67 front bumper brace help
image.jpegI was putting front bumpers on today and have never payed attention to the front bumper brace. Actually, I never had another to compare to and both sides had this bend in it. I'm thinking now the brace should be perfectly straight with just a 90 degree bend to make the attachment point at the bumper. Is my assumption correct and the curve in the brace depicted in the picture wrong? Many thanks!!
-
-
Re: 67 front bumper brace help
The brace comes straight out from the frame with a 90 deg bend at the bumper. You photo is incorrect, maybe a leftover bend from a previous collision....... -
Re: 67 front bumper brace help
Lol! It's all making sense now. Had nothing to compare to and bumper alignment might be better with them straight.Comment
-
Re: 67 front bumper brace help
Strange bends in yours. I suspect someone did that to compensate for "something"? Those bends shortened the distance between frame mount and bumper mount position, I'm guessing probably a good 1/2" to 1" or so. Very strange.
Getting the bumpers aligned is sometimes difficult. Keep in mind the lower brackets to the crossmember may need some adjusting/bending, and shims at the brackets to bumpers may be needed for a good alignment. Watch the outer side brackets to the body as damage to the fiberglass is possible.
Some photos for comparison.
1967 all bumper bracket pieces F & R ....
PC010186.jpgPC010187.jpgPC010188.jpgPC010189.jpg
A different '67 (Front) with some detail shots of original markings.....
P1160008.jpgP1160009.jpgP1160010.jpgP1160011.jpgP1160012.jpg
Bumper alignment can take a long time to get right. This one took a while. It was not aligned very well previously by a prior body shop after repairs to the nose. I had to bend the lower brackets, add washers between the lower bracket mount bolts and crossmember, add shims to the bumpers, etc to get acceptable. IIRC took a few hours to make me happy.
P4010001.jpgP4010004.jpgP4010005.jpgP4010006.jpg
Rears are fun also. Shims are common. Not original, but I bend some large washers to fit the profiles of the sides to help protect the delicate mount areas as shown. If needed(usually always), I also do this on the front side mounts after damage repairs.
P3120049.jpgP3120050.jpgP3120051.jpgP3120057.jpgP3120058.jpgP3120052.jpgP3120053.jpgP3120054.jpg
All four corner side mounts had damage to the fiberglass and required a resin/mat/ redrill to correct. You can sneak some thin plastic "paint-protectors" between bumper and body corners to minimize damage to the paint, but too much stress can crack the fiberglass.
RichComment
-
Re: 67 front bumper brace help
definitely a old hit can see damage on the grill from where the brace is rubbingComment
-
Re: 67 front bumper brace help
Yes it was a old hit. When I bought the car the drivers side bumper was raised just enough to interfere with the headlight bucket and the fiberglass was cracked on the outer mounting point.Comment
Comment