Rear bumper

by 77mali Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:09 pm

Ok...Rear bumper off car- Only able to remove 1 of the outer bumper bolts (the chrome ones) that hold the outer piece to the heavy inner bumper piece. So far have tried 2 more and they just spin & nut does not unscrew...anyone gone through this? I was thinking of using a thin wrench (like the kind you get w/ your circular saw) to try & hold the square part of that carriage bolt while using my air wrench or impact but if anyone has a better idea, I'm all ears elephant

by Mcarlo77 Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:32 pm

Ahh, yes...removing the rusty bumper bolt nuts. Remember doing that some years ago on mine. There isn't much of a shoulder to hold those in the hole and it doesn't take much for them to spin and round out that square hole in the bumper. Aside from spraying them with PB Blaster, I remember using vise grips on the head of the bolts...which wasn't easy due to the small area to grab onto. Of course, this ruins the bolt head and that chrome cap they put over it. You can buy new bolts, though. I also used a heavy duty tape on the bumper around the head to avoid scratching it. The thin wrench sounds like a good idea if you can get it underneath the bolt head.

by 77mali Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:45 pm

LOL....got 1 more off w/ liquid wrench (soaked for 1 hr) vice grips (sideways- w/ bumper perpendicular to me & grips facing the same way) & the good ole breaker bar! What the heck is PB Blaster?

by Limey SE Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:18 pm

77mali wrote:LOL... What the heck is PB Blaster?

Only the best penetrating oil out there

Rear bumper Post-pbpenetrant

by Mcarlo77 Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:48 pm

Makes a helluva weed killer, too! Had some stubborn dandelions that just wouldn't die with Weed-B-Gone and such. Just sayin'...

Think Walmart carries it.

by Limey SE Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:50 pm

walmart kmart any auto stores and some of your bigger chain grocery stores and most all hardware stores carry it........

by 77mali Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:24 pm

That's good 2 know, will give it a try. TY.
Got 1 more to go & 1 of the bottom bolts is spinning think it must be a loose retainer clip. Too dark & too many bugs out.

by Jedediah Sat Jul 23, 2011 2:03 am

Ill have to try that too. I broke 1 out of 4 so far trying to take mine apart with just the brackets and well they are still sitting there.

by 77mali Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:24 pm

So today has been successful and the rear bumper is apart. I continue to be amazed at how much better steel was back in the era of these A-Body cars. I was expecting that the inner bumper would have swiss cheese holes everywhere, especially since the car had been sitting for at least a year- or two uncovered before I bought it. There is corrosion as you'll see but nothing goes through and I think that when I blast it, I'll be safe w/ a removal of 1.5 to 2 mils, no proble. Any way- I'm posting some pics of the aftermath and like I said, a couple of bolts were a real pain in the a$$ but they were no match for my Dremel tool. There is a close up of the bottom bumper bolt retainer...w/ part of the bolt still attached. The retainer was broken and hence, why it spun freely.

Rear bumper P1000510

by Limey SE Sat Jul 23, 2011 2:23 pm

when you put the bumper back together use new bolts with Keepers ( to hold bolts ) while mounting it back on car makes a world of difference Rear bumper 19a027a4200f7ef2685cd29f1ea61766.image.150x150

Rear bumper 19a027a4200f7ef2685cd29f1ea61766.image.150x150

<< --- keeper I call call it dont know right name

by Laguna Budman Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:25 pm

Sandblast that bracket and POR-15 that thing before you put it back together. You will be glad you did. Also if you have an ACE hardware store around they sell the chrome bumper bolts for your bumper. Spendy lil guys but worth it and they don't have the spinning covers "all chrome".

by 77mali Sun Jul 24, 2011 12:05 am

Started the rough sand blast to de-scale. Thanks for the advise I've seen those carriage bolts, very beefy in comparison to the originals- the square shaped part underneath the head is longer and will sit better in the square hole in the outer bumper. Those retainer rings/keepers are a good idea too. Gonna have to replace the ones that are on the brackets that slide into the bumper shocks. Am pondering sinking and cutting the bumpers. Once I get the front off I'll see what I have to work with. I think I'm leaving that to the chrome shop but am getting rid of the bumper strips that stick out & powder coating in whatever the final paint scheme will be.

by Limey SE Sun Jul 24, 2011 12:27 am

what i meant 77 mali .............. there is a washer on the inside to keep bolt from being pulled thru, has alot more adjustability over stock ones as well

Rear bumper 4269fdc7

by Laguna Budman Sun Jul 24, 2011 1:53 am

The great thing about POR-15 is if you get the loose stuff off you can paint over it. That's actually what is made for. I have painted alot of my stuff with it. Expensive but worth it!

by 77mali Sun Jul 24, 2011 9:01 am

Limey wrote:what i meant 77 mali .............. there is a washer on the inside to keep bolt from being pulled thru, has alot more adjustability over stock ones as well

Dude, those brackets look brand new...are they aftermarket?

by Limey SE Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:28 am

all them are, are hardware store bolts with washers and keepers no brackets were reused

by Mcarlo77 Sun Jul 24, 2011 8:01 pm

So...all this talk prompted me to size up the job of separating the bumper from the support of the '76 Laguna bumper I picked up this Spring. This thing has a factory trailer hitch installed...which I want to remove. It also has the bumper rub strip. In addition, I see that the bottom bolts are threaded into what appears to be four-sided nuts that might be spot-welded...rather than using the bolt retainer clips that I've got on my Monte (and you, Mali, show on your bumper). Reason for this is that the bumper lip extends further in and those spring retainer clips aren't that deep. Anyway, I soaked them for two days and took a shot at one of the bottom bolts that also holds one end of the support bracket for the hitch. Hardly put any force on it before it snapped off. Now what? Not too keen on drilling out every bottom bolt. At least with the spring clip retainers, you could work the edge of the bumper off the broken stud end and then pry the retainer off the edge of the bumper support. The other problem I already foresee is getting the rub strip nuts off without spinning the bolt head inside the strip. Of course, those all have to come off before I can separate the bumper from support. Looking at the rusted threads, I'm not sure even PB Blaster is gonna help with these. Am I better off just leaving everything alone and maybe just focus on getting the hitch off?

by 77mali Sun Jul 24, 2011 8:42 pm

The pic I posted of the bottom bolt on mine shows where the retainer broke and the bolt had become an integral part of it too if you look real close. Don't think anything would have got that loose. What I did on that one was cut of the hex head almost flush to the bumper then used a carbide tipped masonry drill bit and went about 1/8 to 1/4" into the bolt. Once again broke out the Dremel tool w/ a small quick change cut off wheel and cut "pizza" slices into it. Then I took a nail set and hammered the outer edges towards the middle...most of the "slices" broke off then the bolt was able to be hammered out the other side when I separated the bumpers. I will use the nail set to finish getting the bolt out...you can see the remnants below. By then I was pooped out and had had enough considering I also had to deal w/ the remaining chrome bumper bolts. NOT FUN! But persistence pays off in the end w/ lots of patience.

Rear bumper P1000522

by 77mali Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:12 am

Found a great distributor for the Por 15....Rose Marine in Gloucester, MA
978-283-3334
Quarts of Flat Black- $37.00
Quarts Marine Clean Degreaser- $9.95
Quarts Metal Ready Prep- $14.85
They ship all over. Most people want at least $47.00/quart everywhere I've looked, some even $58.00. Thought it was a good deal and will be using on the rear inner bumper and the inside of the outer bumper. Will post pics after application.

by 77mali Fri Aug 19, 2011 9:52 pm

Pics after Por15 on inner bumper. Wish this black color photographed better. Keep in mind that they're close-ups and the majority of the piece is in very good condition (IMHO). 1st few are of worst areas after removal of scale and using their cleaner and metal prep, then the Por15. This stuff levels right into the peaks & valleys of the rough metal. Prop's to Laguna Budman Beer