Reconditioning 2nd generation Demello front bumper

My 10 year old "powder coated" white Demello off road front bumper is showing it's age. See photos.

I am going to remove it and recondition it, but am kind of at a loss as to strip it bare or just sand the good part and then recondition.

Going back with black instead of white.

I could use some advice and procedures and a possible recommendation for new bumper lights.

No serious off roading is done in the truck. Many 4wd Beach and marsh trips as well as daily driver duties and construction site visits.

 

Find a powder coat shop that'll blast it first, that way you don't have to worry about the old stuff flaking or contaminating the new finish.

I really like my @Baja Designs squadron sport fog lights with the wide driving lens, but they also make a SAE compatible fog light now.

 

Hey @JiggyZ,

If you are looking for a light upgrade to your front bumper, we offer a few different lighting solutions that can make driving at night a whole different experience. Since you do some light wheeling and a lot of on-road driving, from what it sounds like. We offer a SAE fog light replacement that will increase light visibility and is road-legal. This will have a sharp cut-off while providing you with plenty of on-road and off-road light for those light trails. If you're looking for something with more of a punch, our Squadron Sports will be the next option to go with. With our Squadron Light Lights, these come in a variety of lens options to choose from that will suit your driving needs. If you have any questions or would like to get more information feel free to email me at bill@bajadesigns.com.

Best,
Bill

Bill Sonevongxay | Forum Sales & Support 
Email: Bill@bajadesigns.com Phone: (760)560-2252

 

Damn, that does not look like a good powder coating for a Texas truck to get that bad in a decade

Whatever you do, deburr/grind off all the edges first. Pretty much all coatings have trouble with sharp 90 angles

I’d sent it back to a decent powder coating company locally. last place I talked to said he’d put it in the oven and burn off the old powder coating before sandblasting and then recoating

 

Thanks for all of the replies.
What we did:

Used paint stripper, scrapers, Dremmel tool, and grinding wheel to remove old paint and rust. Despite the photos, it looked pretty good once stripped.

Roughed it up with sandpaper and grinder.

Hit all the sharp edges and smoothed them out with sandpaper and Dremmel.

Cleaned with acetone and the put on two coats of bedliner and two coats of Satin.

Also hit all of the stitch welds and tight areas with SEM joint sealer before painting.

I used the Rustoleum platinum in black. It is a new product and there are literally no reviews on the intertrons. Rustoleum instructions leave a lot to be desired.

Some pictures of the process. Note: photos were in the drying stage so paint or bedliner still looks wet.