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It's amazing how strong the finished weld appears to be.
With a little heat from my heat gun,I was able to massage the bumper cracks back into their original position pretty well. The cracks almost disappear. I taped the front side with Aluminum tape to hold the position, and then ground a v-grove in the crack on the back side with a combination of a dremel and a mini die grinder. I sanded down around the area on both sides of the crack for about 1", and then used the welder per the video. It's really easy, almost like using a hot melt glue gun. Crack comes together on back side Aluminum tape is applied to front side- more tape to add here. Groove made in crack, sanded on each side Weld applied
Once the back side was done, flipped the bumper over and started on the front side, same process. On the front side, I had to sand down the finished weld flush with the bumper. I will need final sand, and then apply some flexible 2-part filler ( Polyvance 2000T) once it arrives. Crack prior to making the V-grove front side Weld material applied Weld sanded Down. Needs final sanding, then filler applied.
I'm awaiting the filler now. Will proceed to fix the other crack, and then will do more of the finish work. Due to some upcoming travel plans, next update will likely be early in November. I know you can't wait for the next installment....
Great work! I've had similar success using JB plastic weld. Most 'junked' bumpers are very repairable, though maybe not economically so for a professional shop
Well, been a while since I posted, so thought I would provide a final update. Got the parts back from paint. Not a great paint job, but lots of wet sanding, then cut and buff, brought it to an acceptable level. The repairs on the bumper are pretty good. From 3' away, it would be hard to detect where the cracks had been. If you get real close, you might see some slight variations in the surface where the filler was applied by an amateur (me). Overall, glad I undertook fixing it. Should enjoy driving for some time now.
One other thing, even with a salvage title, many of the specialty insurance companies will write another agreed upon value policy with restoration.
Since yours is not a salvage title, but now restored, consider raising the agreed upon value.
Note that you have an additional claim against the other driver irrespective of your own coverage for diminished value due to the insurance record. Your own policy might also include such coverage. Either way their reps or an attorney will be more than happy to explain the process.
A diminished value claim is indeed worth pursuing. I filed one when another driver hit me in August 2009, and again when another driver hit my wife in May 2014. I took my 2009 case to court when the other driver's insurance company offered me peanuts to settle. I served as my own attorney and won my case in less than 45 minutes of court time. The insurance company paid me in full within ten days. I did not have to take my wife's 2014 case to court because I successfully negotiated a settlement with the other driver's insurance company once they learned I had previously won my own diminished value case in court five years earlier ...
Well, been a while since I posted, so thought I would provide a final update. Got the parts back from paint. Not a great paint job, but lots of wet sanding, then cut and buff, brought it to an acceptable level. The repairs on the bumper are pretty good. From 3' away, it would be hard to detect where the cracks had been. If you get real close, you might see some slight variations in the surface where the filler was applied by an amateur (me). Overall, glad I undertook fixing it. Should enjoy driving for some time now.
Hi! Could you tell me how you straightened the hood back to normal?
Didn't even try. Bought a used hood at a local junk yard ( Blue), sanded the paint, fixed a few dings, and re-painted.
Thanks for responding. Just one other question. When you pulled out the pressed in dent on your front bumper cover, did you use a special tool to pull it back out or just use brute strength?
Thanks for responding. Just one other question. When you pulled out the pressed in dent on your front bumper cover, did you use a special tool to pull it back out or just use brute strength?
The bumper cover responded well to just a little heat, along with some manipulating. The plastic is a Thermo-set, so it has a memory that can be re-activated with some heat. Just be careful with the heat- not too much at any one time, or you can bubble up the paint. Any cracks, tears, etc should be plastic welded. I bought the kit on Ebay, and it worked out .
The bumper cover responded well to just a little heat, along with some manipulating. The plastic is a Thermo-set, so it has a memory that can be re-activated with some heat. Just be careful with the heat- not too much at any one time, or you can bubble up the paint. Any cracks, tears, etc should be plastic welded. I bought the kit on Ebay, and it worked out .
Reason I'm asking is I got into a fender bender two nights ago. A trailer hitch did the damage and bent it in just like yours except it didn't crack like yours on the edges. My car is a coupe like yours and same color. Would a hair dryer work and was the front bumper cover still attached to the car when you applied heat to it to pull the dent back out?
The bumper cover will probably straighten out with a little heat and pressure. A hair dryer may work, but you might need a little more heat than one can supply, so a heat gun might be needed. You can try the hair dryer first.
Unfortunately, I think your problems will go a little deeper. There is a metal bar that runs underneath the bumper cover in that area that supports the upper part of the cover, where it meets the hood. I believe yours is bent, as mine was, and will need straightening. (See post #16 above for a picture). As long as the bumper cover is bolted to that support, it will not straighten out, so you will need to remove the cover to fix the bar, and to straighten the cover.
The bumper cover will probably straighten out with a little heat and pressure. A hair dryer may work, but you might need a little more heat than one can supply, so a heat gun might be needed. You can try the hair dryer first.
Unfortunately, I think your problems will go a little deeper. There is a metal bar that runs underneath the bumper cover in that area that supports the upper part of the cover, where it meets the hood. I believe yours is bent, as mine was, and will need straightening. (See post #16 above for a picture). As long as the bumper cover is bolted to that support, it will not straighten out, so you will need to remove the cover to fix the bar, and to straighten the cover.
OK, thank you! I have a friend who owns a body shop and I'll take it to him to see about getting that bumper off Monday. I hope no tabs are broken on it. This is encouraging because I don't want to pay for another bumper cover. If mine can be saved I'll be happy. I'm also going to need a driver's side headlight. It's just dangling there in the recess and the headlamp washer is gone. I guess it fell in the street after the impact. So far I haven't seen any used headlights for sale with the washer attached.
The headlamp may be salvageable. Washer replacements are available. The light assembly is held in with one bolt from the top, one from the bottom, and one on the inner ( radiator) side). It's likely that the top and bottom nuts have sheared out of the housing, but can be repaired with epoxy. The inner bolt is mounted in a plastic mount that probably got sheared. Again, it can be fixed with epoxy if the parts are there, or the mounts are available as a replacement. Being a DIY kind of guy, I would try and fix before I just replaced, as expensive as they are.
There are a couple of guys parting XK8's in the Mall section. They might have some parts if you need them.
The headlamp may be salvageable. Washer replacements are available. The light assembly is held in with one bolt from the top, one from the bottom, and one on the inner ( radiator) side). It's likely that the top and bottom nuts have sheared out of the housing, but can be repaired with epoxy. The inner bolt is mounted in a plastic mount that probably got sheared. Again, it can be fixed with epoxy if the parts are there, or the mounts are available as a replacement. Being a DIY kind of guy, I would try and fix before I just replaced, as expensive as they are.
There are a couple of guys parting XK8's in the Mall section. They might have some parts if you need them.
Thanks for the info. Ok,I want you to have a look at my hood. It is slightly bowed upwards a bit. Do you think they can get it flush with the fenders again? The hood never impacted the vehicle itself.
Last edited by Jaguar XK8er; Dec 25, 2020 at 11:43 AM.
It may be OK. That does not look too bad, and does not look like the metal is bent. It's possible that just the hinges got bent, as they are sort of attached in the same area as that bar that goes across the front. Mine were bent. Again, they can be straightened, but used they were less than $50/pr, so worth replacing if bent. If it is just the hinges, then that is good news. Once you have the bumper cover off, it will reveal a lot.
It may be OK. That does not look too bad, and does not look like the metal is bent. It's possible that just the hinges got bent, as they are sort of attached in the same area as that bar that goes across the front. Mine were bent. Again, they can be straightened, but used they were less than $50/pr, so worth replacing if bent. If it is just the hinges, then that is good news. Once you have the bumper cover off, it will reveal a lot.
Ok, buddy! I appreciate all your info this morning. You've given me some peace of mind. I was devastated when I bumped the back of that Tahoe and saw the front end damage. Thought it was a lost cause and they'd want to total my car if I filed a claim. I'll update the car info to you when I find out more. Merry Christmas!
