"Urethane" replacement bumpers
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,409
Likes: 136
From: PHOENIX, AZ Yes, it's true. You are a good woman. Then again, you may be the Antichrist.
"Urethane" replacement bumpers
I'm going to be buying new bumpers for my '75 sometime this summer. Been reading threads on the different available types...Urethane, flex-fiberglass, hard fiberglass.
Urethane sounds like the easiest to install due to flexibility, but it gets bad press for being hard to paint and that the paint won't look the same as it does on the fiberglass body.
Pretty much every car on the road these days has plastic bumpers, with no mismatched paint problems. Are currently produced C3 replacement bumpers still being made with a 40 year old "urethane" recipe? I would think modern plastics would be used by someone to produce these. Please enlighten me!
Urethane sounds like the easiest to install due to flexibility, but it gets bad press for being hard to paint and that the paint won't look the same as it does on the fiberglass body.
Pretty much every car on the road these days has plastic bumpers, with no mismatched paint problems. Are currently produced C3 replacement bumpers still being made with a 40 year old "urethane" recipe? I would think modern plastics would be used by someone to produce these. Please enlighten me!
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 1,094
Likes: 16
From: Los Angeles California
I think its more about matching bumpers to car unless you plan on painting whole front and/or rear clip when replacing bumpers. I went with fiberglass because the urethanes cracked but they did last 30+ years so I can't complain about longevity but I know the fiberglass is still going strong for 40+ years.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,409
Likes: 136
From: PHOENIX, AZ Yes, it's true. You are a good woman. Then again, you may be the Antichrist.
Did you go with regular fiberglass or the "flex" version? I'm looking on our sponsor's site, Willcox, and they've got forum discounts on the flex bumpers. That's the option I'm currently leaning towards.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 9,063
Likes: 2,736
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
I used Truflex bumpers on my car, and they certainly look better and have less waviness, but if I could do it again, I would go full fiberglass (not Flex). The Truflex are thin and still have some of the waviness I was trying to get away from. The entire car is fiberglass, so the bumpers should be to, in terms of best appearance. In a crash, none of it matters, they will all be ruined. It cost me alot to get the Truflex molded to the car, and probably no more if I went with full fiberglass.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,482
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Original urethane bumper covers could sometimes display a slight paint mismatch. The new reproduction urethane covers are supposed to be a slightly different compound and are supposed to show less of a mismatch.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,409
Likes: 136
From: PHOENIX, AZ Yes, it's true. You are a good woman. Then again, you may be the Antichrist.
I think I'm going to try reaching out to the local corvette club and see if anybody's put new bumpers on in the last couple years and ask if I can come take a look at them. Would be nice to see an example of both types in person.
BTW, Ike, I love that color!
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,091
Likes: 40
Wow
Didn't realize the rubber covers were available again.
It's been ten years since I replaced both of my originals maybe 12...dang long time anyways . Both literally fell off and broke apart with in weeks of each other. So I had double the expense.
I found a NOS GM front at a reasonable price I think 250.00 new in box . But I had to use a true flex rear unit because of the 74 split feature. The original 74 GM units were practically non existent or aren't cracked or hardened , used ones at stupid prices that could fall to pieces the next day.
It's been about 10 years and both still look really good . A shop installed and painted both for around 250.00 .....he said it was pretty easy . I guess if your experienced with their installation.
Didn't realize the rubber covers were available again.
It's been ten years since I replaced both of my originals maybe 12...dang long time anyways . Both literally fell off and broke apart with in weeks of each other. So I had double the expense.
I found a NOS GM front at a reasonable price I think 250.00 new in box . But I had to use a true flex rear unit because of the 74 split feature. The original 74 GM units were practically non existent or aren't cracked or hardened , used ones at stupid prices that could fall to pieces the next day.
It's been about 10 years and both still look really good . A shop installed and painted both for around 250.00 .....he said it was pretty easy . I guess if your experienced with their installation.
Last edited by LS4 PILOT; Jun 20, 2015 at 12:27 AM.