Paint people, please help me out with some general paint info.

I have several cars with bumpers that need refinished. One bumper has some deep scratches down into the urethane. One bumper has an area with slight spider web cracking. One bumper has the finish "rubbed" off down to the bare urethane in several spots, but with no scratches in the plastic.

After cleaning, dewaxing and sanding, what filler should I use for the scratches, nicks or other imperfections? Is lacquer-based spot putty OK for the very shallow scratches? I understand there are urethane bumper repair kits available, but does this stuff sand and feather well enough for finish work?

What about primer? Since the spots that require attention are actually pretty small, I would really perfer to use rattle-can primer (can't really justify buying a quart and mixing if its not really necessary). Dupli-color has a high-build primer that just may be enough for the deep scratches. I'm only guessing this is lacquer-based. Is this stuff OK?

Any recommendations for paint? I expect to use BC/CC and refinish the entire bumpers so blending is not a issue. Any recommendations for color matching? The other paint on these cars is in very good shape so fading shouldn't be a problem either.

I know these questions have been cover before, but finding anything with the search is typically a challange. Links to these topics would be very much appreciated.

Regards,

Mark

funny you should ask... LoL... I JUST refinished my front bumper today on my 86SE...

I used a product by Bondo ... comes in a tube... the exact name escapes me... I wanna say "Gel Finish" or something similar... comes in an ugly orange packaging... you'll know it when you see it...

worked like a CHARM for me on some deep gouges and pitting I had on my bumper.... applied it in a few medium coats (suggests using only thin coats.... I gave it a little extra drying time)... I did a very sloppy job with a plastic putty knife just making sure I had the entire area filled... then sanded it down using 400 grit dry.... I sanded pretty heavy around the spiderwebbing and lower front end.... I probably could have (should have?) sanded more.... but the final product I used hid any sanding imperfections....tack-clothed it... then hit it with Dupli-Color sandable primer.... HEAVY... I used almost 2 cans on the front bumper alone.... went heavy on it to fill up some spider webbing I had.... I ALMOST went with the heavy build primer your talking about, and in retrospect it might have been better for what I needed.... but the final coating I used is a product I picked up at Pep Boys.... its called Pro Color Bumper and Trim coating... another rattle can product.... (pro-something anyways... not positive... long day, I'm tired and have huffed alot of fumes today LoL).... it does NOT match the black color of my Fiero... but that was completely ok.... it ends up looking VERY stock late model bumper.... that sorta textured satiny/light gloss look you see on alot of SUV bumpers (best I can liken it too anyways)....

Anyways, it wound up looking very good to me.... again, the bumper does not have the gloss the rest of my paint does, but I like it and my bumper was ATROCIOUS... stained with wax spills, faded all to hell, spiderwebbing and pitting.... the spiderwebbing is completely gone... pitting is gone (mostly, some areas I didn't fill as well as I could have, but barely noticeable... my fault, not the product).... all told, I'm very happy with how it turned out....

The beauty in the Bumper/Trim coating I used is... due to the very light texture it hides alot.... so if you don't sand as well as you should, it will hide those spiderwebs for you... I don't know much about pro paining/mixing and gunning.... I'm a rattle can commando due to lack of tools and knowledge.... but like I said, I think it looks very very good, and stock.... which is a nice addition... cuz instead of looking like I touched something up and having it not look like it belongs on the car.... it looks like it came that way, and compliments well wit the rest of the car....

thats how I went... you sound like your more intersted in matching it back to the paint and whatnot... so I'm not sure how helpfull this will be... but thats my experience!

Good luck to ya!

bump

The flexible filler is ok for deeper cuts and scrapes but it really dont feather edge well into the OEM material. Spider webbing has to be sanded down to at least the factory primer. I wouldnt recommend rattle can primer. Its way to thin to get any buildup and lots of them react baddly with the finish paint. Laquer spot putty is ok for small imperfections, but allow a couple of days for it to completely cure or it will shrink after its painted. I prefer to fill it with primer and sanding till its filled. ONLY use the minimum amount of primer needed to prepare it, and no more than 3 base and 3 clearcoats...all in order to help prevent cracking it again when its struck. I dont use any kind of flex additive and havent for 30 years. New paint is very flexible on its own, and it (additive) evaporates out of the paint within a few days anyway.