Hi guys,
I'm looking at buying a KR Verada front bar, however the one I want seems to have a fair bit of damage (a nice punch into the side of the bar near the indicators, "toll bar damage" lol) anyway, I'm wondering how these things can be fixed... Is it a matter of reshaping the dent and fibreglassing then a repaint? The damn thing is in Chianti Red and I'm a blue. I guess I'd have to get the bar off to inspect the damage on it. Furthermore will a KR Verada bar fit a TR Magna? I've heard somewhere that they won't. Anyway, I'll get some pics soonish.

Hey Lucifer! I think you may need to plastic weld the bar before you putty it. Just so it doesn't flex and crack. No need for fibreglass. Bumpers are moulded out of talc filled polypropylene which is easily welded. I think in this bumper there are indicators in the front? You will obviously need to wire them up but from what I understand the mounting positions should be exactly the same. They usually make the mounting areas, guards and main metal work the same and just alter the bumper shape. Just compare carefully things like impact dampners (which attach to the metalwork behind the bumper and act as energy absorbers) radiator hosing and venting. That should be as easy as finding a Verada parked on the road and having a quick squiz under the front. Hope this helps :) .

This is the damage to it, note that I haven't purchased it yet. There is no tearing to the plastic, so I'm going to hairdryer it, sand etc... make it all flat... sexy. Even if I get it cheap, it'll be a good learning experience.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/z0mgluke/15022007435.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/z0mgluke/15022007434.jpg

Looks fixable to me. If you are doing it on your own, it would be a lot of experience gain from this one. Think it would be a good project for ya.

Thanks Nexus! Quick question, what do I do if some of the lugs are broken off? Do I simply fashion new ones? If so, how lol Metal replacement brackets screwed in (tiny screws... computer motherboard mount ones, self tappers?) Like I said, I'm a noob at this but I really want to give this a shot.

thats a nice whack to itlol

good luck with the project mate. show some pics when u start.

Thanks Nexus! Quick question, what do I do if some of the lugs are broken off? Do I simply fashion new ones? If so, how lol Metal replacement brackets screwed in (tiny screws... computer motherboard mount ones, self tappers?)
one little knock and those lugs break off... :doubt:

what I did was to drill holes thru the top cover until they reached the
little bracket behind, using some tube spacers behind where needed.

I used countersunk screws after countersinking the holes I drilled.

Bolt them up using threadlock, putty over the screwheads & repaint - all smooth again.

-> use stainless or bronze screws only

-> use special "bumper repair" putty, not normal bondo bog

Thanks Magnette, that's a real help to me :D *internets win for you* I have an idea... for me to straighten the bar out, can i use a clothes iron? Not my mother's obviously, she'll kill me. But theoretically it is hot and straight so it should push it back into shape pretty damn quickly. Pros and cons of this? The only con I can think of is that the paint will suffer, which i couldn't give a damn about honestly. Your thoughts?

A heat gun or even a hair dryer would cover a bigger area in one go. I'd try a heat gun first.

Rob

Excuse the question but shouldnt that verada have parras???

Excuse the question but shouldnt that verada have parras???

No, its a KR.

I say go for it son! Only thing i dislike about the kr bumpers is the damn length. They stick out a mile. Would be nice if you could get that front onto a magna bumper. :D

yeah why not have a good at fixing that front bar
i would leave it out in the sun for a couple of hours before pushing the dent back into place
then use a heat gun/hair dryer if you need some more heat

No, its a KR.

I say go for it son! Only thing i dislike about the kr bumpers is the damn length. They stick out a mile. Would be nice if you could get that front onto a magna bumper. :D
The length is what got me liking it, that and it looks 'tuff' lol And yes, the donor car is a KR Verada, lack of paras. KS Veradas have standard magna bars, which is kinda annoying. I'm just pleased I found one that is like 90% condition. I'm converting those lights on the bottom (parkers) to spotties too, nice high intensity bulbs and new covers for them.

Hi Lucifer, you could try a soldering iron to repair the small lugs, worked for me on a 1st Gen Magna, also use spare bumper material as a filler rod :)

to get a smooth finish use some auto spray putty and sand back. If there are holes or cracks, you can use a plastic repair kit, or you can make it urself using old bits of pp/abs plastic, breaking it down into shavings and adding a solvent to turn it into a paste.