Oynch

I wish to purchase a new bumper for my '73. I've purchased a TruFlex bumper and it won't fit due to it's sizing. I asked around and I've got the impression that I must remove the front impact bar in order to install a bumper (TruFlex or otherwise). Is this true? I'm no expert, but I am not thrilled with the idea of removing a vital part of the bumper just to fit an ill-designed TruFlex or fiberglass bumper. Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill here or is there a bumper I can purchase that is designed correctly and fits over the standard impact bar?

Help?

gguillot

I've got the Trueflex bumper on my 73 and it fits with the front impact bar in place. You may need to loosen it up and readjust. Also, you'll probably have to do some trimming on the ends to make it line up perfectly.

Oynch

I'm not the brightest ... But are there many points of adjustment that can be made throughout that bumper frame? Or is there just the adjustment for the impact bar portion?

raydog9379

My recommendation would be to find an original or have an original in decent shape fixed. On my 78 SA when I bought it in 2005 it had a badly cracked front bumper with one of the bumperettes (I think that's what they are called) almost broken off completely.

I was having the car stripped and repainted. I bought a new front bumper that was supposedly made from the same molds (can't remember the brand name, but it was big $$), along with all the new hardware/clips and whatnot. The body shop went to fit it as they stripped the car and then called me to come take a look. Man it looked like chit. Fit was bad, and overall looked way off... Shop owner said he wouldn't feel right putting that on, and repaired my existing for no charge because he wanted to make it right. I eBay'd the one I had bought to recover some of the $ back but warned they would need adjustment to fit...might have got half of the $ back.

DonnieP73

I also used the Tru-Flex bumper on my 73. I have the bumper bar and even have the rubber piece that was glued the the front of the bar. You don't have to remove the bar for the bumper to fit, but you more than likely will have to trim the tru-flex cover. Trim the cover never the fiberglass front.
Here is a photo of the cover with the fit before I trimmed and after.

Before:



After:





Donnie

Oynch

Well, dammit. The lack of fitting for mine is that when trying to fit the bumper to the front end, the impact bar is fitted as such that there's about a one inch gap between the TruFlex bumper and the fiberglass. Way short.

DonnieP73

I just went and measured my tru-flex bumper. At the nose,
about 2" on both sides from the center seam, mine measured 4 3/4"
from the back edge that meets the fiberglass to the front edge where it breaks over.
Does yours measure the same?

Donnie

Oynch

I'll have to get back to you on that, Donnie.