73 Front Bumper Replacement
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,951
Likes: 1
From: Shore NJ
73 Front Bumper Replacement
My front bumper split in the middle thanks to my buddie falling on it awhile ago so I got a Truflex bumper from Zip. The bumper with wrap weighes in at 5lbs.
I was wondering if any other 73 owners have replaced the front bumper and what's involved, I've sprayed the existing mounting bolts/nuts with BP to loosen them up after many years of being on. Any other things to look for?, it doesn't look that hard to remove but as we say here on the Forum "nothing's ever easy"
I was wondering if any other 73 owners have replaced the front bumper and what's involved, I've sprayed the existing mounting bolts/nuts with BP to loosen them up after many years of being on. Any other things to look for?, it doesn't look that hard to remove but as we say here on the Forum "nothing's ever easy"
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,951
Likes: 1
From: Shore NJ
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,951
Likes: 1
From: Shore NJ
Racer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 473
Likes: 6
From: New Port Richey FL
Previous owner gave me a fiberglass front when I bought the car (original rubber was very deteriorated) None of retainers were reusable so I bought the stainless steel set for fiberglass bumpers from Willcox (its a corvette america part) and didn't have any problems. The fiberglass is ridged and there are some very small gaps on the sides, but looks alot better than brittle rubber. Your flex bumper should be better. If your not ready to buy new retainers, you could drill out the bolts on the old retainers and slide some new bolts in those holes. Good luck.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,951
Likes: 1
From: Shore NJ
Update!
Getting the urethane bumper off my 73 was very easy, first I shot the retainers with BP for an overnite soaking, the metal bumper under the cover was also removed, again another easy job and weighs in at 20.5lbs. Ordered the Truflex bumper and new retainers, well the bumper didn't come close to matching up...
...(did I really expect it to) anyway ran it over to the local body shop and he told me to spend the extra $$$ and buy the urethane bumper and avoid all of the hassles of trying to mount the bumper which will never match good. He uses a small heat gun on todays flex bumpers, mounts them loose, applies light heat, then tightens and sets the bumpers, they hold the set, he showed me several bumpers that way. So I'm returning the Truflex and ordering a urethane bumper...nothing is easy!....
...(did I really expect it to) anyway ran it over to the local body shop and he told me to spend the extra $$$ and buy the urethane bumper and avoid all of the hassles of trying to mount the bumper which will never match good. He uses a small heat gun on todays flex bumpers, mounts them loose, applies light heat, then tightens and sets the bumpers, they hold the set, he showed me several bumpers that way. So I'm returning the Truflex and ordering a urethane bumper...nothing is easy!....
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 237
Likes: 0
From: TAMPA FL
This is a photo of a Truflex on my 73. I have at least 30 hours of work making it fit this well. I had to cut 3/8 sections from the bottom of the grill openings and do bondo work all around to get a good fit. I would never do it again. If you do get the stainless steel retainer kit. It makes it easier to fit. They are a different style than oem.
Dennis
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 6,339
Likes: 416
From: Seattle Area WA
What are the differences between various Urethane Bumpers
I'm shopping for a front urethane bumper for the '76. The price ranges from $210 for a generic aftermarket to $575 from Ecklers for a GM piece.
Does anyone know what the differences are?
Does anyone know what the differences are?
Pro
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 713
Likes: 1
From: plymouth mass
73 Bumper Cover
This is the year for 73 front bumper cover replacement. My cover is so brittle you can break pieces off with you fingers. I am leaning towards using the OEM type, though the price has me set back a bit. The fitment of the tru-flex and fiber-glas bumpers seems like a pain to me. The paint on my car is very good so I am not interested in doing any body work to the car to make the bumper fit right. So it looks like I am going to break open the piggy bank and spring for the OEM urethane type. Does anyone know if this part can be had through Chevy parts departments?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,951
Likes: 1
From: Shore NJ
This is a photo of a Truflex on my 73. I have at least 30 hours of work making it fit this well. I had to cut 3/8 sections from the bottom of the grill openings and do bondo work all around to get a good fit. I would never do it again. If you do get the stainless steel retainer kit. It makes it easier to fit. They are a different style than oem.
Dennis
DennisNice job you did to get it to fit. I could not get the Truflex bumper close to matching up and didn't want to paint the front clip just for a bumper, waiting for the OEM bumper..more $$$ but less headaches....interesting to see if a front chrome bumper from a 72 would fit and change the grills...hmmmmm
Last edited by 73jst4fun; Jan 20, 2007 at 07:33 AM.
Pro
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 627
Likes: 1
From: Naperville IL
unless you're paint guy is really good or did your original paint job, he's probably going to have to blend the front end a little anyway. I went with tru-flex and probably spent 10-15 hours fitting it. It's not perfect, but it's not something you'd notice unless you were really looking for it.
The 72 front end is not the same as the 73, if you just put a chrome bumper on, you'd end up with obviously oversized grills. It can and has been done, but I think it looks kinda goofy.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 23,121
Likes: 301
From: Do or do not there is no try YODA
Also if your are not familiar with painting the front end, my paint guy said it takes a different blend of materials than the rest of the car, to get the paint "right" for the uerothane.
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
Replacement 73 bumper
Heard to many horror stories about aftermarket bumpers so I went with the GM replacement bumper. Perfect fit. However, some of the retainer screw broke off when I removed the original. I wanted to keep the retainers original so I drilled out the broken studs and epoxied in flat head machine screws of the same length with new washers and nuts.
Worked great.
Now I need help on preping and painting the bumper.
gm73vette
Worked great.
Now I need help on preping and painting the bumper.
gm73vette
Pro
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 713
Likes: 1
From: plymouth mass
I am with you I think GM73Vette. I have heard a bunch of horror stories over the years about the various replacement bumpers for our cars and the work to fit them properly. I am going to suck it up and use the GM part as you did. I have to talk to my body shop about me fitting it first, then removing to paint or painting it on the car. My paint is over twenty years old so matching might be a problem.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,951
Likes: 1
From: Shore NJ
I am with you I think GM73Vette. I have heard a bunch of horror stories over the years about the various replacement bumpers for our cars and the work to fit them properly. I am going to suck it up and use the GM part as you did. I have to talk to my body shop about me fitting it first, then removing to paint or painting it on the car. My paint is over twenty years old so matching might be a problem.
Last edited by 73jst4fun; Jan 23, 2007 at 06:37 AM.