[dutchfrompredator]

the plastic skin covering on my rear bumper is starting to get off the reservation. i guess from the sun, part of it has warped. see in the pic how it's pulling away from the bumper toward the tail gate? it's like a plastic wave...a plastic wave that rubs the tail gate whenever it's lowered and is wearing through paint.
can i just drill into it and secure it/fasten it down? is there anything inside the actual bumper within the shell i would damage?
it's just begging to accumulate moisture under it and looks weird. it has to go away. :twisted:

 

[q-rover]

Well like you said the plastic is just a skin, there is actually a
steel frame that is the same shape as the extrior. I can't remember
the specifics, but it isn't too difficult to remove.
Easiest with 2 people as it is quite heavy and awkward for 1 person to
handle.

 

[dutchfrompredator]

what i mean is after i remove it can i just bolt or rivet it back down after drilling a hole in it along with the bumper itself? unless i can just get the plastic shell online. maybe i'll look into that... :think:

 

[RRToadHall]

One thing to check is that it is properly aligned at eack wheel well. The slightest forward positioning will also result in a bow under the gate. One of these years I will refit mine for the same reason. :wink:

 

[big-t]

Sounds like it may be time to check the various boneyards for a good used one. It's been my experience that some moisture must have worked it's way in there and you're gettin some surface rust lifting it in spots. Rust never sleeps. :twisted:

 

[dutchfrompredator]

thank you toadhall and big t. both great points.
speaking of bumpers, i was at dunkin donuts getting coffee this morning and this salty little old guy was chillin in the parking lot in a well-used disco 2 having coffee and reading the paper. he had a an arb front bumper with with winch bgf at's. cool roof bars i didn't recognize... :clap: made my day.

 

[paul.adshead]

Removing/replacing the bumpers can quite easily be done by yourself. I took the rear off/on several times a few weeks back by myself with no problems (to sort out a trailer wiring issue). The biggest issue (with the rear bumper) is removing the screws/bolts that connect the mudguard/mudguard-brackets to the bumper - these have normally well rusted in and end up being destroyed during removal (or you have to drill them out).

The plastic bumper shell, is essentially 'glued on' to the steel underneath, using a 'yucky black tarry gunk' (= technical term). I'd guess that you could probably use more of the same to re-attach it - just leave it in the sun for a few hours to heat up and clamp it down to make sure it stays attached.


There are two bolts that hold each bumper on. The head on each bolt is a 'torx' fitting. To remove each bolt, you will need a special socket that is a 'female torx'. The designated size is "E14", something like:
http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/skt42614.html or
http://www.micro-tools.com/store/item_detail.aspx?ItemCode=77343

 

[dutchfrompredator]

thanks paul. i am blind sometimes i swear. i totally overlooked the blatant link about the exact problem i describe on the main site. thanks to those who replied and resisted the tempation to remind me i'm an imbecile. :doh: