[mrennie]

I think the biggest issue with a repair service would be getting the bumper shipped and returned without damage, and at high cost. Unless the plan was to drop the vehicle off?

One nice thing about having the whole car is the ability to build up the sides and top with repair material to completely match the body line of the car.

I agree it is very labour intensive. I'm sure I have well over 100 hours in mine from time I blasted to paint.

They suck to restore but look awesome when done!

[n20ta2]

You could do a generic repair service and get the bumper square and cracks repaired but it would be impossible to get the bumper to fit nicely to the car without having the assembled car at hand to fit it to. These bumpers didn't fit well when new and had to be tweaked by the factory. I had to contour my sides and side peaks to get a good fit. I haven't heard anything much on these new bumper options but in the very least I'm sure they will need some attention to get them to fit properly and more then likely some spi epoxy for adhesion.Hopefully there not like the 69 fenders that need major surgery to fit properly. I would be interested to see how they fit and look. If you go that route be sure to post what you find!

[roger1]

I just finished spraying my bumper today. It's SPI Dark Red base and their Universal Clear. I can call this Matador Red since that's what SPI based their Dark Red formula on. SPI Universal Clear is a flexible clear so no flex agent is necessary using on an Endura bumper.





This was my final fit before disassembling for paint:



After blasting the bumper, I started off with 4 coats of SPI epoxy primer. I then installed back on the car and used the 3M epoxy filler to fit it to the fenders. 3 more coats of SPI epoxy primer after that.

[Formulabruce]

Excellent pics Roger! Also you mentioned having the car handy. I can tell you first hand that the Noses were painted off the cars and most never matched up at the top of the beak
to the hood "mound". This past summer I had a buddies 70 Formula all ready to go to paint and the nose was off and so we were able to try all the Noses I could find around here for straightness. The one he used was a 71 and it did Not line up with the hood at the middle and one side, but nice otherwise.
So having the car, all aligned ( rear to front) sitting there for testing and sanding is Huge for a super final product that is in a VERY noticeable place.
ON the SPI PAINT:
The ONLY Paint made geared to the Restoration business and Hobbyist that comes with an OWNERS MANUAL....Seriously, its ALL there, and Forum support.
2. This is Huge... Induction times. I let my SPI Epoxy I use on ANY nose Induct for at Least 1 hour in the mixing cup, BEFORE painting. This adds a HUGE amount of UV Protection to the paint. Same with their clear. This can make a difference in how long the paint lasts well. This is NOT My Idea, its Theirs, and its great. Had to buy an egg timer to keep me from painting too soon!!

[dataway]

I found the SPI epoxy primer seems to lay down much nicer the longer you let it induce, noticeable difference in the panels where I used the minimum time, and then ones shot with extra time.

[n20ta2]

I actually mentioned that about having to have the car on hand, I have only ever come across one or two at shows that any shop took the time to fit them properly. Obvious reason is, it's a lot of work.

[GOAT8U2]

Wow this is pretty labor intensive, 50-100 hours is a lot of dedication and time, damn. Great jobs though, look incredible.

I think I'm gonna go the OPGI route, have them use the paint blend they used to fix my driver quarter and then pass on the info on here and see what happens. These guys are great and I'm not capable of pulling this off so...

This shops $85 an hour, I think buying the $800 OPGI and then prepping and painting is the only way to keep this from being a $2000 used car vs a $10,000 used car front nose.
LOL

I'll come back later like I did on the wheel wells and radiator support with my comments, I'm sure it'll be really nice.

[RFCOLEMAN]

Please do update on how the OPGI bumper works out. I have been debating this in my own mind for my 68.
Thanks,

[GOAT8U2]

Bought the OPGI bumper today, $800 with $189 shipping and handling then tax, $1050 total. The part didn't apply for the usual over $750 free shipping, the holiday code didn't work in any fashion and there's nothing they could do on a discount. That's the late 2021 real price even though my March catalog said $700.

Mid January is my body shop appointment, they'll knock out it fast but let's see what they think of the part and I'll report back with the good or bad later to add some feedback on this option.

[Formulabruce]

Fitment is critical, would love to see a "first" set in place.
The way things have been going, I sure hope you have the part ( in good order) before your appointment.
Keep us posted!