andreb
Full Access Member
People are horrible drivers. My truck was hit three times (lightly) within the first year I owned it. Two times it was a very minor swipe, like the "I don't know how wide my vehicle is" kind. Scrub marks on the outer ends of the bumpers. The third time it was a pretty significant dent in the right rear "bumper half." For $65K I figured Ford would put a real bumper on our trucks but they probably did bumper halves to save weight and the accountants told them to.
The dent pushed the inside edge of the bumper half in which moved the outside away from the body. It also wrinkled the top so the bumper cap (that plastic trim piece) won't sit flat. I've been wanting to fix it for a while and finally took a stab at it. Initially I was just going to fix the dent but it morphed into a much bigger project but that's another post...
When I realized the bumper was really just a bumper half the job became much easier. I planned to use my hydraulic press to push the dent out and handling the bumper half was much easier then an entire bumper. First step was to pop the top cap off. I used some slip joint pliers to compress the tabs that expand into the holes in the top of the bumper. The job was made easier because two of them popped off when the bumper was hit. A plastic trim tool helps, just apply some upward pressure as you compress the tabs.
I think you can pull the bumper half off without completely removing the top cap but I wanted to see what's going on underneath. You'll have to disconnect the back up sensors, license plate lamps and harness tabs to remove it from the truck. Once that was out of the way there are three M10 bolts that hold the bumper half on. I was able to press most of the dent out then did some fine work with a soft faced mallet and nylon body hammer. A wood block helped to refine the edge and spread the load of the press end out. I used a 2x4 on edge as a dolly inside the bumper to form down the crease and square the rolled edge up.
The results were pretty good for a novice body/panel guy. Now I see why there is such an aftermarket for complete rear bumpers for our trucks. The OE unit is barely up to the task and certainly not on par with the abuse you can put into the suspension, engine, etc.
The dent pushed the inside edge of the bumper half in which moved the outside away from the body. It also wrinkled the top so the bumper cap (that plastic trim piece) won't sit flat. I've been wanting to fix it for a while and finally took a stab at it. Initially I was just going to fix the dent but it morphed into a much bigger project but that's another post...
When I realized the bumper was really just a bumper half the job became much easier. I planned to use my hydraulic press to push the dent out and handling the bumper half was much easier then an entire bumper. First step was to pop the top cap off. I used some slip joint pliers to compress the tabs that expand into the holes in the top of the bumper. The job was made easier because two of them popped off when the bumper was hit. A plastic trim tool helps, just apply some upward pressure as you compress the tabs.
I think you can pull the bumper half off without completely removing the top cap but I wanted to see what's going on underneath. You'll have to disconnect the back up sensors, license plate lamps and harness tabs to remove it from the truck. Once that was out of the way there are three M10 bolts that hold the bumper half on. I was able to press most of the dent out then did some fine work with a soft faced mallet and nylon body hammer. A wood block helped to refine the edge and spread the load of the press end out. I used a 2x4 on edge as a dolly inside the bumper to form down the crease and square the rolled edge up.
The results were pretty good for a novice body/panel guy. Now I see why there is such an aftermarket for complete rear bumpers for our trucks. The OE unit is barely up to the task and certainly not on par with the abuse you can put into the suspension, engine, etc.
