I have a 72 Vette that I am rebuilding...LOL...you know, clean this refurbish that...and then getting carried away...LOL.. ...so, anyway..I am thinking about having my front bumper rechromed (bought a new one and don't like the quality) but need some input from others. I had one done many years ago for another car, and it was NOT that good, and don't want that happen again. If you have had one done, how was it and who did it?? Was it expensive...more then buying a new replacement??...and where did you get it (Import or USA made)??

 

Hi LB,
Consider talking to Librandi Plating near Harrisburg Pa. .
They do beautiful work and while their prices aren't cheap they are reasonable compared to other comparable plating companies.
Regards,
Alan

 

I had my front bumperettes done at Custom Indiana Finishing LLC.
508 South Green St.
Cambridge City, IN 47327

I was very happy with the results. They have prices on website. I don't know if they are to far away for you though.

jim

 

I will lurk in this thread, but i just don't see how rechroming your current bumpers are that beneficial unless you are a perfectionist ( your originals when new were not perfect) and have a bottomless pocketbook.

your car will be down for months while you wait in the queue at their shop.
you WILL get a call from them saying they found something that needs more work, escalating the cost by hundreds. and they will hold your parts hostage until you say yes.
you will have to pay shipping both ways, maybe more than once.

buy them already done out in the market ( do your homework as to where), then sell your old ones for cores to cut your costs.

 

I had an estimate done on my 2 rear bumpers in Kelowna Canada and it was 300 each and if they found areas to repair more so probably 800 cdn. I asked why so much as you can buy replacements and he replied enthusiasts want to keep stock parts. I have not decided yet but cheaper to order repro's

 

Hi h,
When buying new reproduction bumpers how they will fit is quite often an issue.

Unless the body is at a point that it can be massaged to make the new bumpers fit, it's typically wise to have the original bumpers re-plated (if they fit well).

When buying reproduction bumpers you REALLY need to know where the bumpers are coming from (who made them and who plated them) to have any idea of the quality of what you're going to get.
Regards,
Alan

 

Alan, that is exactly what most people don't understand. In the checking I've done even the USA made bumpers don't always match the existing mounts, and I recently bought a USA bumper from one of the "MAJOR" corvette parts companies at Corvettes@Carlisle and one mount is off by 3/8" or more and I don't have any 1st hand information on the Import stuff, but I doubt they fit "out of the box". I remember when my buddy redid his 65 Coupe and was told "not to expect the aftermarket bumpers to fit without changes", and on those recommendations he had his originals repaired and rechromed. In my case, I had a front bumper rechromed on my 1969 Coupe and the shop (major business for the auto body industry) had to cut one end bracket as the nut broke free of the weld. They not only rewelded it back in a slightly different spot, but ground down the body face so much it had a sharp edge on it. After a couple of "retries" it still was not correct and only got worse each repair....which they did pay for but in the end what did I have??....and I don't want that to happen again.

 

Hi LB,
The bumpers and brackets are welded together in a jig…but…on a front bumper even if the angle of a bracket is off by just 1/16", at the other end of the bumper it can cause BIG trouble in fitting the bumper to the body well.

Also, when people buy cores to have re-plated the core can look good, but may well have been tweaked causing it not to fit. This is why bumpers NEED to be test fitted.
After the car is painted and the bumpers chromed it's too LATE to discover the bumper doesn't fit.
Regards,
Alan

 

The acres of chrome on this Caddy were all done by Librandi.



I had the rears for mine done by them. I can dig out the invoice, but I was impressed with their work, attention to detail, and turn-around time. No surprises... I would use them again in a heart beat, and unreservedly give them an A+.

 

I had the front grill on my '66 done by Librandi. They did a great job, and we all know what a pita doing a grille can be.

 

Before I had the front and backs done on my '69, I asked a friend about repros who owns a Corvette Parts business. He pretty much told me the repros don't fit right, aren't guaranteed and I won't be happy. Yes, they are less expensive, but this is one of the times when "you get what you pay for" applies.

You would have to ship, but I've used St Louis Plating for many years. They told me 30 days on my '69 bumpers and they were ready on Day 31, price exactly as quoted, no funny business.

And as in the case of all chrome bumper cars, the original bumper fits the same way as when they came off, which is never the case with a repro. Don't make a mistake to save a few dollars.

 

How good was the finish on the originals ? I have seen a lot of rear bumpers with a wavy finish and can see where the brackets are welded to the bumpers .Did the factory sand out these or just chrome over to save time ( cost )?

 

I would like to explain a few things to you guys. I worked in maintenance in an automotive parts plant for 34 years. Yes, there should be good welding fixtures to hold the weld brackets in place. Most times there is also a checking fixture to check the accuracy of the hole locations and correct position of the flat mounting surfaces. I am guessing that when these companies were lucky enough to get the original GM dies, they may not have gotten the checking fixture for it. Dies are made of metal block "sections". These can wear out and either fixed by welding and grinding or need a whole new section made. This is very exacting work. The stamping can change shape if someone is not that skilled to repair the dies. We had a whole department called...Die Repair!
I had bought a pair of GM 68-69 front bumperettes over the counter years ago. About ten years later when I tried to put them on my car, the upper weld plate on one of them had the opposite side welded in! There was no way to get a bolt into the crooked threaded hole.
I was told by a knowledgeable person that GM tried everything they could to NOT have the raised part in the top of the 68 front bumper "V". If you look at the the original pilot 68"s photos and in the 68 sales brochure, the "V" is straight across. Lou.

 

You can also check out Advanced Plating in Nashville Tenn. Definitely not cheap but considered the best in the street rod world.

 

new england chrome in connecticut will give you an estimate by size over the phone. They did my front and rear pieces on my side pipes. $80 each for the rear and $150 each for the front. They look new

NEC 866 528 7176

 

Hi Lou,
You can further understand what the front bumper guys were facing when you see the 'relief cut' made in the underside of the front bumper's center.
Regards,
Alan

 

When you bend a piece of metal like that, it is going to want to "kink" like that. I think that the pilot cars had hand fabricated front bumpers and that they may have welded two pieces together and then had them chromed. Or one piece was Ved and welded.When you deep draw a piece of metal in a die, it creates wrinkles on the sides. The auto manufactures had a limit on the size and number of wrinkles that were acceptable for each part. Lou.