TVR 350i bumper & spoiler - advice please

[briantvr350]

Guys,

I have a 1987 350i which clocked over 100,000 miles on the way to BBWF a couple of weeks ago..

The front bumper and spoiler have seen better days,(I could post some close-up pics if it helps.)I'm certain that both have been painted over at least couple of times, as some of the stone chips only break the first layer of paint. There are some stress cracks on the corners etc.

Both can be removed from the car to make the work a bit easier.

What can I do to make it tidy?

Strip off all the paint and start again?

Using what? Chemical (nitromors!), mechanical or elbow grease?

There are no short cuts in preparing obviously, but would I have to grind down ALL the area and repair with matting and resin or just concentrate on the cracks etc?

I can probably handle a can of aerosol primer enough to get it to primer stage, then get someone to put the top coat on.

Lastly, where can I obtain the correct quality materials for this sort of job, and how much shelf life does the resin/hardner have? Is it buy it just before you use it..

Or would I be much better letting a specialist give me a quote... Any recommendations in South/West Yorkshire appreciated.

Regards,

Brian (and a Red 350i)

[lanciachris]

Youd only need to grind out the cracks. Id let the bodyshop do the primer too - Aerosol coating will be too thin and the chances are itll not stand up to much punishment - the cost difference should be negligible as the labour intensive part is the prep, not the spraying

[leorest]

I would take it for a quote and tell them you want to do most of the prep work to save the money. Get them to tell you what to do and buy the materials from them if you can. Most important thing is to tell them to finish off the prep work to their satisfaction, otherwise they can just blow over a few coats of paint and blame the finish on your work! Stress cracks will need sorting correctly, if you don't want to see them back again, so take their advice on what to do. If you repair the cracks yourself then you obviously don't have any comeback if they re-appear
Leo