Front bumper (chrome) installation question.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
Front bumper (chrome) installation question.
Can someone please direct me to a guide of some kind detailing the installation of the chrome front bumper? My 69's is not sitting right and needs some adjustment. The search tool came up empty...
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,797
Likes: 608
From: Dallas Georgia
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (track prepared)
C3 of Year Winner (track prepared) 2019
For whatever it is worth, I put one of the supposed "good" quality Paragon aftermarket fronts on my car a few months back. One of the corner mounting brackets was so far off, the bolt would not even remotely line up. I started at the center support and worked out, leaving everything pretty loose.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
For whatever it is worth, I put one of the supposed "good" quality Paragon aftermarket fronts on my car a few months back. One of the corner mounting brackets was so far off, the bolt would not even remotely line up. I started at the center support and worked out, leaving everything pretty loose.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,482
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
The AIM shows the installation, but I'm not sure you need it for what you want to do. My advice would be to loosen things without completely removing the bumper. You should be able to get it where you want it, then tighten things to hold it.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,755
Likes: 721
From: Lafayette Louisiana
My 2 cents and my experience...
IMHO and what I have learned:
*Use as many shims and/or washers under the bolts as you need.
*You have some wiggle room if you loosen up the bumper horse shoe support hold down bolts plus you can shim or put washers under these hold down bolts. And ck the AIM, the two frame extension supports that the front V cross member bolts to also have some wiggle room.
*One book said the pros install the bumper and then build the fiberglass around the bumper, LOL's. So, St Louis likely never had these bumpers to the level of perfection we are looking for today.
*Where the bumper bolts go through the fiberglass, just snug them up and do not try to pull the bumper into proper place putting stress on the fiberglass as it is easy to crack during a bumper install.
Hope this helps.
*Use as many shims and/or washers under the bolts as you need.
*You have some wiggle room if you loosen up the bumper horse shoe support hold down bolts plus you can shim or put washers under these hold down bolts. And ck the AIM, the two frame extension supports that the front V cross member bolts to also have some wiggle room.
*One book said the pros install the bumper and then build the fiberglass around the bumper, LOL's. So, St Louis likely never had these bumpers to the level of perfection we are looking for today.
*Where the bumper bolts go through the fiberglass, just snug them up and do not try to pull the bumper into proper place putting stress on the fiberglass as it is easy to crack during a bumper install.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by 20mercury; Jun 19, 2015 at 04:59 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
If it is an aftermarket bumper you probably will never get it perfect. I know it's tempting to buy them because they are cheap but you do get what you pay for . I had my original bumpers re-plated . It hurts to bite the bullet and pay the price for good chrome but the finish product is worth it. They look perfect and lined right up.
