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Does anyone have a temporary solution for fixing bumper cracks? I have a bunch of cracks all over the front bumper of my '73 (bought it less than a year ago), so much so that I am afraid it might rip apart while I am driving. I just want something to hold the bumper together for the summer as I fix other parts on my car before replacing the entire bumper. It doesn't have to be too pretty since I'll be replacing the bumper anyways. Please note I plan to replace the bumper as the long term fix, just looking for a temporary solution so I can take my car on some test drives without fear of bumper flying apart.
Is there some kind of epoxy/panel adhesive/glue that I can use to fill the cracks and reattach the two bumper pieces (vertical supports) on either side of the license plate? See the 20+ pictures of the cracks below...
Thanks in advance
Image 1 Image 2 - Right side bumper near center Image 3 - support to the right of license plate Image 4 - bottom of support to the right of license plate Image 5 - bottom view of bottom support to the right of license plate Image 6 - bottom view of bottom support to the right of license plate Image 7 - component screw tightens into is sheared off on right side of bumper Image 8 - Support to the left of license plate missing. I have it separately. Image 9 - component screw tightens into is sheared off on left side of bumper Image 10 - left side bumper Image 11 - left side bumper bottom Image 12 - left side bumper bottom Image 13 - left side bumper bottom Image 14 - far left side bumper Image 15 - far left side bumper Image 16 - vertical lines are cracks on inside of bumper which are showing underneath the paint Image 17 - vertical lines are cracks on inside of bumper which are showing underneath the paint Image 18 - vertical lines are cracks on inside of bumper which are showing underneath the paint Image 19 - vertical lines are cracks on inside of bumper which are showing underneath the paint Image 20 - vertical lines are cracks on inside of bumper which are showing underneath the paint Image 21 - vertical lines are cracks on inside of bumper which are showing underneath the paint Image 22 - vertical lines are cracks on inside of bumper which are showing underneath the paint
I think the best solution will be Gorilla Brand Black Mending Tape from Home Depot. For the past two years I have used the tape over the split leather seat bottom, on my daily diver. The tape pieces seem to last about three months, when a piece starts to come off, I just remove the section and add a new piece. I can’t remember the cost, but it’s a whole lot stronger/sticker than the “Duct Brand” Tape.
just ignore the cracks. they will go away. the whole bumper will go away. one piece at a time. then there will be no more cracks. another option is to replace the bumper. that bumper is dying fast. when they get like that they just completely come apart.
just ignore the cracks. they will go away. the whole bumper will go away. one piece at a time. then there will be no more cracks. another option is to replace the bumper. that bumper is dying fast. when they get like that they just completely come apart.
I know it needs replacing, just looking for a temporary solution. Hoping to fix other issues first, and want to slow the bumper from coming completely apart for the short term. I'm new to working on cars so things take me longer, just trying to tackle one issue at a time
Given my limited knowledge on this subject, would driving around without a front bumper cause any other issues? Not sure what's worse, trying to choose the lesser of the two evils here.
Still curious, is there any body panel adhesive that people use (not craft glue, something much much stronger)? I'd like to try that before using tape
Last edited by roamin' around; Apr 15, 2021 at 01:50 AM.
I'm not a fan of any types of bras! I just pulled that pic off the internet.
Like others have said- the bumpers just sort of disintegrate-
Much like the mental capacity of the man who owned all of these.........what a sad, sad story of taking advantage of the ill.
BTW...the bra idea is the best one IMHO......you will NEVER find anything to stick to 50 year old poly bumpers and even if you did...it will just crumble somewhere else.
Much like the mental capacity of the man who owned all of these.........what a sad, sad story of taking advantage of the ill.
BTW...the bra idea is the best one IMHO......you will NEVER find anything to stick to 50 year old poly bumpers and even if you did...it will just crumble somewhere else.
Jebby
Thanks Jebby. I posted in the parts for sale a WTB for the nose guard/bra for 73-74. I know the car doesn't look pretty with the nose guard, but neither do all the cracks. Oh well. Thanks for the help hopefully I can find one
I tried fixing smaller cracks on a 73 and it is an exercise in futility. When I removed the cover and put it on the floor, the next morning it was in multiple pieces. Either tape it with good duct tape, put a bra over it or replace it. When you replace it, FYI - the Flexiglass version is a horrible fit and will take a whole lot of messaging and fiberglass resin and cloth to get it close to fitting and it will still have areas missing on the bottom.
Duct tape is a good temporary solution. It will hold the dried up crumbling pieces from flying off. Replacing the front bumper was the first thing I did on my 74 because it was even worse than yours.. almost glassed my fiberglass replacement in but very glad I didn't as someone backed into my front bumper at a car show two years after painting the car.
Last edited by augiedoggy; Apr 15, 2021 at 06:25 PM.
Duct tape .... If myth-busters can build a sail boat with it , and actually sail it on a river with both of them in it i'm sure it will hold your cover together. If you cut each end with scissors and make sure it lays nice and flat it wont look that bad as well. Just wash off the dust before you start.
Yeah, I'm just looking for the bumper to hold itself together for a few months until I get around to replacing the bumper entirely (I heard about the truflex waviness woes, was leaning more towards fiberglass).
Personally I like how the front bumper seam looks so I wouldn't want to cover it up. Personal preference. I don't want to mess with the paint in the rest of the car either, so I plan having the bumper painted to match the rest of the car.
Regarding duct tape, I don't think I could live with myself putting duct tape visibly on the body. What I've been looking into and will probably pursue is using some 3M Scotchgard Paint Protection Film Pro Series in patches to keep the bumper together. It's apparently very strong and clear so won't be as noticeable as duct tape. You can buy a 12"x60" piece for $40.
I still need to look into if it's worth using any sort of adhesive to bond the two vertical supports on either side of the license plate. I'm not confident that the protection film by itself could hold those in place due to the small surface area.
Last edited by roamin' around; Apr 15, 2021 at 07:47 PM.
the 73 to early 75 urethane just came apart in big chunks. ypurs should have done that 10 to 15 years ago. the fact it took this long just means it is gonna fall apart faster now. grab the pieces and break them off. you will have the whole bumper cover off in about 5 minutes. then it will look like a vette that is in the process of getting a new bumper cover. note: 73sbvert. said he glassed his together. i am pretty sure he meant after replacing old bumper with a new glass one. now. waves. that is with replacement urethane bumpers. supremely expensive but bolt right on and look wavy like they did when new. trueflex. light thin fiberglass that is MORE flexible than real rigid glass. but not really flexible. real hard fiberglass. frequently does not fit that well but is the bumper cover to go with. DUB did a piece on fitting the bumper to the car without messing with the paint on the car. took a bunch of trial and error and remove-fill-sand-reinstall-repeat. but got acceptable results when the rest of the car was too good to repaint. here it is. just keep in mind he has been doing these bodies a long time. so he is better than most of us, but if he says do it this way not that way it is cuz he learned the hard way... AND HE USES CAPS TOO MUCH. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-corvette.html
Last edited by derekderek; Apr 16, 2021 at 08:52 AM.
the 73 to early 75 urethane just came apart in big chunks. ypurs should have done that 10 to 15 years ago. the fact it took this long just means it is gonna fall apart faster now. grab the pieces and break them off. you will have the whole bumper cover off in about 5 minutes. then it will look like a vette that is in the process of getting a new bumper cover. note: 73sbvert. said he glassed his together. i am pretty sure he meant after replacing old bumper with a new glass one. now. waves. that is with replacement urethane bumpers. supremely expensive but bolt right on and look wavy like they did when new. trueflex. light thin fiberglass that is MORE flexible than real rigid glass. but not really flexible. real hard fiberglass. frequently does not fit that well but is the bumper cover to go with. DUB did a piece on fitting the bumper to the car without messing with the paint on the car. took a bunch of trial and error and remove-fill-sand-reinstall-repeat. but got acceptable results when the rest of the car was too good to repaint. here it is. just keep in mind he has been doing these bodies a long time. so he is better than most of us, but if he says do it this way not that way it is cuz he learned the hard way... AND HE USES CAPS TOO MUCH. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-corvette.html
Yes, replaced the broken bumper cover with fiberglass cover, then my body man blended and smoothed the whole thing together. I have a perfect condition TrueFlex bumper for sale if anyone is interested...
'73 front bumper cracks help
