how best to re-attach front bumper rubber?

[davidewanprice]

Hi people,

This is my first post in some time, sorry, the last 6 months have been rather horrible and very crazy however finally I hope to have time to do "Matra stuff again"..

So my first job is to look at the rubber on the front bumper of my car, its looked loose for some time, small gaps here and there between the rubber and the bodywork, so much so that moss started to grow in the gaps.. Well it now seems to have fallen off over the winter at one end and I'd like to know how best to re-attach it. Any of you guys done it, if so what method works best...

Thanks in advance

David

[JL]

Hi David

Front bumper off and replace the rivets, that is unless the steel insert in the rubber has corroded away in which case you will need to replace it or if the corrosion is only around the rivet holes you could carefully drill new holes in both the bumper and the metal strip.

Good luck
John

[Jon Weywadt]

Originally there is a steel insert that is pop riveted to the fiberglass. If you don't have the insert then there is a kind of double sided tape specifically for attaching moulding to cars. It allows you to remove and reposition the moulding until you get it straight. The glue hardens over a day or so, after which it does not come off.
I will find out where I got it and post. But that will take a couple of weeks till I'm back. Perhaps others on the forum know where to get the tape.

[suffolkpete]

I assume that you mean the rubber that goes over the top of the nosecone.  I used this product for mine http://www.frost.co.uk/automotive-interior-trim-tools/double-sided-tape.html For the actual bumpers, I would stick (no pun intended!) to the metal inserts, I don't believe tape is strong enough.

[JL]

Double sided tape is brilliant for the rubber over the top of the nosecone but make sure that both the rubber strip and the fibreglass are meticulously clean.

Regards
John

[uberprutser]

The front rubber is riveted but I found it easier to use a small bold at both end points.  You might need to grind down the head of the bold a little. Heat up the rubber in the bathtub before mounting, use some Vaseline for lubrication and keep a hot air gun handy.
The Vaseline will also help with corrosion prevention of the metal strip. My metal strip was corroded so I had it re-galvanized.

[GP]

Lots of good advice already.  Here’s mine which was only done this weekend.

The rubber strip at the top use as mentioned the double sided trim tape. All old tape and sticky stuff can be removed fairly easily using an "adhesive remover" available in 1 litre cans from a car paint shop. Prior to applying the tape to the rubber and the body work use "panel wipe" also available from car paint shops in 1 litre cans.

For the front bumper rubber (which is the one in question)  I used shortened 4mm stainless steel rivnuts riveted onto the galvanised strip with the thread facing forward (Qty. x 10 in total mounted equidistant), so that they fit inside the groove of the bumper rubber with clearance for it to slide over. I simply ground the rivnuts down on a bench grinder by a couple of millimetre by hand.

If your holes do not line up already some careful marking out will be required for drilling the nose cone holes. I had someone hold the galvanised strip in position with some packing taped to it and drilled through the inside of the rivnut from the outside to mark the holes in the body work. The holes in the body work were then expanded to 7mm. dia. for some clearance.

The rubber was then put in a hot bath as mentioned before and with the use of vaseline on the galvanised strip and washing up liquid in my case on the rubber, everything was then slid together. As I was on my own I held the strip in a vice at one end with a bit sticking out. The rubber was then slid over this portion. I moved the strip along in the vice and continued the process with some bending and wobbling of the rubber along the way....

I then fastened the bumper rubber assembly using A2 Stainless Steel M4 x 20mm  dome head cap screws (Pozidrive probably better) with a rubber washer and a large stainless steel washer underneath the head from inside the body work. NB: Some Copper Slip grease was also applied to the threads.

Quite time consuming I accept, but it gives a good result which is easily removed if required. You can also adjust the bumper rubber up and down with the 7mm. dia. clearance hole and also the profile shape by tightening or slackening the screws. All impossible with the normal rivet assembly.

See pictures. The bolt end showing is for the corner trim.

GP

[klumzer]

Nice idea!
And thanks for the photos.

[GP]

And just done the rear bumper strip, using 15mm length bolts this time as 20mm length bolts start pushing on the rubber making it lumpy.

GP

Have you refitted yours yet David?

[davidewanprice]

Thanks for all the advise, I'm looking to follow GP's method in the next week or so but life pretty crazy. I've had my mind on other things, namely working on my basement, removing what thought was old plaster board only to find its asbestos. Now I know what it is I can carefully get rid but it's not nice stuff...