Question: Bumper question (again)

[lagnaf]

Hey fellas... and ladies... another bumper question for ya.
I ordered a tru flex bumper and it won't fit onto the car due to the metal framework piece that sticks out in the front of the car. The guy at the place I ordered it from said it needs to be removed from the car since it was only there to help the original urethane bumper hold it's own weight in the first place.

Anyone ever hear of this before?

 

[73shark]

Nope. Are you referring to the main reinforcement bar? It was my understanding when I investigated the Tru-Flex was that it was a direct replacement but would require some "fitting". That's why I opted out.

 

[Evolution1980]

Anyone ever hear of this before?

I smell BS.
The TruFlex should be identical to the OEM bumper regardless of it's composition. That would make sense, correct???
It's likely just a poorly made TruFlex bumper, which is what I've been saying for sometime now (regarding these bumpers).

 

[Bill75]

Well he may be sort of correct. These replacement bumpers don't fit the car right out of the box, at least the ones for a 75 don't. I had to do allot of shifting of brackets and grinding others to make them adjust enough. The cushion in the front of the car that's meant to absorb shock on impact has to be ground down along the edges to fit inside the new bumper, is was a real pain in the ass. My instructions said to remove it..............don't do that! It's an important safety feature. Maybe he was referring to that.

 

[lagnaf]

Well he may be sort of correct. These replacement bumpers don't fit the car right out of the box, at least the ones for a 75 don't. I had to do allot of shifting of brackets and grinding others to make them adjust enough. The cushion in the front of the car that's meant to absorb shock on impact has to be ground down along the edges to fit inside the new bumper, is was a real pain in the ass. My instructions said to remove it..............don't do that! It's an important safety feature. Maybe he was referring to that.

I'm really very reluctant to remove it. Perhaps I can play with it some more to make it work.

 

[Bill75]

I'm really very reluctant to remove it. Perhaps I can play with it some more to make it work.

Do you know what the interference is from? I have some pictures of what I had to do with mine to make it fit that I can post when I get home if it helps.

 

[bill81vette]

when I had my vette done,BOTH the front and rear were truflex bumpers...
they both need to be fitted to the vette.
and I replaced my support as well as the old one had been injured in an accident from a previous owner..

 

[lagnaf]

Do you know what the interference is from? I have some pictures of what I had to do with mine to make it fit that I can post when I get home if it helps.

The interference comes from the bar itself. It seems to protrude too far out... preventing the replacement Truflex bumper from seating up against the body of the car.

Those pictures would be awesome.

 

[Bill75]

Here's some shots. I had to grind the top brace to get it inside the bumper and also shorten the round rummer support shown in the picture. You may not have that support in your car. I had to chamfer the black cushion all around with a grinder to get it to fit inside the new bumper. I used blue chaulk on the cushion, installed the bumper to see where it hit, then ground some off.

Notch I had to cut in the bumper to clear the brace

Same brace shown from top.

 

[lagnaf]

Great photos Bill. Unfortunately the setup for the '73 bumper system is quite different from your '75.

 

[Bill75]

Oh well, sorry. Good luck with yours.

 

[lagnaf]

Oh well, sorry. Good luck with yours.

Thanks man. I seriously appreciate your help.

 

[KOPBET]

I ordered a tru flex bumper and it won't fit onto the car due to the metal framework piece that sticks out in the front of the car. The guy at the place I ordered it from said it needs to be removed from the car since it was only there to help the original urethane bumper hold it's own weight in the first place.

Uh, that "metal framework" IS the bumper. The urethane is just a cover for esthetics and body match.

 

[lagnaf]

Uh, that "metal framework" IS the bumper. The urethane is just a cover for esthetics and body match.

This is what I would think.

 

[73shark]

Like Dustin Hoffman's Dad said in "The Graduate" - urethane

(Actually he said plastics but you get the point)