R50/R53 :: Hatch Talk (2002-2006) Cooper (R50) and Cooper S (R53) hatchback discussion.

R50/53 Hit opossum. Need advice. Pics of car

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Old 01-23-2015, 01:49 PM
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Hit opossum. Need advice. Pics of car

Sadly, an opossum ran out in front o me last night and I wasn't able to avoid it. It was quite large and was hit by my lower bumper cover, causing a big dent. I was able to pop the dent back out, but in the process of pulling the lower cover down and back, the opossum ripped all the plastic openings off of half of the main bumper cover that the lower piece snaps into. The ones on the wheel arch are still there, but not attached, and the ones on the right side of the car seem to be missing entirely. I'm looking for ideas on how to attach the pieces without the slots, since everything still looks okay cosmetically, and I just need a way to close the gaps. Any ideas are welcome aside from putting screws through the front. I'm even considering industrial Velcro.
 
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Old 01-23-2015, 01:49 PM
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Old 01-23-2015, 02:07 PM
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Everything should clip right back in, assuming all of the clip points weren't damaged, but a bit of 5 minute epoxy could work wonders on the spots you aren't able to get to clip in nicely.

It may be easier for you to take the bumper off the car, fix it, and reinstall. Not hard to remove the bumper.

No need to run screws through the bumper.
 
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Old 01-23-2015, 02:19 PM
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The plastic tabs on the black parts are okay, but the spots where they clip into are detached on the side, and missing completely on the bottom I the bumper cover. I have had it all apart a few times in the past while replacing the alternator and the AC compressor, so I plan to remove for whatever fix I end up going with.
 
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Old 01-23-2015, 10:21 PM
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Originally Posted by ageofoctane
The plastic tabs on the black parts are okay, but the spots where they clip into are detached on the side, and missing completely on the bottom I the bumper cover. I have had it all apart a few times in the past while replacing the alternator and the AC compressor, so I plan to remove for whatever fix I end up going with.
I think that Lower lip part is pretty cheap so you got lucky...check eBay. See them all the time.
 
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Old 01-23-2015, 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Kahnfucious
I think that Lower lip part is pretty cheap so you got lucky...check eBay. See them all the time.
I wish that was the part that broke. It's actually the little pieces on the upper painted part that are broken.
 
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Old 01-24-2015, 06:08 AM
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ever seen those two part epoxy puttys that come in a two color stick


you cut off a chunk and kneed it 'til it turns one color? I've done some pretty cool repairs with that stuff. Properly mixed and cured it is hard as rock and can be drilled and tapped .... just do proper surface prep to where you want it to stick ... no grease or oil, ruff the surface a bit


working from the backside you can probably either fake a mount or at least use this to glue the part in place for the time being. When the tabs broke on a GEN1 hood scoop (excuse me, bonnet scoop) I used this to hold it in place and it held for years. Used it to repair the under water crack in a pool too! I've even used it a body filler on my 79 in small awkward places where I needed/wanted something stronger than bondo.


another advantage is it will not RUN like typical two part liquid epoxy
 
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Old 01-24-2015, 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Capt_bj
ever seen those two part epoxy puttys that come in a two color stick you cut off a chunk and kneed it 'til it turns one color? I've done some pretty cool repairs with that stuff. Properly mixed and cured it is hard as rock and can be drilled and tapped .... just do proper surface prep to where you want it to stick ... no grease or oil, ruff the surface a bit working from the backside you can probably either fake a mount or at least use this to glue the part in place for the time being. When the tabs broke on a GEN1 hood scoop (excuse me, bonnet scoop) I used this to hold it in place and it held for years. Used it to repair the under water crack in a pool too! I've even used it a body filler on my 79 in small awkward places where I needed/wanted something stronger than bondo. another advantage is it will not RUN like typical two part liquid epoxy
Good suggestion. Thanks!
 
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