How to ID 58-60 repop bumpers

[Greg L.]

Is there an easy way to tell 58-60 repop bumpers from originals? I looked at a 59 today and the bumper had lots of sand scratch marks under the chrome so I figured that it was just a poor prep job before they were rechromed. Then I flicked them with my finger and they seemed "thin" if that makes any sense.

I know that this was a poor description of these bumpers so is there a common way to tell repops from originals?

Thanks.

[John H.]

Re: How to ID 58-60 repop bumpers

Greg -

The only U.S.-made reproduction is made by Paragon (using the original GM stamping dies and weld fixtures), and they normally have the Paragon logo ("PR") stamped on at least one of the welded-in mounting brackets. Dunno about the offshore repros.

I wrote a detailed, photo-illustrated feature article on how Paragon manufactures their '58-'62 bumpers in the September '08 issue of "Corvette Enthusiast" magazine.