C3 Tech/Performance V8 Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Basic Tech and Maintenance for the C3 Corvette
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

1973 Front Bumper

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 2, 2010 | 06:03 AM
  #1  
grinzi's Avatar
grinzi
Thread Starter
7th Gear
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Rain Bavaria, Germany
Default 1973 Front Bumper

Hi guys,

i´m on the way to rebuild by front bumper. The old one was damaged an i removed it completely.
For the restoration i bought a fibreglass front nose here in germany. The guy i was buying at told me the nose was bought in usa and should fit ...
But what should i say - The nose does not match to my car.
If placing it to my front there´s a overhang of round about one thumb at the left side if fitting it closely to the right side. Also the nose does not reach to the lower valance panel - There are round about 1,5 inch missing...
I have to buy a new nose and don´t know which to buy.
(in order to don´t use a saw while installing... )

So my questions are:
- Is that usual for those fibreglass noses?
- Does only a genuine GM front nose fit as i want to?
- Is Ecklers Flex-Fit a option? (Any experiences?)
- PU / Fibreglass?

Many thanks in forward and
a Happy New Year

Last edited by grinzi; Jan 2, 2010 at 06:05 AM.
Reply
Old Jan 2, 2010 | 08:48 AM
  #2  
Vette73's Avatar
Vette73
LS/MFT
Supporting Lifetime Gold
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 5,874
Likes: 0
From: Cary IL
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12
Default

Fiberglass replacement parts almost always require "minor modifications" to fit. Get an original urethane replacement part. Give a call to Corvette Malburg in Gensingen (near Bad Kruenznach) :06727 / 5555. He used to be a neighbor when I lived in Hochstaetten (Pfaltz) and while he can be a bit of a "snake" at times, he knows his stuff and has a pretty decent parts supply.

You have pix of your car?
Reply
Old Jan 2, 2010 | 10:04 AM
  #3  
redwingvette's Avatar
redwingvette
Safety Car
Supporting Lifetime
20 Year Member
Active Streak: 30 Days
Active Streak: 60 Days
Liked
 
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 3,685
Likes: 202
From: Waterford Mi
Default

I replaced mine with Trueflex fiberglass bumper from Willcox here on this site.
bumper replacement
Reply
Old Jan 2, 2010 | 10:16 AM
  #4  
GREGG-73's Avatar
GREGG-73
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,813
Likes: 1
From: JOPPA MD
Default

Mike,

I am a Truflex fan myself...and have had geat success in using them. As mentioned above, they all need a little tweaking to fit. But, it is not that big of a deal. Sounds like, you have a purchased another year, and that will cause you problems with the fit. Check out the larger Corvette house's here in the states for the best price you can get, Willcox, Paragon, Ecklers are all great stating points. Let us know how it all shakes down.
Reply
Old Jan 2, 2010 | 04:19 PM
  #5  
oldsarge's Avatar
oldsarge
Race Director
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,977
Likes: 19
From: Canboro Ontario
Default

Originally Posted by GREGG-73
Mike,

I am a Truflex fan myself...and have had geat success in using them. As mentioned above, they all need a little tweaking to fit. But, it is not that big of a deal. Sounds like, you have a purchased another year, and that will cause you problems with the fit. Check out the larger Corvette house's here in the states for the best price you can get, Willcox, Paragon, Ecklers are all great stating points. Let us know how it all shakes down.

Even though I went with original urethane, I also had to do some adjusting to make a good fit. Find your best buy, as shown above and good luck.
Reply
Old Jan 2, 2010 | 06:01 PM
  #6  
grinzi's Avatar
grinzi
Thread Starter
7th Gear
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Rain Bavaria, Germany
Default

All right guys, thank you so far - I will post a few pics tomorrow to realise what i mean exactly. But anyway i will check out sellers you told me. Anyone experiences with Ecklers Flex-Fit?
Reply
Old Jan 2, 2010 | 11:11 PM
  #7  
chvet73's Avatar
chvet73
Pro
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 605
Likes: 0
From: Alta Loma CA
Default

Spounds like a poor product to me. My fiberglass unit from J & D Corvette was off at most 1/8" on two areas. A long board took care of that.
Reply
Old Jan 3, 2010 | 11:34 AM
  #8  
grinzi's Avatar
grinzi
Thread Starter
7th Gear
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Rain Bavaria, Germany
Default

Problems with the pics... cam had a small issue - Will be back tomorrow.
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

 Joe Kucinski
story-6

Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Jan 4, 2010 | 12:14 AM
  #9  
73, Dark Blue 454's Avatar
73, Dark Blue 454
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,838
Likes: 10
From: Austin TX
Default

I've done both the fiberglass and the original urethane. There was no comparison for fit. The urethane is very easy to contour to the car. On the fiberglass nose, I had to contour the car to fiberglass nose.

Get the urethane. I believe it's still available at your Chevy counter (who will likely have to have it order it) But it's not cheap,..$600~.
Reply
Old Jan 4, 2010 | 10:02 PM
  #10  
DVG73's Avatar
DVG73
Racer
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 485
Likes: 1
From: Dallas Texas
Default

I have a tru flex and had to mod it. The problem is the bumpers are the same size but the cars are not. I cut mine in half to remove some of it as it was too long, then added some glass to the nose area to close the gaps a bit and it fit. I spent hours getting this to fit right, as I am no expert in fiberglass but after this I am getting closer. In retrospect it would have been easier to do urethane and about the same price if you include my labor but I was free! I do like the fact there are no waves with the fiberglass. But to each his own preference, good luck.
Reply
Old Jan 5, 2010 | 02:14 PM
  #11  
GREGG-73's Avatar
GREGG-73
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,813
Likes: 1
From: JOPPA MD
Default

Reply

Get notified of new replies

To 1973 Front Bumper





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:10 PM.

story-0
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Corvettes that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 10:34:17


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

A lot of money has changed hands at the online auction house over the years.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-03 10:21:50


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: 10 great gifts Corvette enthusiasts actually want for Father's Day!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:40


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

Slideshow: These are the quirks, annoyances, and oddly lovable problems that every Corvette owner eventually learns to live with.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 09:31:39


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

Slideshow: 10 reasons why the C6 Z06 is still a performance benchmark after 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 17:20:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

Slideshow: How much horsepower every Corvette engine lost in 1972.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:54:53


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-8
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-9
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE