort of hard plastic for the bumpers. I had a 93 Escort that was my ex-wife's car for nine years. The paint holds up very nicely on it, but if you so much as bump something the plastic breaks or cracks. I think I will take Honda's bumpers over that.