bumper covers for 1975 corvette
Advanced
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
From: Somerset New Jersey
I replaced both of Mine a few year s back
The Back I replaced with an original off a Parts car...
Take your time and I needed to replace some of the Hardware so beware of that ...
The Front ... Like a Cheap dumbass I bought a Fiberglass 1 from a swap meet and it sort of fit.....
What was I thinking...
Never again Just take yer time
The Back I replaced with an original off a Parts car...
Take your time and I needed to replace some of the Hardware so beware of that ...
The Front ... Like a Cheap dumbass I bought a Fiberglass 1 from a swap meet and it sort of fit.....
What was I thinking...Never again Just take yer time
Pro
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 683
Likes: 4
You will need to determine if you want to stay with the urathane original type or switch to the fiberglass. You will see what they call flexible fiberglass and I can tell you it won't flex enough to matter. On the rear bumper if you use the fiberglass you won't be able to put back all the original parts that attach to the aluminum bumper bar. There is also a fiberglass assembly that the rear lights attach to that may not work with this type of bumper. The one problem that I had with the urathane rear bumper is that the inset for the C O R V E T T E lettering is not there. I solved this problem by making two templates that are matching. One template is for location to drill the lettering mounting holes. The other template is to route the inset for the CORVETTE lettering. I used a dremel tool with the router attachment and I made a custom bit to complete the job. This is one area that you don't want to screw up. As far as the front bumper I haven't had to replace my original as it is still in great shape.
Hope this helps!
Steve
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 457
Likes: 2
From: Tucson Arizona
I am going through this same thing, its up to you basically. The pros and cons:
Urathane: Never looks the same color as the car painted, extreemly hard, if not impossoble to repair, cost is very high for original. It is original, so if you are a purest, there yo go.
Flexglass: It flexes some, but like the urathane, hard to fix. Paints fairly well. Not original.
Fiberglass: Will match the paint of the car(hey, its the same stuff as the body), you can change the shape to make it fit, if you have to, never hads that wavy look as the urathane does with age, if you crck it , you can fix it unless you completely wipe it out. Not original.
Whatever you choose, SPEND THE $$ on the good stuff, and buy it from a reputable dealer. This alone will save you a TON of headaches later!
Urathane: Never looks the same color as the car painted, extreemly hard, if not impossoble to repair, cost is very high for original. It is original, so if you are a purest, there yo go.
Flexglass: It flexes some, but like the urathane, hard to fix. Paints fairly well. Not original.
Fiberglass: Will match the paint of the car(hey, its the same stuff as the body), you can change the shape to make it fit, if you have to, never hads that wavy look as the urathane does with age, if you crck it , you can fix it unless you completely wipe it out. Not original.
Whatever you choose, SPEND THE $$ on the good stuff, and buy it from a reputable dealer. This alone will save you a TON of headaches later!
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,629
Likes: 4
From: Somers CT
I did the front on mine with Fiberglass, it didn't come close to fitting and was a real bitch of a job to get on the car correctly. VERY poor job of designing the bumper, it could have been done much better and actually made to fit the car. I purchased from Mid America, not their fault they just buy from someone, ACE maybe?? Can't remember who. Take plenty of sedatives before starting the job.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 22
From: Yooperville MI
This should get you through the install based on some of my experiences. Sorry for the length, I got carried away.
Urethane replacements will be the easiest install but require flexible paint to do them right. I like to use standard fiberglass bumper covers (ACI brand) because of the crisp sharp lines, smooth surface and standard paint procedure, the end result is worth it over the urethane style fit. Another reason is, as mentioned by Steve, the flex fiberglass usually doesn't flex enough. No 2 bodies have the same dimensions and depending on previous body repairs you will most likely need to add filler to the fiberglass covers and I feel that standard fiberglass is a better base material for filler or fiberglass. The fiberglass bumper cover molds are slightly undersize so that they will fit all body sizes, the mindset being, it's better to have the bumper cover too narrow than too wide for installation. In other words from my experience, chances are slim that either type of fiberglass bumper will fit "good enough" out of the box.
The rear is the easiest on '75 and later. Since fiberglass is thicker than urethane, most of the rear reinforcements that fit into the urethane cover to help keep it in shape and prevent sagging and breaking, will not fit the fiberglass cover and need to be removed. The tail light brackets can be modified and reused on fiberglass bumpers and I recommend it as long as the fit is flush with the tail light pods in the cover and square with the reinforcement. Any gaps that are tightened when mounting will cause cracking. A lot of people discard the tail light brackets, but they add needed support to secure the bumper cover to the reinforcement intead of hanging the entire weight of the bumper cover on the body mounting flange.
Parts shaded in green need to be removed for fiberglass covers and they are not needed since fiberglass is rigid and can retain it's shape better than urethane.
The OEM style retainers will work on the rear and are much easier to use than the aftermarket individual stainless retainers. You can use a piece of your old bumper as a template for the emblem location, shown here is an '80 style cover. As long as the mounting holes are drilled accurately, you don't need the recesses to locate the letters.
The front cover will be a bigger challenge for fitment. The ends and the areas in front of the headlights will be the issue. Also, fiberglass covers won't fit over the honeycomb and center impact guard and a lot of people eliminate these parts, but they provide impact protectection and will reduce body damage in an impact.
You can remove material from both parts with a grinder as shown below.
To determine the fit, rub chalk on the inside of the cover and place the cover on the car, check for fit, and remove it. If any chalk transfers to the honeycomb or center guard, remove more material.
Some examples of typical cover fitment out of the box:
All of these fitment issues can be resolved by sanding and/or filling the bumper cover. The OEM retainers will work accross the top and are the easiest, but the individual aftearmarket retainers are required on the ends.
These PAL nuts will hold the individual retainers in place while installing, I get them at the paint store:
1. There is a steel reinforcement (Shown above) with a lip on it running horizontally across the top. You need to remove the lip with a cut off disc from the center outward on both sides. This will allow the fiberglass bumper to slide in place easier. Get a helper to hold a piece of steel flat against the body in case you slip with the cut off disc.
2. The big rubber piece in the center needs to be shaved on the top in conjunction with shaving the top of the honeycomb. Both bumper guards on the rubber piece will need shaving as well to make them narrower to fit in the fiberglass guard openings. Once all of these are reduced in size, the fiberglass bumper will fall into place. If you use some childs white sidewalk chalk smeared inside the bumper, you can check for interference. When you remove the bumper the chalk will remain on the parts it came into contact with. You don't want the fiberglass bumper rubbing on any of the inner structure, the abrasion will cause problems later on.
Once all the interference with the inner structure is eliminated, you can start working on bumper fitment. This is time consuming and you'll be test fitting a lot to get it right.
1. The top mounting surface (back side) needs to sanded to match the body contour across the front and between the headlights (shown on the white car). The gel coat is pretty thick and a lot of fitment problems on the ends can be minimized or solved in this step. Use a flat block and stop sanding when you reach the fiberglass.
2. Once you have the best fit across the top you can concentrate on the ends. Expect a gap as much as 1/4" on the ends. But don't expect to tighten the ends into the body, the center of the cover will most likely buckle.
Use Evercoat Vette Fill to fill the end gaps essentially making a mold. No filler is needed on the body, in fact there will be no damage to the paint. This method also insures that the body and bumper mounting surfaces match at the same angle. I'm not referring to the visible outside gap, but the gap inside where the bumper and body tighten together. If you were to do a cosmetic fill on the outside, then tighten the bumper to the body and close the inside gap between the 2 surfaces, the top surface of the bumper will distort from the pressure. It may not happen right away, but within a couple months you could have a crease in the top surface.
This process works better the first time with a helper. To fill the gap (assuming the top fits perfectly without force) cover the front surface of the body and the mounting surface where the filler is needed (and slightly beyond) with Saran Wrap. This will keep the filler from adhering to the body and protect the paint. Sand the gel coat off the bumper where the filler is needed and slightly beyond as well as the some of the outer surface. Clean the bumper with wax and grease remover. Vette Fill is kind thin so you need to work fast and carefull. Apply Vette Fill to the bumper mounting surface (one side at a time) and put the bumper in place against the body with very little pressure against the body. Use masking tape to hold the bumper in place and take off the excess filler with a bondo spreader. Let it dry.
Working on the same spot, force filler into the gap from the backside as well. You'll need to verify the gap between the parts is filled sufficiently, add filler to air pockets if needed. Now just finish sand and feather the outer portion. The gap problem is fixed and when you tighten the bumper to the body, there will not be any surface distortion.
Urethane replacements will be the easiest install but require flexible paint to do them right. I like to use standard fiberglass bumper covers (ACI brand) because of the crisp sharp lines, smooth surface and standard paint procedure, the end result is worth it over the urethane style fit. Another reason is, as mentioned by Steve, the flex fiberglass usually doesn't flex enough. No 2 bodies have the same dimensions and depending on previous body repairs you will most likely need to add filler to the fiberglass covers and I feel that standard fiberglass is a better base material for filler or fiberglass. The fiberglass bumper cover molds are slightly undersize so that they will fit all body sizes, the mindset being, it's better to have the bumper cover too narrow than too wide for installation. In other words from my experience, chances are slim that either type of fiberglass bumper will fit "good enough" out of the box.
The rear is the easiest on '75 and later. Since fiberglass is thicker than urethane, most of the rear reinforcements that fit into the urethane cover to help keep it in shape and prevent sagging and breaking, will not fit the fiberglass cover and need to be removed. The tail light brackets can be modified and reused on fiberglass bumpers and I recommend it as long as the fit is flush with the tail light pods in the cover and square with the reinforcement. Any gaps that are tightened when mounting will cause cracking. A lot of people discard the tail light brackets, but they add needed support to secure the bumper cover to the reinforcement intead of hanging the entire weight of the bumper cover on the body mounting flange.
Parts shaded in green need to be removed for fiberglass covers and they are not needed since fiberglass is rigid and can retain it's shape better than urethane.
The OEM style retainers will work on the rear and are much easier to use than the aftermarket individual stainless retainers. You can use a piece of your old bumper as a template for the emblem location, shown here is an '80 style cover. As long as the mounting holes are drilled accurately, you don't need the recesses to locate the letters.
The front cover will be a bigger challenge for fitment. The ends and the areas in front of the headlights will be the issue. Also, fiberglass covers won't fit over the honeycomb and center impact guard and a lot of people eliminate these parts, but they provide impact protectection and will reduce body damage in an impact.
You can remove material from both parts with a grinder as shown below.
To determine the fit, rub chalk on the inside of the cover and place the cover on the car, check for fit, and remove it. If any chalk transfers to the honeycomb or center guard, remove more material.
Some examples of typical cover fitment out of the box:
All of these fitment issues can be resolved by sanding and/or filling the bumper cover. The OEM retainers will work accross the top and are the easiest, but the individual aftearmarket retainers are required on the ends.
These PAL nuts will hold the individual retainers in place while installing, I get them at the paint store:
1. There is a steel reinforcement (Shown above) with a lip on it running horizontally across the top. You need to remove the lip with a cut off disc from the center outward on both sides. This will allow the fiberglass bumper to slide in place easier. Get a helper to hold a piece of steel flat against the body in case you slip with the cut off disc.
2. The big rubber piece in the center needs to be shaved on the top in conjunction with shaving the top of the honeycomb. Both bumper guards on the rubber piece will need shaving as well to make them narrower to fit in the fiberglass guard openings. Once all of these are reduced in size, the fiberglass bumper will fall into place. If you use some childs white sidewalk chalk smeared inside the bumper, you can check for interference. When you remove the bumper the chalk will remain on the parts it came into contact with. You don't want the fiberglass bumper rubbing on any of the inner structure, the abrasion will cause problems later on.
Once all the interference with the inner structure is eliminated, you can start working on bumper fitment. This is time consuming and you'll be test fitting a lot to get it right.
1. The top mounting surface (back side) needs to sanded to match the body contour across the front and between the headlights (shown on the white car). The gel coat is pretty thick and a lot of fitment problems on the ends can be minimized or solved in this step. Use a flat block and stop sanding when you reach the fiberglass.
2. Once you have the best fit across the top you can concentrate on the ends. Expect a gap as much as 1/4" on the ends. But don't expect to tighten the ends into the body, the center of the cover will most likely buckle.
Use Evercoat Vette Fill to fill the end gaps essentially making a mold. No filler is needed on the body, in fact there will be no damage to the paint. This method also insures that the body and bumper mounting surfaces match at the same angle. I'm not referring to the visible outside gap, but the gap inside where the bumper and body tighten together. If you were to do a cosmetic fill on the outside, then tighten the bumper to the body and close the inside gap between the 2 surfaces, the top surface of the bumper will distort from the pressure. It may not happen right away, but within a couple months you could have a crease in the top surface.
This process works better the first time with a helper. To fill the gap (assuming the top fits perfectly without force) cover the front surface of the body and the mounting surface where the filler is needed (and slightly beyond) with Saran Wrap. This will keep the filler from adhering to the body and protect the paint. Sand the gel coat off the bumper where the filler is needed and slightly beyond as well as the some of the outer surface. Clean the bumper with wax and grease remover. Vette Fill is kind thin so you need to work fast and carefull. Apply Vette Fill to the bumper mounting surface (one side at a time) and put the bumper in place against the body with very little pressure against the body. Use masking tape to hold the bumper in place and take off the excess filler with a bondo spreader. Let it dry.
Working on the same spot, force filler into the gap from the backside as well. You'll need to verify the gap between the parts is filled sufficiently, add filler to air pockets if needed. Now just finish sand and feather the outer portion. The gap problem is fixed and when you tighten the bumper to the body, there will not be any surface distortion.
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,480
Likes: 2
From: Circleville Ohio
Vader Vette
Flex fit out of Toledo Ohio Buy them both at the same time .Cut the old ones off leave an inch or so on the car go buy A ratchet wrench to fit the nuts then pack your lunch while you start on the front .The front will take you wayyyyy longer just cause of the bols are so hard to get at the bast-rd is the passenger side top mannnn what a dog lots of extensins and patience.I re-used my old hardware and cleaned it up on the bench grinder came out like new .Get A step drill and drill the holes out I looked at the old holes and drilled the holes in the same place and the same hole size. When i put in my inserts in they stayed in place and my girfriend lined it up put two bolts in and did the rest one at time
Adjusting for fit as i went start in the middle and move to the sides . the bumper I put on tells ya all the stuff not to put back on the car to get it to fit good I DUMPED THE HONEY COMB THING IN THE FRONT .AS TOLD IT HAS BEEN ON FOR ALMOST A YEAR AND ITS STILL LIKE THE DAY I PUT IT ON.Mine are still black and my car is Silver hence the Vader Vette.Avatar
Adjusting for fit as i went start in the middle and move to the sides . the bumper I put on tells ya all the stuff not to put back on the car to get it to fit good I DUMPED THE HONEY COMB THING IN THE FRONT .AS TOLD IT HAS BEEN ON FOR ALMOST A YEAR AND ITS STILL LIKE THE DAY I PUT IT ON.Mine are still black and my car is Silver hence the Vader Vette.Avatar
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 140
Likes: 1
From: east hampton ct
I put the Toledo Flex fit front and rear on my 75. My advise is to use the glass bumpers if you are in the process of repainting your car. Use the urathane if you are not painting the car. The glass bumpers car be made to fit perfectly if you have no paint on the front and rear. Due to the variability of the bodies in these cars the chances of a glass bumper fitting without work is remote. They require quite a bit of blending and smoothing but can be flawless if you are willing to devote the time. If you are not painting your car the urathane bumpers will give you much greater flexability for fit and the ability to distort the cover to match the body.
Thread Starter
4th Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
thanks to all who posted
i got a truflex back bumper cost 289.00 took old stuff off held the bumper up .. it was a half inch off let the nightmare start so i sat back and kept looking at it then it hit me loosened the bolts that hold the alum bumper bar and rased it up a half inch and now it lines up perfect just need to bolt it up when i have more time the front is next sometime next week wish me luck
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,480
Likes: 2
From: Circleville Ohio
Vader Vette
Get some PB Blaster, get some eye protection, crawl under the front spray all the little nuts and bolts holding the old one on this will help alot.Did you do toledo pro for the front? my 75 fit like a glove the under side did need some mods to hook the stock ferring back up just 2 holes though.The front on mine was 20 times harder just to give you a heads up. The front 2 days My guess.
Thread Starter
4th Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
This should get you through the install based on some of my experiences. Sorry for the length, I got carried away.
Urethane replacements will be the easiest install but require flexible paint to do them right. I like to use standard fiberglass bumper covers (ACI brand) because of the crisp sharp lines, smooth surface and standard paint procedure, the end result is worth it over the urethane style fit. Another reason is, as mentioned by Steve, the flex fiberglass usually doesn't flex enough. No 2 bodies have the same dimensions and depending on previous body repairs you will most likely need to add filler to the fiberglass covers and I feel that standard fiberglass is a better base material for filler or fiberglass. The fiberglass bumper cover molds are slightly undersize so that they will fit all body sizes, the mindset being, it's better to have the bumper cover too narrow than too wide for installation. In other words from my experience, chances are slim that either type of fiberglass bumper will fit "good enough" out of the box.
The rear is the easiest on '75 and later. Since fiberglass is thicker than urethane, most of the rear reinforcements that fit into the urethane cover to help keep it in shape and prevent sagging and breaking, will not fit the fiberglass cover and need to be removed. The tail light brackets can be modified and reused on fiberglass bumpers and I recommend it as long as the fit is flush with the tail light pods in the cover and square with the reinforcement. Any gaps that are tightened when mounting will cause cracking. A lot of people discard the tail light brackets, but they add needed support to secure the bumper cover to the reinforcement intead of hanging the entire weight of the bumper cover on the body mounting flange.
Parts shaded in green need to be removed for fiberglass covers and they are not needed since fiberglass is rigid and can retain it's shape better than urethane.
The OEM style retainers will work on the rear and are much easier to use than the aftermarket individual stainless retainers. You can use a piece of your old bumper as a template for the emblem location, shown here is an '80 style cover. As long as the mounting holes are drilled accurately, you don't need the recesses to locate the letters.
The front cover will be a bigger challenge for fitment. The ends and the areas in front of the headlights will be the issue. Also, fiberglass covers won't fit over the honeycomb and center impact guard and a lot of people eliminate these parts, but they provide impact protectection and will reduce body damage in an impact.
You can remove material from both parts with a grinder as shown below.
To determine the fit, rub chalk on the inside of the cover and place the cover on the car, check for fit, and remove it. If any chalk transfers to the honeycomb or center guard, remove more material.
Some examples of typical cover fitment out of the box:
All of these fitment issues can be resolved by sanding and/or filling the bumper cover. The OEM retainers will work accross the top and are the easiest, but the individual aftearmarket retainers are required on the ends.
These PAL nuts will hold the individual retainers in place while installing, I get them at the paint store:
1. There is a steel reinforcement (Shown above) with a lip on it running horizontally across the top. You need to remove the lip with a cut off disc from the center outward on both sides. This will allow the fiberglass bumper to slide in place easier. Get a helper to hold a piece of steel flat against the body in case you slip with the cut off disc.
2. The big rubber piece in the center needs to be shaved on the top in conjunction with shaving the top of the honeycomb. Both bumper guards on the rubber piece will need shaving as well to make them narrower to fit in the fiberglass guard openings. Once all of these are reduced in size, the fiberglass bumper will fall into place. If you use some childs white sidewalk chalk smeared inside the bumper, you can check for interference. When you remove the bumper the chalk will remain on the parts it came into contact with. You don't want the fiberglass bumper rubbing on any of the inner structure, the abrasion will cause problems later on.
Once all the interference with the inner structure is eliminated, you can start working on bumper fitment. This is time consuming and you'll be test fitting a lot to get it right.
1. The top mounting surface (back side) needs to sanded to match the body contour across the front and between the headlights (shown on the white car). The gel coat is pretty thick and a lot of fitment problems on the ends can be minimized or solved in this step. Use a flat block and stop sanding when you reach the fiberglass.
2. Once you have the best fit across the top you can concentrate on the ends. Expect a gap as much as 1/4" on the ends. But don't expect to tighten the ends into the body, the center of the cover will most likely buckle.
Use Evercoat Vette Fill to fill the end gaps essentially making a mold. No filler is needed on the body, in fact there will be no damage to the paint. This method also insures that the body and bumper mounting surfaces match at the same angle. I'm not referring to the visible outside gap, but the gap inside where the bumper and body tighten together. If you were to do a cosmetic fill on the outside, then tighten the bumper to the body and close the inside gap between the 2 surfaces, the top surface of the bumper will distort from the pressure. It may not happen right away, but within a couple months you could have a crease in the top surface.
This process works better the first time with a helper. To fill the gap (assuming the top fits perfectly without force) cover the front surface of the body and the mounting surface where the filler is needed (and slightly beyond) with Saran Wrap. This will keep the filler from adhering to the body and protect the paint. Sand the gel coat off the bumper where the filler is needed and slightly beyond as well as the some of the outer surface. Clean the bumper with wax and grease remover. Vette Fill is kind thin so you need to work fast and carefull. Apply Vette Fill to the bumper mounting surface (one side at a time) and put the bumper in place against the body with very little pressure against the body. Use masking tape to hold the bumper in place and take off the excess filler with a bondo spreader. Let it dry.
Working on the same spot, force filler into the gap from the backside as well. You'll need to verify the gap between the parts is filled sufficiently, add filler to air pockets if needed. Now just finish sand and feather the outer portion. The gap problem is fixed and when you tighten the bumper to the body, there will not be any surface distortion.
Urethane replacements will be the easiest install but require flexible paint to do them right. I like to use standard fiberglass bumper covers (ACI brand) because of the crisp sharp lines, smooth surface and standard paint procedure, the end result is worth it over the urethane style fit. Another reason is, as mentioned by Steve, the flex fiberglass usually doesn't flex enough. No 2 bodies have the same dimensions and depending on previous body repairs you will most likely need to add filler to the fiberglass covers and I feel that standard fiberglass is a better base material for filler or fiberglass. The fiberglass bumper cover molds are slightly undersize so that they will fit all body sizes, the mindset being, it's better to have the bumper cover too narrow than too wide for installation. In other words from my experience, chances are slim that either type of fiberglass bumper will fit "good enough" out of the box.
The rear is the easiest on '75 and later. Since fiberglass is thicker than urethane, most of the rear reinforcements that fit into the urethane cover to help keep it in shape and prevent sagging and breaking, will not fit the fiberglass cover and need to be removed. The tail light brackets can be modified and reused on fiberglass bumpers and I recommend it as long as the fit is flush with the tail light pods in the cover and square with the reinforcement. Any gaps that are tightened when mounting will cause cracking. A lot of people discard the tail light brackets, but they add needed support to secure the bumper cover to the reinforcement intead of hanging the entire weight of the bumper cover on the body mounting flange.
Parts shaded in green need to be removed for fiberglass covers and they are not needed since fiberglass is rigid and can retain it's shape better than urethane.
The OEM style retainers will work on the rear and are much easier to use than the aftermarket individual stainless retainers. You can use a piece of your old bumper as a template for the emblem location, shown here is an '80 style cover. As long as the mounting holes are drilled accurately, you don't need the recesses to locate the letters.
The front cover will be a bigger challenge for fitment. The ends and the areas in front of the headlights will be the issue. Also, fiberglass covers won't fit over the honeycomb and center impact guard and a lot of people eliminate these parts, but they provide impact protectection and will reduce body damage in an impact.
You can remove material from both parts with a grinder as shown below.
To determine the fit, rub chalk on the inside of the cover and place the cover on the car, check for fit, and remove it. If any chalk transfers to the honeycomb or center guard, remove more material.
Some examples of typical cover fitment out of the box:
All of these fitment issues can be resolved by sanding and/or filling the bumper cover. The OEM retainers will work accross the top and are the easiest, but the individual aftearmarket retainers are required on the ends.
These PAL nuts will hold the individual retainers in place while installing, I get them at the paint store:
1. There is a steel reinforcement (Shown above) with a lip on it running horizontally across the top. You need to remove the lip with a cut off disc from the center outward on both sides. This will allow the fiberglass bumper to slide in place easier. Get a helper to hold a piece of steel flat against the body in case you slip with the cut off disc.
2. The big rubber piece in the center needs to be shaved on the top in conjunction with shaving the top of the honeycomb. Both bumper guards on the rubber piece will need shaving as well to make them narrower to fit in the fiberglass guard openings. Once all of these are reduced in size, the fiberglass bumper will fall into place. If you use some childs white sidewalk chalk smeared inside the bumper, you can check for interference. When you remove the bumper the chalk will remain on the parts it came into contact with. You don't want the fiberglass bumper rubbing on any of the inner structure, the abrasion will cause problems later on.
Once all the interference with the inner structure is eliminated, you can start working on bumper fitment. This is time consuming and you'll be test fitting a lot to get it right.
1. The top mounting surface (back side) needs to sanded to match the body contour across the front and between the headlights (shown on the white car). The gel coat is pretty thick and a lot of fitment problems on the ends can be minimized or solved in this step. Use a flat block and stop sanding when you reach the fiberglass.
2. Once you have the best fit across the top you can concentrate on the ends. Expect a gap as much as 1/4" on the ends. But don't expect to tighten the ends into the body, the center of the cover will most likely buckle.
Use Evercoat Vette Fill to fill the end gaps essentially making a mold. No filler is needed on the body, in fact there will be no damage to the paint. This method also insures that the body and bumper mounting surfaces match at the same angle. I'm not referring to the visible outside gap, but the gap inside where the bumper and body tighten together. If you were to do a cosmetic fill on the outside, then tighten the bumper to the body and close the inside gap between the 2 surfaces, the top surface of the bumper will distort from the pressure. It may not happen right away, but within a couple months you could have a crease in the top surface.
This process works better the first time with a helper. To fill the gap (assuming the top fits perfectly without force) cover the front surface of the body and the mounting surface where the filler is needed (and slightly beyond) with Saran Wrap. This will keep the filler from adhering to the body and protect the paint. Sand the gel coat off the bumper where the filler is needed and slightly beyond as well as the some of the outer surface. Clean the bumper with wax and grease remover. Vette Fill is kind thin so you need to work fast and carefull. Apply Vette Fill to the bumper mounting surface (one side at a time) and put the bumper in place against the body with very little pressure against the body. Use masking tape to hold the bumper in place and take off the excess filler with a bondo spreader. Let it dry.
Working on the same spot, force filler into the gap from the backside as well. You'll need to verify the gap between the parts is filled sufficiently, add filler to air pockets if needed. Now just finish sand and feather the outer portion. The gap problem is fixed and when you tighten the bumper to the body, there will not be any surface distortion.
thanks anyway
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,482
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
