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Just bought an 80 and have the (I understand) normal problem of wavy front and rear bumpers. My question is: Is there any way to fix the problem other than buy new (costly) bumpers. I've heard that new bumper repair material will fill in the wave and stick well enough to work. Any thoughts.
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
I have had a wavy rear spoiler for 25 years, doesn't bother me. The fix is expensive. If you are panning on a new paint job then it's a no brainer to buy a new rear bumper.
Just bought an 80 and have the (I understand) normal problem of wavy front and rear bumpers. My question is: Is there any way to fix the problem other than buy new (costly) bumpers. I've heard that new bumper repair material will fill in the wave and stick well enough to work. Any thoughts.
Thanks
First Q is has the car been damaged-repaired on front or rear?
Second Q:
Is the paint great or does it need redone in the immediate future?
if you intend on redoing the paint in the forseable future..buy new mounting hdw and fron and rear flex bumper covers and have the body-paint people install, prep/paint them.Same with previous damage, cracks, etc.
if paint is good..one can loosen the original front-rear bumper covers attachments..PITA..and carefully apply medium heat to the original bumper covers..and so them to get them to go back to their original contours..which were never perfect from the factory assembly line..then snug up the dozens of attachment bolts-fasteners..I had the paint body crew install new ss mounting hdw and flexi bumpers front 7 rear on my '78..it has been bumped tweaked ALL 4 corners prior to me getting it.. IT came out very nicely..but not cheap..Jim sorry for the sideways picture..My abilities with computers are limited..
Last edited by jim in oregon; Sep 21, 2016 at 03:57 PM.
Car has never been damaged. 39K original mile car. I presume that the bumpers are wavy from sun exposure. It needs paint desperately I am going to have it painted as soon as I figure out what I'm going to do about the wavy bumpers.
IF you do go for new fiberglass bumpers, and want them to look as solid as the rest of the car, I highly discourage you from Trueflex bumpers. Go for regular fiberglass, and evaluate how thick they are...you may need to add additional thickness by adding material on the inside. My painter encouraged me to go Trueflex because it does provide some movement for fitting, but in the end, it took a lot of sanding and filler to make them fit......and they still have some amount of waves / distortion. They are simply too thin, and too flexible. I regret it and is a constant issue when I look at my car. In my opinion, its not good enough unless the bumpers look as solid as the rest of the fiberglass, and there is no reason it shouldn't.
I will never understand how a person bought a brand new rubber bumper car and was satisfied with the poor quality wavy bumpers on the car. Its one of the few reasons I would prefer a chrome bumper car.
Last edited by Shovels and Vettes; Sep 21, 2016 at 06:16 PM.
If you go Glass buy it now and let it sit in the sun for a good while , then when it is put on car , fitted and sanded flat it will always hold a perfectly flat surface
As an owner of a 1980 since new I can say the best thing to do is to just get used to it. If You can find OEM Bumpers they will probably be warped when You get them and if not they will warp the first time the car is in the sun. Some cars were straight on one side and warped on the other. If You just can't live with it then Fiberglass replacements are the way to go. Expect 10 Hours or more of fitting for each end.
it's time to bite the bullet and save for a new paint job and new fiberglass bumpers, I did it and am very happy I did !!! if you can't aford to repaint, then live with what you have.
Last edited by lvmyvt76; Sep 23, 2016 at 07:53 AM.
I have had a wavy rear spoiler for 25 years, doesn't bother me. The fix is expensive. If you are panning on a new paint job then it's a no brainer to buy a new rear bumper.
I have had the wave rear spoiler on my 80 and now it's finally time to get around to the paint. The body shop said to get fiberglass, period.
So, which is the best fitting product out there? Which brand requires less man hours to get to fit well?
i think it has more to do with the car than who makes the product. my personal experience is that these cars are all over the map dimensionaly where the nose and tail bolt on. on the rear i have found 3/8" difference and have heard some have found near 1/2" differences between cars. my experience has been between 74 and 79 , maybe quality control tightened up some for the 80-82 years but i seriously doubt it tightened up very much
i think it has more to do with the car than who makes the product. my personal experience is that these cars are all over the map dimensionaly where the nose and tail bolt on. on the rear i have found 3/8" difference and have heard some have found near 1/2" differences between cars. my experience has been between 74 and 79 , maybe quality control tightened up some for the 80-82 years but i seriously doubt it tightened up very much
Using the term "quality control" with this 80 of mine is hilarious. Regardless, the question is still the same. Who makes the best product for the money?
Last edited by BlackC3vette; Sep 24, 2016 at 10:36 AM.
When I got my 80 painted, I did not want to spend a lot, and so I found a local guy working out of a pole building in his back yard. He told me in order to paint the car that he would need to remove the bumpers, paint separately, and then re install. I asked about just bonding on fiberglass new bumpers and painting the whole car together, and he agreed to do it for a little bit more, plus the cost of the bumpers. My total cost was $3800 for the job. Someday I'll have the car done right,....but for now it works for me.
80 corvette wavy bumpers
and carefully apply medium heat to the original bumper covers..and so them to get them to go back to their original contours..which were never perfect from the factory assembly line..
then snug up the dozens of attachment bolts-fasteners..I had the paint body crew install new ss mounting hdw and flexi bumpers front 7 rear on my '78..it has been bumped tweaked ALL 4 corners prior to me getting it.. IT came out very nicely..but not cheap..Jim sorry for the sideways picture..My abilities with computers are limited..
if you can't aford to repaint, then live with what you have.
