DIY 98/02 Corolla Hybrid Front Bumper DIY

well cbass already made his but i guess hes letting my have my fun making a DIY thread xP

How can you DIY?

ur about to find out

pics will be up once im done welding the back, ima do the front tomarrow, but the stressfull work is done at least

Thats good to hear!

Ok so heres whats needed:
1x 98-00 front bumper
1x 01-02 front bumper

Roll of masking tape
Plastic welder
Measuring tape
Electric belt sander (optional)
Some sort of cutting device, I went with a hacksaw cuz it was crude and badass

STEP 1 (Prep)

Use maksing tape to create a guide so you know where to cut.
On the 98-00 bumper run the tape along the ridge that runs around the top edge of the bumper
On the 01-02 bumper run the tape roughly 3.5in above where the bumper part meets the mouth


STEP 2 (Cutting)

Pretty self explanatory, just cut right below the tape.
You might need to go back with an electric sander to fix mistakes or make the line cleaner

Step 3 (Fitting and tacking)

Once your done fine tuning the cut, clamp it together using duct tape and some clamps, held pretty well. You can still make final adjustments at this point. The hight of the bumper from the lowest part to the highest part should be around 14.5in on both sides.

After the two halves are secured together go in with the plastic welder and tack it down in strategic locations so it holds together without the tape and clamps.
Simply dig the welder into the plastic around the crack making a crevice then stuff some plastic in and let it fuse together.

Step 4 (Fusing the crack)


Basically repeat the same process as tacking but throughout the entire seem.

I will finish this project in the coming days, but here are some preview pics

Oh we will sonny

ohhh boy, ryan you just missed a very important step....you didnt use the reinforcement mesh that is provided with the kit....That bumper is not going to hold for long, with the vibration and the bumps of the road its going to break apart...



The kit comes with it, it gives you instructions on how to do it...
Added: Jun 13, 2013 at 9:30 PM


This is basically what you did, that reinforcement mesh is suppose to be melted in between the bumpers to have a good bond...

Cbass has a point for once.

yea i talked to other people and they said it's not really necessary, besides, im making sure to get the melted plastic deep in and on alot of the areas it actually goes through to the other side

and thats why i see a crease on both of your sideskirts right in the middle

Once you melt the plastic you thin out the material, which is why the MESH is included in that kit, AND PLUS you have the Aftermarket OE bumpers, that plastic is very weak, look at macks rear bumper!! shit melted way sooner than his OEM bumper, I actually used OEM bumpers in my hybrid......BUT HEY dont listen to me

idk, the weld job im doing seems pretty solid, im even using the same plastic the bumpers are made of to fuse the 2 halves togther

i tried... -_- apparently a guy with 2 years of auto collision repair class is not right

srry, ur making me feel bad :/ but its too late, and idk if only u could see it, it seems solid, i went strait through with the melting unlike the diagram u made, im taking my time

Just shup up cbass

AND that is the gold way........crap
Added: Jun 14, 2013 at 9:14 AM

Dude im just telling you because the bumper will scrape to wherever you go. My dads drives the corolla on normal conditions "11 year old OEM SUV suspension" and in half a year the bottom of the bumper has hella scrapes, and the front valances? those are also messed up too...THEN your gonna add weight to your bumper by installing the g-tec lip and fog lights, that shit will break...I understand that you melted almost completely all the way through but think about why the kit has that reinforcement mesh... I'm giving you a hard time because i know whats going to happen, don't cut corners.

well is it to late to add the mesh if i decide to do it after im done welding?

not late

Im really confident about my craftsmanship on this one. i triend bending the bumper and if feels like the regular unfused parts will give before the fused seem, but i may decide to reinforce it when i get closer to finishing it

Just drill holes everywhere and zip tie it. That's JDM