Fpcopo

My car is really nice in all aspects but the front bumper hangs out from the fender on the wrap around ends. It’s never been hit, all born with sheet metal and hood and fender fit is great. Is this something normal? Posting pics, thanks.

Driver side, looking down from above.

Passenger side from rear forward.

OLDScience

If the front peaks of the bumper line up with the peaks on the fender caps, then the bumper is bent (flared out) from that reference point. The pics show the gaps as excessive and not normal.

Fpcopo

I should’ve sent a better pic showing the fender and bumper peaks are out of alignment by about 1/4” on each side. The bumper angles line up with the hood angles so it doesn’t appear that the bumper got pushed in at the front from a collision which would have spread out the bumper.
The fender peaks are 68-3/16” across and the bumper is about 68-9/16”.

OLDScience

My bumper and fender peaks measure 68 1/2" The peaks are lined up near perfect. The pass side bumper is proud of the fender by about 1/4" at all points, so it's parallel to the fender. The driver side is nearly flush with the fender. If I were to adjust the bumper to reduce the 1/4" to 1/8" the peaks would not line up, so leaving it for now.

oldcutlass

I would just center the bumper the best I could, they were never a perfect match.

OLDScience

Is that an original bumper? Was it re-chromed? From the original pics it looks like the sides are flared out, but maybe this bumper metal has been stretched.

We're not talking about perfect. There is an obvious problem with his bumper fitment / alignment, it's way off.

oldcutlass

I'd like to see pictures of different angles of the whole front of the car.

Fpcopo

They don’t make repo bumpers for 66-67. I just fit it as good as I could. It’s been to the platers twice and they didn’t fix it. What bugged me was a guy showed up at the cruise night last fall with a nice driver Cutlass and the front bumper fit perfect everywhere! I’m not about to pay $3,000 for a different replated bumper and take a chance.

OLDScience

Good platers usually have fixtures to check and reshape bumper cores, and also, I wouldn't pay $3,000 either. What did it look like before it was plated?

OLDScience

Good platers usually have fixtures to check and reshape bumper cores, and also, I wouldn't pay $3,000 either. What did it look like before it was plated?
Maybe you can talk to another plater and see if they would put the bumper on their fixture to check it out. Anytime I send a bumper core out I bend it to fit my car as best I can, then take pics of it on the car, then send it to the plater.

droldsmorland

Take pics standing back a bunch. Cant see shizt from the up close pics.
Root cause is the plater didnt do the job right. Bumpers (most) dont tolerate more than 2 replates. The metal gets too thin. If you are loosing sleep over it find a good core and another plater.
Shop around for a better proce. 3K! seems excessive.

66luvr

Chrome platers do NOT have jigs, nor templates to use when they straighten the bent bumpers. They do the best they can, and sometimes they get it pretty good and sometimes they don't. Can you imagine the required space that having jigs or templates for every bumper ever built?
I have had the grand tour at 2 chrome platers I have done business with. One was Tri City in east Tennessee, the other is Custom Chrome in Grafton Ohio. They showed me the process and affirmed that their workers were the only template they had to straighten the bumpers.
The Custom Chrome shop did the bumpers for my son's 66 blue car pictured on my posts. I had a front bumper that was good except for the passenger side was out/away from the fender a little too much. I told them when I droped it off. I put a note in a plastic baggy taped to the bumper so the worker would read it, (yeah right). I picked the bumper up and drove home. Big mistake, I had to take it right back. 6 hours drive each way. But when I got there they fixed it immediately. A little brute force with a BFH and the bumper was fixed. Looks great. And the tweek did not damage the plating.
Templates, jigs, you are dreaming, they do not exist.

OLDScience

I guess, according to you, I was lied to by Keystone , now Northstar Plating

Tri-Carb

Consider a Hustler stick:



I have had bumpers done by Keystone and Tri City. I do not remember specifically about Keystone having jigs. I would doubt it for the reasons stated. I do remember for Tri City that they do not have bumper specific jigs. Both may have rigged up something to hold bumpers in place while they were straightened using the eye, straight edges, hammers, etc. This may be the source for any misunderstandings.

Fpcopo

I was quoted $1237 to plate the different bumper and I’ve seen cores at $1800. I thought about taking the bumper off and using the BFH and wood block method but if I damaged the plating I’m screwed. Keystone is who did the job and they are being good about trying to fix it. I sent pics measurements and notes but no luck. The bumper is also pushed up under the passenger side high beam, you can see it in this pic. This wasn’t fixed either.

cutlassmike66

So, I see a couple of issues going on with the front end. First, your radiator support may have a little sag in the bushings, you could add a shim or two, second the hood gaps seem very tight to the hood, check the service manual and will give you an idea for those gaps, there should be some shims at the upper rad support and fender bolts, that will get the bumpers points to possibly line up. Then lastly there is a brace under front fender which could be pulled outward a little which will line the sides up to the bumper side better. That way you don't have to get another bumper and will look much cleaner. I've worked in a body shop and 66-67' have always had some kind of fitment issues in these places. Good luck!
Edit: And unfortunately that bumper looks to may have been pushed back at one time just under the inner RT headlamp.