So a guy pulled out in front of my '99 Ram Quad Cab. The accident damaged my entire front end. I have a '99 SLT (non sport) and hate the stock grey molding that comes on the lower front bumper. I tried all kinds of black paints but none ever stuck to the plastic. Now, I got in this accident and it will all be replaced.

Pics of my wreck...





My question is, didn't the pre '99 model (like the '97) have a 3 piece sport bumper kit instead of the all-in-one molded sport bumper kit like the '99 has? I want to keep my chrome bumper but have all of the molded plastic in black. the finished product would look like this....


This is what I got when I painted the grey piece black. (notice the paint peeling)

 

anybody?

 

did you try etching the plastic and primer before painting?

 

id go outside and look at the 97 but its rainin out right now an the whole thing is painted not chromed

yea did i try priming it and all the stuff first

 

Yes, you can get a black lower bumper cover. When you take your truck to the body shop, ask the body guy to look it up for you. It's costs the same as the gray piece too.

 

I went yesterday and explained to him in person and showed him exactly what I was talking about. I orginally told him over the phone but he didn't quite understand. He told me that he remembers doing this exact same thing before but the black lower bumper cover costs an extra $250 more than the grey. I understand if it were a little more expensive since the grey was produced more, but $250 extra?! Anyway, he said he was going to look it all up and get prices so I will just have to wait and see.

As far as my painting went, I wasn't painting the bumper to be a glossy finish like the truck but just a flat black bumper coating. It looked exactly as if the lower bumper cover was originally molded from black plastic, which is what I am looking for. He did tell me about some paint adhesion stuff called "Bull Dog" or something like that. Apparently you just spray it on and then spray the paint on top of it and it is supposed to really stick unlike it would if it were directly applied to the plastic. Has anyone had any experiences with this stuff? I mean, as much as I hate the stock grey bumper cover it looks better than painting it and only having most of it peel off.

 

If he's telling you it's $250 more, then he's trying to pad his bank account. I just had the front end of my Ram rebuilt, and looked at all my options.