76 front bumper replacement

[LVMYVT76]

I am replacing my front bumper on my 76 with a flex fiberglass one. I know i will have to do some body matching when i get it attached. Anyone done one of these? I see that i will have to leave off some of the parts that helped to shape the original one. Any tips on getting to the new bolts that will hold it in place?

 

[Bill75]

I did mine last year, it was not one of the most fun things I've done in life for sure. They basically don't fit and you have to grind the metal parts on the car to get them to line up. DON'T change the lines of the fiberglass on the car to match the bumber, match the bumper to the car. They'll tell you to remove the crash cushion in the center and discard it. Don't do it, it's a safety feature that you'll be glad you have if you hit something. Grind off what you have to to make it fit in the new bumper. I had a heck of a time with my 75 to get it to fit the car but it finally came out OK. If you use the inside retainer over again you can cut it in 3 pieces to make it easier to get back in or buy new ones (Ecklers 22979,22985,22987).
I sanded the glecoat right off of mine until you could just see the fiberglass before painting it.

To be successful at this job the beer budget must be more than the cost of the parts!

Good luck with it.

Bill

 

[bill81vette]

when mine was done we used a flex-fit front bumper from corvette central.it was less expensive,but we did have to fit it to the body.And it did take two of us to put the bolts ans nuts in!otherwise you have to be a contortionist to get them on.Everthing that belongs behind the bumper on mine is still there,we put it back on b/4 the bumper.we did however save the headlite doors for last!if you leave them out it may help getting the bumper on!good luck

 

[LVMYVT76]

HOW did you get the bolts into the bumper? If I try silicone to hold the individual bolts in place, they will not go into the holes because of a piece of metal that is on the car. Did you have to cut anything down or remove the egg crate material that on originally? I have replaced the rear with a flex fiberglass and it was not much trouble to do. Any hilp is appreciated.

 

[Bill75]

HOW did you get the bolts into the bumper? If I try silicone to hold the individual bolts in place, they will not go into the holes because of a piece of metal that is on the car. Did you have to cut anything down or remove the egg crate material that on originally? I have replaced the rear with a flex fiberglass and it was not much trouble to do. Any hilp is appreciated.

Do you mean the inside retainer?? If so either replace it with a three piece design or cut the original into three sectiions, a straight one across the front and two side pieces. It makes the job from hell much easier to line up.

I had to grind the egg crate material to get the bumper t go on, I spent allot of time doing it so as not to tak too much off. I used blue chaulk dust that builders use on a snap line. Put it on the egg crate material and it'll leave a mark in the bumper where it's hitting.

I also had to raise up the bumper supports on the sides to get the top to line up. There was a rubber piece between the bottom of the front fiberglass and the bumber framework that I had to grind down. Some cars have it some don't.

I'l post you a couple of pics of it later, I'm not home now.

Bill

Edit: Picture of front cushion area and underneath modification.

 

[LVMYVT76]

Thanks for posting the pictures. Having a little trouble understanding what needs to be done before mounting of bumper. I need to cut or grind off the piece that surrounds the honeycomb piece? This is what seems to be stopping me from putting the bumper straight into the mounting holes. This seems to the easiest to do. Wonder why the bumper company doesn't have any instructions to help a person out?

 

[Bill75]

I need to cut or grind off the piece that surrounds the honeycomb piece? Wonder why the bumper company doesn't have any instructions to help a person out?

Nope, you'll have to grind off the honneycomb a little around the edges to get it to fit inside the bumper. The arrow pointing to the metal piece in the picture had to be moved up to allow the top of the bumper to be flush with the car. To do that you'll have to loosen the bolts holding it in the fender wells on both sides a little to allow that whole piece to raise up, it goes from one side of the car to the other. On my car it was pretty impossible to get it up high enough for a nice fit because that rubber support wouldn't allow it to go any higher. The rubber support can be seen just behind the arrow. I had to grind off the support on a belt sander little by little until I could raise up the support enough. I didn't want to just eliminate it because it supports the front fiberglass area. I've heard some people say they didn't have this rubber piece in their car so you may not either.

Some companies want you to eliminate that honneycomb because their bumbers were not made correctly to fit around it, I think it's an important safety feature.

Bill

 

[75 flame orange]

hard job

Bill,your scaring me.Is it really that hard of a job,as i plan to do the front and rear bumpers on my 75 in the fall before it goes in for paint.
carmen

 

[Bill75]

Bill,your scaring me.Is it really that hard of a job,as i plan to do the front and rear bumpers on my 75 in the fall before it goes in for paint.
carmen

It sucks!!! I'd rather do the trailing arms again. These jerks that make these bumpers could care less about the poor guys that have to make them fit. I wrote a long detailed letter to the manufacturer of mine about where there were problems and they never bothered to answer. Stupid me for thinking they really care! I bought mine from Mid America, if I remember right it was made by ACR or something like that. I don't have the records with me at the moment.


Don't be disouraged by what I say, just realize that it's most likely not going to be a bolt on job and you'll be plenty frustrated. Knowing that you can get prepared to deal with it mentally rather than taking a hammer to the thing!!

Bill

 

[75 flame orange]

ok bill,thanks for the heads up.