gs78vette

I have a 1978 and I'm considering putting an "80's" rear bumper on to replace mine. It has become wavy and irregular with a lousy paint job on that area. The 80's version has the smaller upturned spoiler on it and I would like to get Tru-Flex rather that urethane (plastic from the factory) or fiberglass (expensive, inflexible, therefore hard to fit).

Eckler's claims they make their own and have the highest quality. I've bought an awful lot (thousands of dollars) from Willcox and they have the best pricing that I know of. Eckler's has also received a huge amount of money from me too and have had good products.

Has anybody purchased these and have any opinion on quality, fit, cost, or other advice.

I plan to maybe do a front spoiler, the 3 piece, maybe another one. Is it actually necessary to shave (cut) part of the fender away for a proper fit?

May or may not do a different front bumper; like the stock style I have but Tru-Flex or maybe 80's style Tru-Flex. The urethane warps, waves, and fades, looking terrible in my opinion. Advice from anyone in the know on this stuff?

For instance, are the retainers on the car usually good enough or is the kit required most of the time when replacing bumpers? Should I go with Tru-Flex on everything for sure - or not?? Maybe the front little 3-piece spoiler could be urethane because it is a narrow piece.

I plan to paint the whole car this summer but my auto body guy will paint these parts now for the time being if I want to replace them right away. Thank you for responses!

gbvette62

The Tru-Flex is a great product. I believe Toledo Pro (the makers of the Tru-Flex brand bumper) was the creator of the flexible fiberglass bumper. A customer of mine just put a Tru-Flex front bumper on a 73 NCRS car. It came out so nice he's affraid it looks to good and to smooth for NCRS judging!

Just because the Tru-Flex (and other flexible fiberglass) bumpers are called "flexible", it doesn't mean that they have a lot of give when installing them to a car. Their amount of flex is more to give the illusion of urethane, and not to serve as a true flexible bumper. The real advantage (besides not ever getting wavy) is that if the bumper doesn't quite line up with the body, you can sand, grind and fill a fiberglass bumper. If a urethane bumper doesn't fit, your only option is to do body work on the car.

It's pretty rare to pull the stock bumper and find the original retainers to still be servicable. The retainers are nothing more than short studs welded to a stamped steel strip. With age and exposure to moisture, half or more of the studs are usually rusted and break off. You can buy new retainers, but a complete set for a rear bumper is about $100.00. You can buy a "T" bolt replacement bumper retainer set from most Corvette Vendors for about $29, for the set. Personally I find that nuts, bolts and washers will work just fine, for attaching a fiberglass bumper.

As far as a spoiler, if your referring to the 78 Pace Car style 3 piece front spoiler, you shouldn't have to do any cutting (other than the mounting holes) on your 79 to install one.

gs78vette

Excellent point, I didn't mean to suggest they actually move around like the rubbery nose piece stock from the factory. And the ability to sand, fill, etc. on the car OR the new piece or both is a real bonus for fitting.

I have no experience with those retainers so I thought that I'd ask. I think it's worth the money for new ones and I guess not much choice anyway. I see the "T" bolt deals for $25 and $30 all over. I assume that is what you mean. 18 piece set or so.

Mine is also a '78 and a number of places say some trimming is necessary with the '78 - the lip area at the front of the front fender needs shaping possibly. That's why I asked if anyone had actual experience because I can see where it probably would need trimming or look bad like it was not yet finished. Got to be sure that a person wants the spoiler because you can't "untrim" it if you change your mind. Expensive fix. I like the look but don't know if I will in a couple of years?? Probably.

Thanks gbvette62, you made some good points and things to consider!
Has anyone used these parts?

I was asking if the rear bumper at Eckler's or Willcox were comparable in quality. Or Corvette Central, MA Motorworks, Rik's Corvette, or any of the dozens of other places. I think many get the same parts from the same source so then it is really just price that matters. I wondered if that was the deal here, least expensive gets the order?
Eckler's says they make theirs so quality is likely a little different, better or worse? Anyone??

Someone here has purchased a bumper or spoiler at one time surely. Any advice?

BTAL

Curious why you are looking at the 3 piece front vs the one piece style?

Adding the PC front and rear spoilers is one of my to-do's on the '78 SA.

dmeesq

Ecklers 80 style front, and zr1 style rear on my 77

gs78vette

The 3 piece is what is used on the 1978 Pace Car; so it is the truest to the 1978 appearance, I like the style with the larger scoop ends of all the available styles which are the American, Super, and Indy Spoilers, (plus the 3 piece Indy).

Not sure but I think the 3 piece may attach at more locations making it a more sturdy install. Not positive, that's a theory.
The 3 piece has the standard $10 box fee to ship on top of shipping but the one piece has a $45 fee additional fee for oversize due to length.

The 1 piece Indy Spoiler and the 3 piece should a similar installed appearance although very different beforehand.

You should be able to tell from the first post that I'm gathering info from people who have been this to make good decisions. I have not made ANY final decisions yet until some folks give me some first hand information I hope. Make sense? I hope so.
Style Choices for 1973-1979 (front spoilers only)

The "80's" front end is a real possibility. The very front is 1980 but the actual 1980 has a deeper and lower piece on the front end that extends past the marker light even.

Definitely doing the 80's rear bumper with the built-in spoiler. Definitely, probably, maybe, hmmm....
PC front?

Nice looking car! You've done some serious "accessorizing" on that vette. You actually have the 80's look front. Do you like that? Did you have any difficulty installing it? Use a retainer kit for the hardware or what?
A true 1980 would extend past the marker light so only 1980 vehicles can realistically have that replacement part. But there is this 80's look piece for non-80's cars that you have and I would possibly like to get. Cool looking but maybe the most expensive piece of all.

dmeesq - do you have any photos of the front or rear in a more straight on line of site rather than the side. I'd like to see both but especially the front. No big deal...

gs78vette

General info- looking to maybe go with this plus a front spoiler. Suggestions anyone with some experience with this?

1980 rear for non-1980 vettes



1980 front for non-1980 vettes

gbvette62

Sorry, I realized you had a 78, the 79 was just a typo.

When Chevrolet installed the front spoiler on 78 Pace Cars (and as an option on 79s), the only mods to the body that I know of were the holes that had to be drilled to attach the spoiler side pieces. Pace Cars had the front of the wheel openning inner lip trimmed from the bottom of the openning up about 6 or 8 inches, but this had nothing to do with the spoiler. All 78 and 79 Corvettes delivered with the optional P255/60R15 Goodyear GT Radials, had the same trimming done to the inner lip. The 60 series tires needed the extra clearence to ensure that they didn't hit the forward inner wheel lip. All Pace Cars had this trimming done to them because the 60 series radial were standard with the Pace Car package, not because of the spoiler.

I had a couple friends who installed Pace Car spoilers on 73-79 Vettes, but that was years ago. Still, I don't recall any of them having to cut the fenders in anyway to install them. A quick look at a 79 assembly manual would confirm what's needed to install them, as they were a regular production option for 79. As a mid year change, 78 AIMs may or may not show the spoiler install.

In my business, I've dealt with most of the fiberglass bumpers on the market. From my experience, I would say that I think the Toledo Pro Tru-Flex is the best flexible fiberglass bumper and ACI has the best rigid fiberglass one. The ACI flex bumper is just as good as the Tru-Flex, but it costs a little more. I've never had any complaints about Tru-Flex or ACI fiberglass from customers, I can't say this about any other brand that I've dealt with.

KapsSA

My original 79 with the factory spoilers did have the wheel openings trimmed like was done for the bigger tires. But it came new with the smaller tires.
I'm assuming for the BEST fit they trimmed the fenders.
Figure the front spoiler was intended for the Pace Car, all of which came with the bigger tires and the trimmed fenders.
It may not be Necessary, tho.

From the pics posted, I'd say the 3 piece and 'super spoiler' mounts the best. The center section mounts using all the holes for the smaller abs 'spoiler'.

gs78vette

I found where I saw this. It is from Corvette America;
http://www.corvetteamerica.com/cf/di...ront%20spoiler

"Precise replica and installs with original hardware."

Then on the same website it says and I quote "IF CAR DID NOT HAVE ORIGINAL PACE SPOILER THIS PART MAY REQUIRE THAT THE LIP ALONG THE FENDERS BE SHAVED OR SLIGHTLY MODIFIED"

http://www.corvetteamerica.com/cf/di...ont%20spoilers

I have the Shop Manual for 1966-1982 and the 1978 Assembly Manual. I may look through there too and see if there is any info. I can ask the vendor too but they may just guess??
A few holes are repairable if necessary but I do not want to cut, shave, or modify fenders by removing any portion of them.


So to clarify, is a Tru-Flex from one place as good as another or are you taking this as meaning the one company that owns the Tru-Flex name if that is how it is.

Willcox has a Tru-Flex rear bumper for $275 forum price and Eckler's for $340. I saw it for $365 or so and $399.

I've had good luck with the parts I've gotten from Willcox. Trying to save money if I can so that's why one of the main points of this thread is to address quality. Are they all close enough that it comes down to best price or not?

gbvette62 - you displayed due-diligence with your post. I appreciate that effort, very helpful. Any more thoughts, should I order the Willcox or do something else. That's the question on the rear bumper. I'll ask some more questions, maybe from the vendor too.

That's what I said about sturdy attachment earlier concerning the 3 piece.
Trim the fender may have been for more than one reason???

gbvette62

Tru-Flex is the brand name for the bumpers made by Toledo Pro Fiberglass, it is NOT a generic name for flexible bumpers. Though some people treat it that way.

ACI calls their flexible bumpers E-Zee-Fit, Ecklers calls theirs Flex-Fit, etc. Each makes their own and calls it something different. The "Tru-Flex" was the original flexible bumper, and personally I think it is the best, though as I said before, ACI's products are excellent too, they just cost more.

fauxrs

The main advantage to the 3 piece spoiler is that it isnt fiberglass and thus will hold up to road rash which one may experience driving. my 78 will hit high curbs with the spolier lip and if the thing was fiberlgass it would be long gone by now. I also occasionally scrape coming out of steep drives or drives that cross deeper drainage swales in the road. I dont event paint the center section of my 3 piece so i dont have to worry about paint chipping off (see sig photo)

As for fitting bumpers, they are hit and miss, the eurathanes are the easiest because you can pull them into alignment with the body, not so with fiberglass. I was fortunate in adding my ZR-1 style rear cap in that it aligned perfectly.

sfallison

I bought the True-Flex (Rik's corvette had the best prices) a few years ago for both front and rear. The rear fit perfect! On the front bumper, I had to do some 'glassing and this was the weird part... I first fitted it with the original honeycomb bumper guard on, and it fitted with only a few areas that needed modifying.. I removed the bumper guard, and had to do filling (about 1/2 inch on the passenger side)! Totally weird! I wanted to drop some weight in the front anyway, and wanted to have a completely smooth front nose. So, I glassed the whole front end in.

I used the T-brackets to mount both bumpers as the original mounting strips were rusted, and the screw tabs broke off when removing them.

To make installing the bumpers easier, I used Painters tape to hold them in place before installing the t-brackets.

One of these days.... I'll get her painted!

gs78vette

VERY helpful. After closer reading I see the cheapest (least expensive) bumper that I am considering is sold by Willcox and actually says in the 2nd paragraph "Toledo" so this appears to be just what I wanted. Willcox was using the name Tru-Flex so that is why I was also.
2nd paragraph:
http://willcoxcorvette.com/product_i...ducts_id=24052

gbvette62; Your knowledge and help here has been invaluable.
Thank you very much! You mentioned items being used in "your business" earlier. Are you involved in restoration or body work of some sort? Found it - Corvette parts business in your profile - cool

gs78vette

Ah, excellent point, didn't even think of that. That spoiler would be very prone to hitting curbs and similar things. That must be why I have not found that spoiler made from anything but the urethane. I have not seen it in fiberglass or any form of "Flex" material. It may exist but I have not seen it.

@fauxrs - Thank you so much for including photos. It makes it so much better if possible for actual visualization. I may actually change my mind on the "80's" style front end? My front bumper looks like yours of course but is made of the factory stock urethane. It is rubbery, movable, and has many tiny cracks all over it. Looks terrible. That is also partly why I was considering a new front end. To get a better material and I do like the 80's style. Your car looks very nice however. I could just use the piece I have and decide later if I want to put the 80's piece on? I want to get the car painted so I thought now was the time. It would save around $400 for the new 80's front bumper. Your picture made it seem attractive to leave it alone. It is a 1978 of course, not a 1980. hmmmm.

One thing that I had no considered was anything but a 1980 rear bumper with the small spoiler ( made of Tru-Flex of course).

Now I would like to see what your ZR-1 rear bumper looks like. Do you have any photos of it on the car? From the rear view or slight angle even? Please post here if you do. I had not considered it before but you're the second one to bring this up so recently.

fauxrs, you're the perfect one to ask; did you need to trim any fender area on your 1978 to install the front 3 piece spoiler?

gs78vette

sfallison- you're the 2nd one to say to use the T-brackets instead of the strip piece type of fastener. How many T-brackets does it take to do the whole job?
They sell front and rear kits or packages for that. I've seen 18, 25, and probably some other numbers of brackets too. Good installation tips, thanks a bunch.
Tru-Flex was the way to go wasn't it? That ½" sounds like maybe a big enough gap for rejection if I understand you correctly. Yikes!

gbvette62

The 4 retainer strips used to attach a 74-82 rear bumper had 18 studs, so you'll want the 18 piece kit. The new fiberglass bumper will have no holes in it, so you will need to line it up with the rear body of your car and mark where the factory holes in the body are, on your bumper. The "T" bolts will work fine with a fiberglass bumper, as will bolts with washers. With original urethane bumpers, you need the retainer strips to keep the urethane tight to the body. The lip on the fiberglass bumper is strong enough that it doesn't need the continuous pressure on it that the strips provide.

gs78vette

When you say "fiberglass" I assume that also includes the Tru-Flex version? So the brackets OR bolts and washers will be fine? Great info. I did not see that printed anywhere so your advice could save a lot people a lot trouble possibly. Thanks so much....

fauxrs

Heres a shot of the rear cap as requested. One thing is I dont think any of the presently available caps have the third brakelight. The company I bought this from no longer deals in corvette fiberglass and I think they were the only one that offered the 3rd brake. Beyond that its the same as everyone elses ZR-1 rear cap.

I get quite alot of positive comments at the local cruise spots, mostly because its quite rare to see this cap I assume.



The car was equipped with the spolier when I purchased it so I cannot answer that, however I've had it off several times and the fenderwells do not APPEAR to have been trimmed.

As for putting off the nose cap purchase - I wouldnt do it, buy the new cap and paint the entire car as opposed to piecemeal, the end result will be far superior.

I used the 'T'-bolts as they have been described - stainless steel ones to be exact and had to drill for them as described by another poster. Not difficult to do.

gs78vette

That extra brakelight is something I have not run in to in person for sure. Quite unique. Excellent photo for showing that rear cap piece. Seriously, very helpful, thanks. .

I would really like to see a good photo of the 80's front bumper on a '78 or '79 vette with or without the spoiler. Same with the rear bumper; 80's rear bumper with the little spoiler on a 1978 or 1979. That should allow me to make the final decision and put the order in.

Anyone have some good photos like that. As much as we all like to show pictures of our cars, I bet many of you have one or both of those pictures with that criteria. Thanks so much if you do. This is another big investment to me if I get a front end, rear end, and a front spoiler. Around a $1,000 plus the body work and paint.

fauxrs - what tail lights are those? Looks like little LED type individual lights behind the lense, very curious. No backup light either it appears.