Hello. After picking up our `75 from the repair shop,( rear end rebuild and strut rod bushing replacement), I stopped for gas. As I get to the back of the car I notice that the formerly pristine( original paint and NO cracks ) rear bumper is now cracked at both upper corners and pulled away on the passenger's side. After further inspection I notice there is a fresh 4 inch crack on the lower passenger's side front bumper. These were NOT there when I dropped it off! Needless to say I am shocked and just sick about it. I have not shown my wife the damage yet. She bought the car in 1976,( it's like a family member) and is going to FLIP when she sees it! Any suggestions on how to approach them would be appreciated. I'm calling them first thing in the morning. Thanks. P.S. It is a "Corvettes only" repair shop.
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Re: Repair Shop Damage
Brian - very sorry to hear about your troubles and I wish you luck as you approach the shop for explanation.
Keep this board informed and it would be beneficial if you mentioned the shop and/or state so others don't get burned. But again, let's hope things go well tomorrow.
Peter -
Re: Repair Shop Damage
the bumpers on your 75 are extremely fragile after being manufactured nearly 30 years ago. sounds like the shop probably exerted a tad too much pressure on them and resulted in fracture city. good luck in dealing with them.Comment
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Re: Repair Shop Damage
I had this type of thing happen at my shop one time. The guy brought a nice 75 with original bumpers to me for a few repairs. I saw a couple of cracks on the bumpers when the car was at the shop, but didnt think too much of it. After he picked it up, he called me to say that I had cracked his bumpers. Well I knew that was impossible, because I was the only one who had touched the car when in my posession. Now this car had spent the last years of its life in a climate controlled garage, and it spent a couple of days with me, going from cold to hot a few times in and out of the shop. We all know that these 73-75 bumpers made of the black material are a time bomb. They will crumble like a saltine cracker at a slight touch. My customer was sane and agreeable, when I explained the situation, and I even showed him a previous repair. We determined that the temperature changes had finished them off. So just keep this in mind when you get nasty with the shop. Maybe they did, maybe they didnt, but this were an explosion waiting to happen. If you dont believe me, when you decide to break down and get some new ones, take your hands and rip those old ones off with your bare hands. They will crumble like an egg shell.Comment
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Re: Repair Shop Damage
I have had similar experiences with old urethane bumpers. They are indeed very fragile and will sometimes crack at the slightest excuse. Once in this condition, they are almost impossible to repair satisfactorily.Comment
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Re: Repair Shop Damage
I agree with Wayne . I have a customer who is the original owner of a 50,000 mile 74. he drove it .parked it in his garage covered it, a few weeks later un covered it and the bumpers had huge cracks.no one had been in his garage but him . when we removed them for replacement we laid them on the floor body side down ,the next morning they had crumbled into a pile of very small pieces. Do not blame the shop for something sunlight and nature done . these covers are not repairable. BillComment
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Re: Repair Shop Damage
Wayne is absolutely correct. My original 74 bumpers acted just as he describes, you can grab them and rip to shreds. Even my replacement front bumper (now off the car as it is in restoration) is warped now. I have a NOS 80-82 style rear bumper, never mounted yet that I bought about 12 years ago, I hope it doesn't deteriorate before I install it...it has never seen outside light.....CraigComment
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Re: Repair Shop Damage
I have to agree with those who point out that these urethane bumpers deteriorate with time. the paint tends to hold them together and suddenly they crack. It can happen with no one touching them. I have seen it happen on the judging field. When I had my 74 painted, the painter warned me they might crack just my loosening the mounting bolts. With my approval, he loosened the bolts and they both split like dropping a watermelon. Sorry to say, I would be reluctant to blame the shop. For originality, I would use current replacements also made of urethane although they do not have the letter indents that originals had. If you are not concerned about originality, then consider flex fiberglass or fiberglass but a proper fit requires skill and patience.Comment
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