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16 Posts
So I just bought my truck about two months ago. I've been trying to balance inexpensive DIY mods with logical utilitarian purchases.
I would love to buy off road bumpers but frankly I have no use for them. My bumper was in desperate need of a repaint and I was extremely irritated with how Nissan made these trucks in a one color or one color with black plastic trim but for some reason painted the rear bumper and bar in the grill silver.
Now keep in mind I've never painted anything this large and that it's all done with rattle can.
So this is what I had to work with. Slight ding from a trailer tongue most likely and worn off paint.
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Getting the bumper off turned out to be more difficult than expected as the bolts were fairy rusted. After about an hour with WD-40 and straining my shoulders I got them off. There was also some rust underneath some paint in the underside.
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It took me a total of an hour to remove the plastic steps with several breaks in the beginning where I was getting furious. I tried to do some research on how others did it and it was vague with people saying they only broke 3 in the process then taped it down. I developed the technique of using vice grips on the clips. They're more of a rubber stopper. If you can smash down the ridges closest to the bumper service you can pry from the other side with a long handle screw driver or tap them out with a mallet. I only broke one before learning this.
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With a mallet and the handle end of a nail spoon I tapped out the dent.
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I made a small effort to clean up the rust by sanding and removing old paint, then soaking it in white vinegar with more sanding and a wire brush. I then added a few coats of paint over the pitted areas. This by no means will eliminate the rust, you have to completely remove the effected areas to do that, and like I said I'm a beginner and I'm cheap. Hopefully though, it will buy my bumper more time.
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So I then sanded the old paint to rough it up and and applied flat black paint. That was all easy. However, applying a matte clear coat seemed impossible for me. Some areas would get an over spray that would stay white and leave tiger stripes. If I pulled back or sped up my passes it would just look dusty.
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After days off coming back to it I axed the clear coat, roughed up everything again, and added a few me coats of black. I painted the steps and tag light OD green. Also, I soaked the nuts and bolts in white vinegar over night and they went in super smooth
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I love it! I just hope it all holds up well. I'll see how the paint does for a few months. If it doesn't hold up I'll try a darker black and try to master the clear coat. It has been extremely hot and humid here which may be making it harder for me.
I would love to buy off road bumpers but frankly I have no use for them. My bumper was in desperate need of a repaint and I was extremely irritated with how Nissan made these trucks in a one color or one color with black plastic trim but for some reason painted the rear bumper and bar in the grill silver.
Now keep in mind I've never painted anything this large and that it's all done with rattle can.
So this is what I had to work with. Slight ding from a trailer tongue most likely and worn off paint.
Getting the bumper off turned out to be more difficult than expected as the bolts were fairy rusted. After about an hour with WD-40 and straining my shoulders I got them off. There was also some rust underneath some paint in the underside.
It took me a total of an hour to remove the plastic steps with several breaks in the beginning where I was getting furious. I tried to do some research on how others did it and it was vague with people saying they only broke 3 in the process then taped it down. I developed the technique of using vice grips on the clips. They're more of a rubber stopper. If you can smash down the ridges closest to the bumper service you can pry from the other side with a long handle screw driver or tap them out with a mallet. I only broke one before learning this.
With a mallet and the handle end of a nail spoon I tapped out the dent.
I made a small effort to clean up the rust by sanding and removing old paint, then soaking it in white vinegar with more sanding and a wire brush. I then added a few coats of paint over the pitted areas. This by no means will eliminate the rust, you have to completely remove the effected areas to do that, and like I said I'm a beginner and I'm cheap. Hopefully though, it will buy my bumper more time.
So I then sanded the old paint to rough it up and and applied flat black paint. That was all easy. However, applying a matte clear coat seemed impossible for me. Some areas would get an over spray that would stay white and leave tiger stripes. If I pulled back or sped up my passes it would just look dusty.
After days off coming back to it I axed the clear coat, roughed up everything again, and added a few me coats of black. I painted the steps and tag light OD green. Also, I soaked the nuts and bolts in white vinegar over night and they went in super smooth
I love it! I just hope it all holds up well. I'll see how the paint does for a few months. If it doesn't hold up I'll try a darker black and try to master the clear coat. It has been extremely hot and humid here which may be making it harder for me.
