Can this hole be filled

[ILikeCake]

Three years ago I took the bumper off my MK1 mx5 to smarten in up. I then had kids. There has been zero progress on bumper since.

Bumper has a large hole where fog light used to be (now wired to rear centre brake light). Can this be filled? If so what is the best product/method?

[steveo3002]

yes , plastic weld or 2 part plastic glue + plus a square of scrap bumper

[ILikeCake]

Thanks. I'd prob prefer plastic glue as I don't have a plastic welder and my garage is a graveyard of one-off tools.

So glue a scrap piece in and the sand down? Better with a mesh backer or anything?

[ZedLeg]

What I would do is glue a patch that’s bigger than the hole in from inside the bumper, then use a skim of filler to smooth it at the front.

[Mr Squarekins]

ZedLeg said:

What I would do is glue a patch that’s bigger than the hole in from inside the bumper, then use a skim of filler to smooth it at the front.

Yup, a dodle.

[Doofus]

This is what fibreglass is for, surely?

£10 and 1 hour.

[dhutch]

Doofus said:

This is what fibreglass is for, surely?

£10 and 1 hour.

Lots of bumpers are very low surface energy plastics, so polyester or acrylic resins won't stick, and then will be far to stiff and not flex with the rest of the bumper.

Hence better to weld (heat or chemically) a piece of similar material in.

[V8covin]

ILikeCake said:

Thanks. I'd prob prefer plastic glue as I don't have a plastic welder and my garage is a graveyard of one-off tools.

So glue a scrap piece in and the sand down? Better with a mesh backer or anything?

A soldering iron with a flat tip will work

[SAS Tom]

I’d just buy another bumper. MX5 bits are cheap and it won’t look crap.

[jeff666]

Noodles and superglue,

Only a few will get it.

[Doofus]

dhutch said:

Doofus said:

This is what fibreglass is for, surely?

£10 and 1 hour.

Lots of bumpers are very low surface energy plastics, so polyester or acrylic resins won't stick, and then will be far to stiff and not flex with the rest of the bumper.

Hence better to weld (heat or chemically) a piece of similar material in.

It's a relatively small hole. How much does it need to flex?

[dhutch]

jeff666 said:

Noodles and superglue,

Only a few will get it.

Very good, very nice.

[dhutch]

Doofus said:

It's a relatively small hole. How much does it need to flex?

As much as the rest of the bumper ideally. The hole is as big as a fist!

[steveo3002]

fibre glass wont stick well to that plastic so it would just be sitting there and next time its flexed it will crack /fall off

why spend ££ on the wrong product when theres proper glues made to work well on the bumpers

[Belle427]

A bumper probably in the same colour will cost your around £30, I’d do that.

[glennjamin]

Ebay or local scrap yard would be easier..