Got busted studs on your bumper pads? If you're like me you can't stand tossing stuff that has useful life left in it. If so, here's a quick, easy and effective fix.

If your pad's reinforcement steel is rusted and crunchy (like this one) you're in luck because it makes the job that much easier. First thing you do is pop out the plastic spacer that surrounds the stud. Under that you'll find what's left of the stud attached to a piece of the reinforcement steel. Dig it out and you'll have some solid rubber behind it to work with. Once the old stud is out, drill a 3/8" hole about 3/4" into the rubber, careful that you don't drill all the way through.

Click to view attachment
To replace the stud, I used a 1/4" x 1 1/2" carraige bolt. Jam the bolt into the hole as far as it will go and adjust it to be centered.
Click to view attachment
Next, you need something to bed the bolt into the hole. I used heavy duty construction adhesive just cuz it retains a bit of flexibility and that's what I had handy. I'm guessing most any other heavy bodied adhesive would work here.
Once the adhesive is in place, jam a 7/16" washer into the recess. There's a lip over the recess so you'll have to work a bit to get the washer seated under the lip. This will provide most of the holding power so do don't laze out and just lay the washer on top.
Click to view attachment
Finally, screw a nut down onto the washer until it flush with the surrounding rubber, slather a bunch more adhesive on and you are done.

I did two studs in less than 15 minutes. once the adhesive had dried I did a pull test on the studs and there is no way the stud was coming out without taking a chunk of rubber with it. Best of all, it cost all of $.50 worth of hardware and adhesive. Good luck.

Tom

Thanks Tom

Great tip!
Now if you could just fix the rippling problem so easily.

difficult I can do right away, the impossible takes a little longer.

Tom

use of adhesive like balck silicone rubber RTV works great to secure pads on teh bumber also, helps to have some screws left to hold, but if only one screw is missing a bead of silicone keeps the rubber in place fairly well