# 67 Rear Bumper Questions - OEM, repaired, Reproduction?



## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

I just took the rear bumper off my 67 GTO as part of the rebuild process and it has never fit very well, It was shifted too far to the drivers side and their were gaps between the upper edge and the tail panel, but only at the outer edges near the quarter panels. It looked good along the upper edge in the center of the tail panel, however. I was intending to try and adjust it all out with the thought of having it re-chromed....BUT there are witness marks that may indicate that it has been damaged and repaired/re-chromed already. Not too mention that the reverse lights and plate lamp wires have all been cut and crimped back together...It has definitely been replaced at some point. Now I'm thinking of sourcing a different OEM bumper OR go aftermarket. Ames states that their rear bumpers are "fair to good" and "NOT SHOW QUALITY ".

So, can anyone share their experience with Ames' rear bumpers (or anybody else's) and do the OEM bumpers have marks like these on the hidden side? I'm thinking it's been warped in a crash and repaired by a re-chrome shop and will never fit right. It does look good from the outside, so the re-chromer was talented.


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## GTOTIGR (May 3, 2020)

Hi Sick467,

As you’re likely aware, there are three primary options to newly plated bumpers: 1) repair and replace your original, 2) buy a replated OEM bumper from a chrome shop - there are several that I know of, some on eBay, and 3) buy a new Asian reproduction. The Ames bumper I assume fits into category #3. While it may be 30-50% of the cost of option #1, as you state, the fit and quality are a crap-shoot. Once you receive it if it doesn’t fit your car the way it should / the way you want it to, you’re stuck dealing with all that’s involved to return or replace it - unless of course you reside within driving distance of the Ames facility.

My experience has been that a good plating shop can repair solid core bumpers (which yours appears to be), with the proper direction. Meaning, thorough photos of the fit prior to removal, along with your instruction as to where, and by how much, the specific area(s) needs adjusting. 

I’ve recently had my 65 OEM front bumper replated by a show-chrome shop that I’ve used several times over the years. While it took 6-8 months to get it straight (mostly due to current lead-times, and the time it took for me to schlep it to and from the shop for fit-check purposes), in order to get it to the point where it fit my car perfectly, prior to putting the final chrome layer on it. Yes, I reside ~ two hours from the shop, and was willing to spend the time and energy to get it perfect. To me it was well worth the end result.

What I did was to take many photos with the bumper on the car, placed blue painters tape on the areas that needed adjustment, and then marked the measurements on the tape in relation to how it fit to the leading edge of the car in many areas/ small increments from each other so that I could discuss/ explain live with the plater what needed to be done to massage the bumper to the position required to fit my specific car. I should say that I was building a trailer queen. The fact that I drive it is a separate issue, I wanted it correct and ready to compete at any level. Your intentions will dictate how much hassle and cost you want to go through. You also of course need a quality shop that is willing to perform at a high quality level. 

The fact that it was previously repaired should have minimal impact to it being reworked and rechromed. 

Let me know if you’re interested in pictures and the platers information.

Cheers


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

My biggest concern is that the bumper is tweaked and will never fit properly without, as you put it, "schleping it to and from the shop" for reforming AND, it may be a preproduction to begin with. I have not found a reputable plater near me. This is not going to be a trailer queen or top show competitor, but I want to be proud of it without spending $1000 on the rear bumper. I think I will try to install it, as is, and see if I can get it to fit properly, but if not...it's a wall hanger.

Are there any tell-tail signs of a reproduction bumper? This one has a "1B20" stamped behind the license plate holder...........

I just looked it over again for any other markings and someone has etched "1-13-75 AA" and maybe the word "Paid" (or not), it's sloppy script handwriting. So, it's probably the re-chromer's mark. Being 1975, I'd say it's an original bumper, but probably not form this car.


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

*GTOTIGR,* I would be interested to see how the proper fit looks along the top edge and tail panel and around to the sides of the quarter. I would also like your shop's info as my front bumper is in real good shape, but needs re-chromed.


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## Sixty7GTO (May 4, 2017)

Sick467 said:


> I just took the rear bumper off my 67 GTO as part of the rebuild process and it has never fit very well, It was shifted too far to the drivers side and their were gaps between the upper edge and the tail panel, but only at the outer edges near the quarter panels. It looked good along the upper edge in the center of the tail panel, however. I was intending to try and adjust it all out with the thought of having it re-chromed....BUT there are witness marks that may indicate that it has been damaged and repaired/re-chromed already. Not too mention that the reverse lights and plate lamp wires have all been cut and crimped back together...It has definitely been replaced at some point. Now I'm thinking of sourcing a different OEM bumper OR go aftermarket. Ames states that their rear bumpers are "fair to good" and "NOT SHOW QUALITY ".
> 
> So, can anyone share their experience with Ames' rear bumpers (or anybody else's) and do the OEM bumpers have marks like these on the hidden side? I'm thinking it's been warped in a crash and repaired by a re-chrome shop and will never fit right. It does look good from the outside, so the re-chromer was talented.
> 
> ...


There is no question the bumper has been repaired. 
The fact that it has a stamp where the license plate would sit is a good indicator the bumper is OEM
The fact that it has some kind of handwritten scrip indicating a date, is another reason to believe that it was repaired and re-chromed.
It's a crapshoot to find a good plater that's going to spend the time that "GTOTIGR" plater did on making the bumper perfect for show. If you are like me, where there are no high-volume platers around for miles, it would be an absolute nightmare traveling back and forth checking on the fit until it fits the way you want.
My suggestion is to find a good core that fits well with no evidence of a previous repair. Install the bumper on your car and double-check for fit with the car on all 4 wheels. If you are satisfied, then send or bring it to a high-quality plater.
Be aware there are different types of plating for show and trailer queen show. Then there is triple plate chrome, hard chrome plating, Hexavalent, and Trivalent. It's a chemical science all its own. Some of it, they don't do anymore in the states because of EPA regulations. Try and learn some of the terminologies of the chroming process so you know what you're getting. 
The chroming process is very expensive these days. For show chrome, it can cost easily over $1000.00 for a 67 GTO rear bumper. Concours show chrome you might be talking $1600 and that's if the core is a good one.
I have heard there are companies that send around trucks to automotive flea markets and car shows that will pick up your bumper and transport it to Mexico where the EPA regulations are not as tough and chrome your bumper the old fashion way, that seems to last forever if maintained. 
I'm in the same situation. I have a 67 that needs bumpers. I've bought an aftermarket set that I'm not really happy with. Not happy with the sheen of the chrome and I haven't even tried the fit yet. I'll keep them until the car is done and use them until I can find better. I also bought a re-chromed OEM and to be honest, haven't unwrapped it totally because I'm literally afraid of what I'm going to find. 
So, In short, do what "GTOTIGR" did. Buy aftermarket and live with it being not as shinny, lighter, and the fit not being perfect. Buy a good core, check it on your car before you send it out for re-chroming. Plan ahead because you may not see that bumper for 8 months to a year. Oh, the horror shows that have happened with people trying to get good re-chroming done. 
Good luck in making the right choice, I'm still trying to learn.


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

Thanks for chiming in Sixty7! BTY, I am looking to get the bumpers lined out at now which is at least a couple years before I reassemble the car. I'm trying to keep the project from suffering a long dead spell due to all the delays we are seeing in parts and shipping.

The bumper is back on and there is no adjusting the problem out. I can get it centered side to side nicely (much better than before) and the side view looks good-N-even with the quarter recesses, but the upper edge curvature is not matching the tail light panel (the tail panel is OEM with no signs of rear collision) . I think the bumper has taken a direct rear end hit and flattened the original curve outs some. 

I'll be looking for a core or testimonies of how the aftermarket bumpers fit.

The first pic shows a nice alignment at the top center of the bumper and the second pic shows how far off it is near the quarter panel (it's off the same on both sides).


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## GTOTIGR (May 3, 2020)

Sick467 said:


> *GTOTIGR,* I would be interested to see how the proper fit looks along the top edge and tail panel and around to the sides of the quarter. I would also like your shop's info as my front bumper is in real good shape, but needs re-chromed.


Hi Sick467,

The experience I described was for a 65, so the rear bumper fit may not help you. Happy to share pictures if you feel they’ll be beneficial.

All of the fit work I described was for the front bumper. A common issue with the early cars was the center point gets pushed into the grill header panel. There should be an ~ 1” space between the lower body header panel and the center point of the bumper. Often times that cap is closed completely. One of the resulting implications is the outside fender to bumper gaps increase beyond where they should be.

Sixty7GTO is right on the money for concourse bumper show chrome - $1,600 -$1,700. 

The plater I use is Sherm’s in Sacramento, CA. I worked with John.


https://www.shermsplating.com/


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