Midyear Rear Bumper Spacing
I have a very well documented survivor 65. The rear bumpers appear original wavy some sharp edges and have the same aging that the front bumpers have. However the foward mount on the left side is about 1/2 inch proud of the bumper.The right side is flush. Could this be the way it came from the factory?
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Re: Midyear Rear Bumper Spacing
I don't understand the phrase "1/2 inch proud of the bumper".
The bumpers should be close to equal (left to right) in spacing, following the body lines along the rear and fenders. -
Re: Midyear Rear Bumper Spacing
I also have a 65 and the bumper spaceing is not the same on the rear
left side doesnt fit as well as the right.Brackets are not the same on the
bumpers. I have not found 2 to be alike. I have 3 sets and they are all
different.Comment
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Re: Midyear Rear Bumper Spacing
The actual mount that is welded into the bumper( the foward most one with threads) sticks out from the bumber where the same mount on the right side sits flush. When mounted the left bumper is further away from the body than the right side.Comment
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Re: Midyear Rear Bumper Spacing
Evidently, by 1967, the jig that held these pieces together for welding was "adjusted" as my bumpers are very close on the spacing and bracket weldment to each other.
I guess mid sixties tolerances were about +/- 1/4"Comment
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Re: Midyear Rear Bumper Spacing
Fit is an issue restorers often face. One thing that's taken for granted is the bumpers are properly stamped and truly symmetric. That's not always the case.
A quick check is invert each bumper and lay it upside down on a flat surface to check the trueness of their overall shape. Often, you'll find side to side differences...
If so, they can be 'bent' (a challenging issue) to force them into the desired symmetry...Comment
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Re: Midyear Rear Bumper Spacing
I have always had to fit bumpers to cars before painting. And this almost always requires the cutting and rewelding of bracket on the bumpers as well as reshaping the raised bumper areas.
RichComment
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Re: Midyear Rear Bumper Spacing
Interesting. My original owned 63 has always had a near perfect fit. I only had them off for repainting the car back in 1976, when I also re-chromed the rears due to checking from lead. The rear of my car, unlike the front that I've used to "nerf"objects over the years, has never been touched. When I had them off then, I had to retap a few of the threaded holes due to some corrosion.
Stu FoxComment
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Re: Midyear Rear Bumper Spacing
Stu,
you have one of the better fitting cars (did you ever figure out what day it was built probably not a monday). I have run across a hand full of original cars with excellent fitting rear bumpers. but they are definitaly not the norm. Where you usually run into trouble is when at sometime in a cars past someone other than the GM line worker has mess with a car.
But getting back to Raymonds original question it is not unheard of to see a poor fitting set of rear bumpers from the factory. Also it is possible that when the original owner took delivery they were unhappy with one or both rear bumpers and wanted them changed (possibly scratched or too wavy).
RichComment
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Re: Midyear Rear Bumper Spacing
Rich;
Tuesday, July 9th was the assembly date. I would have liked to think they had all the bugs out of the 63's by then, with only the short time left in the 63 production run after mine. But then, there are so many possible variables. Guess this is just an awakening for me as one thing I never found fault with was the rear bumpers.
Stu FoxComment
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