Question: Tru-Flex Bumpers? Thoughts?

[KANE]

Is anyone using a True-Flex rear bumper? Was it easier to fit on the car? Does it really flex as much as the advertising or is it just hype?

I'm thinking of purchasing one- WILCOX has a great deal on them. Feedback would be great.

 

[73shark]

Thought about a Tru-flex but when they told me it had to be trimmed, I got a NOS urethane from my dealer parts guy at a good discount.

 

[Peer81]

Both front and rear bumpers are Tru Flex. Almost no flex in them so be sure they fit perfectly because after painting adapting to the body isn't that easy. Rear bumper isn't a big problem for the front bumper you need to cut a little off the honeycomb behind the bumper.

Groeten Peter

 

[bill81vette]

I too have tru-flex bumpers on my vette.
Back was a good fit front needed a little help...
just remember these are collision parts they DO NOT flex if they are hit!!!

 

[Evolution1980]

Johnny, years ago I had tried a Tru-Flex on my front and the fitment was horrible! I had to send it back and just ended up refurbing (at the time) my OEM bumper.
The "Tru-Flex" bumpers were originally formulated and made by ACI in Toledo, Ohio. If I recall the story correctly from the horse's mouth, Bart the owner didn't like how they were turning out fit & finish-wise and decided to stop making them. A few guys who left ACI then decided to buy out the stock and kept on creating them in their own place. However, they didn't have the quality facility that ACI has and they were using molds that weren't very good. Thus their quality continued to be a problem.

So! With that being said...find out what Wilcox's return policies are. I'm guessing that if you have to modify the bumper in any way, shape, or form, it's yours for the keepin'! So if you get it, try to make sure everything lines up before you do anything major.

As I think someone already noted above, the bumper is still a fiberglass base and thus can crack like a regular fiberglass bumper. The only difference (if I recall) is that there's more flex additive which tries to make it have the "flexibility" of something between a regular fiberglass bumper and a urethane bumper.

 

[Larry G]

I changed out my original bumber covers before I had the car painted last summer. I removed the honeycomb from the front as i felt the fiberglass did not need it. Sold it on ebay. The fitting to the body was not that difficult although reading the directions made it sound like it could be. Maybe I just got lucky. I think they look a lot better that the droppy urathane ones.

 

[73shark]

No droop on mine.

 

[LVMYVT76]

I am trying to get a truflex front bumper attached to my 76, it doesn't fit very well. It is NOT is simple take off and bolt back on job. I will probably need some body work done to get it to match up. I did not want to go back with original uruathane bumper because of the wavy looks and different paint coloring that occures when adding the flex agent to the paint. It has been a learning experience.

 

[Evolution1980]

...years ago I had tried a Tru-Flex on my front and the fitment was horrible!
So! With that being said...find out what (the) return policies are. I'm guessing that if you have to modify the bumper in any way, shape, or form, it's yours for the keepin'! So if you get it, try to make sure everything lines up before you do anything major.

I am trying to get a truflex front bumper attached to my 76, it doesn't fit very well. It is NOT is simple take off and bolt back on job. I will probably need some body work done to get it to match up. I did not want to go back with original uruathane bumper because of the wavy looks and different paint coloring that occures when adding the flex agent to the paint. It has been a learning experience.

Have you modified the bumper yet? I wouldn't modify your existing fiberglass or mounting point to accomodate your TruFlex. If you ever decide to go back to a properly fitting urethane or fiberglass bumper, you're olny going to have more issues.
I would consider sending it back and eating the loss on the shipping. You can always get an actual fiberglass replacement (like I got from ACI) or get yourself an OEM urethane. The days of painted urethane not matching up to painted fiberglass is pretty much gone. Paint matching and chemical advancements have all but alleviated that issue. The real problem lies in getting your new paint to match the color of your existing 30+ years sun-faded paint. That's where a good painter can feather the paint so it seemlessly blends to the existing color.

If there's any concerns about having fiberglass bumpers...well, ask yourself, "How often did I really bang into anything with the front/rear bumper?" If you are fairly careful with your car, having a fiberglass bumper is no major issue. It will still have some give to it should you nudge up against something. If you hit anything in a catastrophic manner, the Tru-Flex or urethane bumper is likely going to sustain enough damage to warrant being replaced anyways. So either way, you're replacing a bumper.

 

[Peer81]

I think there is also a lot of difference between the different tru flex bumpers (price - quality).

Groeten Peter

 

[Evolution1980]

Any decision made? My vote goes to either an OEM urethane or a fiberglass. (Myself, I went with the 'glass from ACI)

 

[G-Vette]

The body shop couldn't the tru-flex to fit right so I got a GM urethane one instead. Every vette will fit different tho - a lot of people seem to have had good luck with the tru-flex.

 

[ntmd8r3]

My vette is currently in the shop getting painted. My original front bumper cover had a split in one of the front bumperettes. I did what I thought was a fair amount of research and everything I read said that tru-flex was the way to go for minimal fitting issues. But my body shop told me it took several hours to get it to fit correctly. Of course the guy doing the job is a perfectionist( I wouldn't want it any other way). In the end the fit looks better than the original bumper that was on there.

 

[73shark]

Sounds like you found a good painter. Just curious how much the fitment of the Tru-Flex ran, if he broke it out separately.

 

[ntmd8r3]

They are not charging me extra for the bumper fitment. I wouldn't blame them if they did. I truly didn't expect it to require so much work after everything that I had read about truflex. I figured seeing as how they were going to remove the front bumper cover for painting and the old one was bad it should be no big deal to fit the new one it the old bumpers place. They have had the car 7 weeks so far, I expect to get it back by next friday. The few times that I have been to see the car the front bumper is going to look much better than the old one when it comes to the way the it mates to the car.