I damaged (bent) my front bumper years ago by using the bumper jack. It bent the bumper upwards. Can something like this be fixed or would I have to source another one?
Ian, It can be fixed, but may need re-chroming after. You will have to look for awhile to find another good 65 front core. Mark
If you decided you wanted to source another, the fronts are tough to come by. I haven't seen your bumper so it was a guess, thats all. Post a couple of pics. Mark
When I sent my Bumper to get rechromed. I was amazed! Stunded! How they straightened/ repaired that metal! Unreal! I had yellow chalk marks touching each other! Hundreds! Bumper came back perfect! You have to admire dem guys. Hours upon hours of work. Lost art!
www.ogdenchrome.com Email Jose Rubi jose@ogdenchrome.com He'll call you and talk with you, answer any questions you might have. They pay shipping both ways. Send to have it picked up. Will fix all the dings, dents, scratches and alignment issues, and use copper, nickel, chrome plating. If you have instagram look at, Jose_ogdenchrome and he has some work processes you can look at.
There was the split at the top middle when I bought the car. But when I used the bumper jack on the passenger side then it bent the whole thing up. You can see that one entire grill gets obscured.
Ian, Very common to have that split in the top/middle of the bumper. That bumper can definitely be fixed, but it'll need a rechrome. Part of the repair process is welding up the split in the center. Tri City in TN did my front bumper, something like $490. plus shipping. Love the black plates on your 65. My 65 spent it's first 10 years in Burbank. Mark
That sure looks nice Mark. Just getting around to fixing the parking lenses. Don't know if I want to do the whole re-chroming thing right now. The other thing I've read on here is how chrome of the yesteryear is so much better than today. Is that true?
"Old world chrome", was steel that was worked to a good finish, then copper applied and all flaws were filled and worked out, then a nickel was applied for the "base silver" and it left the piece both a bit "yellow" or "warm" hued, and vulnerable to the elements, so a hard "chrome" (Hexavalent Chromium or Cr +6 ) was applied that left the piece hardened against the elements and also "bright" and the silver/blue that makes chrome "pop". Along came Erin Brockovich and subsequent lawsuits, as well as heavy mandates by the EPA, and the many places that did chroming and were remiss in good practice and procedures, combined, "ruined" chrome and re-chroming. There are several "alternatives" to the "3 step" plating, that are used, some shops (very few) use Copper, Nickel, Chrome. Most that do use Trivalent instead of Hexavalent. Then there are the "nickel/nickel" that do not use any Chromium, and then the "fake" chrome, using silver halide solution on top of a base of black and or white and then a clear coat. It is similar to "silvering" a mirror, and does not have long term viability. If you want the longest and best results, find a shop that does the "three step plating, copper/nickel/chromium", and talk with them and ask for references and pictures, as well as their process. Then get some good sunglasses!
That is super info trunk monkey. Given, this car is a CA car. I've had it since 2000 and taken care, garaging most of the time. Yet, I have no reason to believe the bumpers aren't original and for their age are in very good condition. It's impressive. I mentioned that I damaged the front. The back someone ran into a pole on one side. But other than that there is very little rust and both shine quite well when cleaned up.
Find a body shop that sends their bumpers to LKQ. Just had mine done and they came out awesome. My front bumper was bent upwards and tweaked a bit by the old bumper lift tow truck yrs ago. These are for my 66 Skylark.
You may also wish to speak with the folks at Knox Chrome in Knoxville, Tn. Father and daughter owned company. They did my bumpers for my 71' skylark. They are very popular in this part of the country.
Vern's Chrome Plating. Its a cash only place near LAX. Very pleased with my 1969 Rear Bumper they did. Takes about three weeks.
