So am installing a new bumper, bumper brackets, 70 GS grille, headlight bezels etc.... am looking for alignment pointers. I think I should install the grille and bezels first.... then piece together the 3 piece bumper bracket assembly, then install the bracket assembly to the bumper... then have my kids help me hold the bumper up and attach the bumper brackets to the frame to line it up straight with the rest attached... is this what you would do... doe this sound like the best plan? Thanks
I'd put masking tape on all the painted surfaces that might make contact. When I installed mine many years ago it didn't line up so good.had to put a block in the turn signal pocket and jack it there to get it just right.
Yes, as Dan stated tape anything you don’t want nicked up, then I just snug things, have a chair about 10ft in front of the car & sit there and study the different gaps & which one needs to be moved 1st (usually the bumper). With the bolts just snug, the ole palm hammer is normally sufficient for side to side bumper adjustments. It drives me absolutely nuts when headlight bezels or fastened down hood is too low or high so start soaking the core support mounted hood bumper adjusters. Just adjust a little at a time,go sit in the chair and see if that changed anything else that needs addressed & repeat till you are satisfied. Just takes some patience & a good eye but you will get it
Thanks. Yeah, covering and taping is a great idea... so is the chair but with the addition of a 12 pack.
Not sure I can still pull it off but once having the bumper mounted I would lay down under the car and use my knees pulled up under the bumper to take the load off of the bumper and ease the job of getting it centered side to side with my hands freed and supporting the bumper. Of course “I use to” install my ram air hoods by myself too. Adapt,improvise,overcome : )
Put the rear most bolts in first then in reality it's a one man job,.but extra hands are USUALLY good,..I end telling people to just get the hell out of my way ha
Exactly the way I do it. Once the rear bolts are in, you can swing it in place. I use a floor jack and a block of wood under the license plate area and line it up from there
Thanks guys... it's been a struggle and have has to walk away a few times.... Ib can't ant seem to get it another inch higher or sucked in enough. The gap on the driver side looks getter than the body to bumper gap on the passenger side.. I guess i will try to remove the front bolts amd get it in place... seems like the slotted holes in the frame are working against each other... if i move it up it seems to want to move forward.... or maybe in reverse... Am i on the right track?
Your bumper might be bent on the right side. You need to measure points on both sides to see if the end is bent forward on the right side.
Definitely bent. Bent slightly in the center causing the ends to be bent outward. Most of them are like that. Unless its a virgin NOS bumper its going to be a comprimise. Most of the time you have to split the difference so to speak. If one side if 100% and the other is out, make the good side a little out to get the other side in. Follow? Nothing is going to line up 100% on a 50 year old car. It does look pretty damn good though. Not bad for an amateur!
In a worst case you could start making the slots longer in the bumper or the frame in order to gain more adjustment but its a matter of exactly ho crazy you want to get with this
Yeah it is definitely bent just a little bit...the left side pulls out touch a touch and probably should be a 1/2 inch higher in the center but i think I found a happy medium and after looking at tons of other 70 front ends i think mine looks decent. Taking out the front bolts helped...Even where it is, it required to elongate the front frame slot or use a slightly small bolt.... i chose to use a smaller grade 8 bolt and when the car gets painted within the next few years i will take care of it..... Thanks all for your input! Oh and it's not a GS but just my Skylark with Skylark badges and ram air set up so i didn't want to put a GS grille badge on so I found a 70's NOS Buick grille emblem from something else to cover up the mounting holes of the grille... will probably remove the hood badge and fill in when it gets painted ad well... does that look ok?
When bent outwards you can improve by putting your car close to an immovable object (wall, tree, etc.), put a bottle hydraulic jack in sideways between bumper and wall, etc. and gently jack a bit to massage the bumper end a bit. Won't take much to flex a bit to improve fit. When it looks pretty close to what you want release the jack to check. You may need to do more than once as the bumper will spring back some when you release the pressure. Done this a few times and has worked well. Good luck.
I thought about that.. when it gets dry out here in Buffalo I have a tree in mind and a bottle jack.. only need a 1/4 to 3/8 inch nudge...
Good point... although it's a stupid repro bumper... I had some ebay bucks, ebay coupon and they had a sale at Christmas time with free shipping. Picked it up for only a little over $400 out of pocket compared to normally $650ish. I have an original and should have spent the extra $500 to have it straightened and rechromed... lesson learned for sure... although even though it has some issues it honestly doesn't look that bad for a driver Skylark... haha.
