Hi Everyone...
A recent snafu at a "big box parking lot " with a "concrete stop" with and Iron tie rod sticking up too high damaged the front left hand underside of my bumper. So now I'm trying to figure a way to fix it. See attached pic here..


Does anyone out there have any idea how to do this.... ? I can't seem to source a replacement bumper for my 1997 XJ6 (X300)... I have not seen any posted on eBay

Thanks
BigBoss in Dallas TX

1997 XJ6 (X300)

 

Hi Boss,


Re-Bar sticking up out of a concrete parking curb? My wife did that to her 05 S-Type at a Dollar-General in Mexico Beach, FL. Damage wasn't as visible, though - mostly broke the fascia attachments and inner wheel liner. I patched it up with washers, shims and doublers. If you have the missing pieces, you may be able to glass them in place from behind, then repaint.

 

Hi
Thanks for the reply.. unfortunately I don't have the missing piece.... So I need to find a way to fill in the missing part.
BigBossRadio in Dalllas

 

If you have enough patience, then get yourself a piece of rather soft (but not rubbery soft) plastic, cut it to the right size, glue from behind, then use some plastic filler to patch up the area, then sand and smooth, plastic primer and paint... Any more questions, give me a shout!

 

I may know someone local to me that might have a bumper from some cars he's parting out. Just not sure on shipping though...
Can get you more details if interested

 

I did a repair many years back on a plastic bumper and used a piece of fine aluminium mesh to fill the missing piece. It was easily formed and cut and then stuck in place from behind, using filler. When it was set hard, I built up layers of filler, sanded, filled, sanded, etc. Primed and painted, perfect job.

Have a few pics, which I can post once I find them, although I may have posted them before. Search my posts and you might find them.

 

I can wholly endorse sogood's fix. Having done several repairs on such "plastics" over the years, I've also found that aluminium mesh works best as a base and provides the strongest repair. Fillers will also key more effectively to the mesh which becomes embedded (much the same principal as steel reinforcement mesh used for strengthening concrete) and reduce the likelihood of filler separating from it over time.

 

Hi to everyone who replied.
THANKS for all the great advice... It looks like the solution will be a backing mesh and lots of filler.......

I am amazed at the number of responses I have received. What a great site.
I would like to know a little more detail on what type of mesh and materials I should use. If any of you have any recommendations I would love to hear them..

Thanks again
BigBoss In Dallas TX

 

Hi
Thanks for the great advice... I see you are in Ireland... I'm from Waterford many years ago. Can you remember what type of mesh and filler you used you used.
Thanks
BigBossRadio in Dallas, TX

 

if you are in the US, there are tons of those parts being thrown out to the junk, if not they also sell new ones or used ones.

 

If you wish not to buy another use one best is to send it to a mold maker, those company deals with fiber glass or carbon fiber , save yourself a ton of headache,

 

I have a few 1997 XJ6 cars on ebay under watching if you want there info? they are parting out the whole car? let me know

jake

 

Any good motor parts shop should have repair kits as described. The mesh is a fine aluminium "expanded metal" type of construction and normal body filler will do, but there I also a plastic type filler with more flex available. Usually used in fibreglass boat repairs. When painting, use a plastic primer (sometimes clear ) as opposed to the normal grey primer.

The attached pics just show "before and after", but I had to remove the bumper and then the cover to do the repair, as the damage was inaccessible. In your case, as mentioned elsewhere, leave the bumper in place. Much simpler and less likelihood of flexing and damage when refitting. Hope this helps.

 

Hi Sogood
THanks for the reply, I like the job you did, nice work. I am going to pursue your course of action but I think it will be easier to just take off the bumper and do the work in the garage. Now If I could only figure out to take it off I'd be set.

I see you are in Ireland..... I grew up in Waterford and Dublin..... Happy St Patrick's Day.....

Big Boss in Dallas, TX

 

Taking the bumper off can be fraught with problems as covered in numerous posts here. Do a search and you will see what's involved and the potential pitfalls. Looking at your repair, doing it in situ would be the much easier option. Taking the bumper off entails unplugging the spot/fog lights and you will find the plugs up inside the front bumper, in behind the lights themselves. You may have to remove the splash guard, which I suspect you don't have. They are a prime target for damage and eventual destruction! Likewise disconnect the indicators. You will also have to disconnect ant water hoses if you have headlamp washers. The bumper itself is held in place with two 19mm bolts that go up through the bumper mounts. You will find these on the underside of the bumper on each side of the licence plate. This is where the fun starts, due to corrosion in the mounts, as they incorporate steel bolts, running through an alloy tube, into a brass captive nut, receded into the top of the bumper, beneath the chrome strip. The bolts tend to seize inside the alloy tube section and they in turn can simply disintegrate. All going well though, the bumper should slide forward and off the guides on either side, just in front of the wheel arches. An extra pair of hands won't go astray and maybe place a blanket or something similar on the ground, beneath the bumper, to save any damage if it drops unexpectedly.Best of luck with it either way. Build up the filler in layers, as with the paint. The aerosols of Jaguar colour are water based and so tend to be quite thin as opposed to the older cellulose paints, so it tends to run if you apply too much. Just a light mist, repeated and leave it for a day or two to harden before applying lacquer.

And yes, Happy St. Patricks' Day to one and all from the beautiful Kingdom of Kerry.

 

Hi Sogood
Thanks for the great write up on "Front Bumper Removal" . That's exactly what I needed. The detail will really help. As for the 19 mm bumper retaining bolts I will be extra careful removing them. Since it's very dry and a low relative humidity here in Dallas, I may get lucky there. You are right about the splash guard... It bought it ages ago.... resulting in breakage to the windscreen washer bottle.....

Thank you also for the paint info.

well I'll keep you posted..
So where in Kerry are you?
Thanks again for taking the time.
Maurice in Dallas

 

Be aware, that sometimes the retaining bolts will turn, but won't come out, as the "captive" brass nut mentioned, simply becomes "uncaptive" and just turns, if you know what I mean.

As for my location, I'm in Kenmare. A lovely spot, right on the bay, just off the Ring of Kerry, with lots of great drives. Over the Caha Pass to Glengarriff, or out to Sneem up along one side of the bay, then there's the opposite side, out along the Beara Peninsula, or simply over Molls Gap down to Killarney, via the National Park. I just look for excuses to take a drive!

Best of luck with the bumper and do keep us posted. Incidentally, I came across a generic Jaguar red that is a very good match on my car. It's a cellulose paint and much easier to apply and fine for slightly out of the way places, but still, hard to tell the difference. So, don't be afraid to experiment!

 

Thanks again....... I'm checking it out now....... Have the car in the garage..... It's a nice sunny day......

I dated a girl from Sneem a long time ago.......

Just to report... The retaining bolts came out without a hitch........ no corrosion
and the bumper is sliding forward...
I unplugged the Light assembly connections on either side and the bumper came off.. It's on the shop floor now.....

Next comes the fun part ... Fixing and filling in the broken piece........

Thanks of the help.....
I have taken pics which I will post later.

BigBoss In Dallas

 

Hi everyone
Just a quick update... I removed the bumper, thanks to the assistance and advice for Sogood.....
The process was not too difficult......

Since then I got a hold of Bondo wire mesh and formed and shaped a backing piece.... The using Bondo body filler I built up a number of layers sanding between each till iour was level with the surrounding bumper....... I sanded out using 30 grit followed by 60 the 120 to 220 grit. to make the contour between the bottom and the front leading edge I used a piece of plastic to guide the line. I then applied another layer of filler to get the line just right....... I then sanded with 220 and spread Bondo glaze putty very thinly .... Followed by 220 grit and 360 to make the final shape...........

I have just finished applying a number or Sandable primer coats and get ready for pinal painting..........

Thanks for all the help... I will post pictures in the AM... Too tired now.......

BigBossRadio In Dallas TX

 

Woo hoo! Glad you're making such great progress and yes, it's important to sand the primer! Feel it before and after and it's surprising how coarse and "hairy" it can feel prior to sanding. Wipe down well with tac cloth to remove any residue, dust, etc. and mask everywhere! It's surprising how an invisible mist of paint can travel and only becomes obvious after it has dried!

Keep up the good work and thanks for the thanks!