I've noticed alot of aftermarket bumpers available through the vendors and on ebay and was wondering if anyone has any luck with the quality and fit of any they have used. I'll be needing sets for my son's 70 Nova and my 71 Chevelle. My only other option would be to go the show quality rechrome route with the originals which will cost me about $300 each! $1200 for all four! And that's at my shop cost. Anybody?

I am also interested in the qaulity of the aftermarket bumpers??? So let us have it guys, good, bad, ugly, tweaked, shiny, dull, dented, etc...Don't forget if they were any good let us know where you got them!!! Thanks DANO

Bob, from what I have seen the Goodmark bumpers LOOK pretty good. Chrome looks good no waves or grinding marks normally found on cheap rechromes. Cant say anything about the durablity of the bumpers just saying that standing right in front of them they look pretty good.

From my experience, a decent/unmolested original looks better and is stronger. The metal is thicker and holds up better. Down the road you will have a great place to start if you choose to rechrome them. Watch out for the "spider-webs" on the surface of the chrome, use of steel wool. and pealing of the chrome plating. Hope this helps.

Nathaniel

a friend of mine just bought new 70 repop bumpers, they are alot thinner than the originals but in my opinion they looked real good. Id say if you arent in a hurry hold out for a swap meet or something, i found a great set for 200 bucks front and back for my 70, saved me some real $$$$$.

I just got a set of goodmark products for my 70 chevelle, shine is good, chrome seems good, they are not perfect but look great on the car. There is a guy based out of NC that will give you a really good deal on a set, mine were $300 plus shipping about $100 off the goodmark prices. His email is belgarde@triad.rr.com

You can usually buy a rechrome outright. I was going to buy a repro,then checked with Tricity plating,they had GM rechromes outright for $275, plus ship. I ended up buying a rechrome with a lifetime warranty off Ebay for $250.So how much are you really saving on a repro? $50-$75? I would rather pay the extra for the GM rechrome.

I would rather use a rechromed original but the repros sure look good in the photos I've seen and it looks like I could save about $600 not including what the resale is worth on my originals. Anybody else have experience with the reproduction bumper out there?

I have both front and rear repros on my 70............on a scale of 1 to 10 they are about a 7. They look pretty good, but aren't perfect and they are a little thinner, which is fine with me because I don't mind loosing the couple of extra pounds for racing.

If you are going to drive the car, I think they will be fine. I have an NOS 70 bumper I plan on using once I restore the car for the last time. On rechromed originals, you still have to deal with the back of the bumper which is normally pitted from age. At least the repros are all new.

I'd keep your originals though instead of selling them. If you change your mind/plans down the road, you'll be glad you did!!

Any other questions please ask.

I just picked up a rear for my 71 at NPD for $210. Looks good so far the metal is pretty thick and the chrome looks nice, better than what was on my original. Had to replace it because I got rear ended. I didn't look into straightening it the insurance check probably wouldn't support it. I also ordered some tail lights from carsinc.com they were expensive but are new. They should be here soon.

I just received a set of GM bumbers back from Tri-
City Plating, Elizabethton, TN that I had them to re-chrome. They did an excellent job with them, I am sure they look better than they did originally. They also claim to guarantee them for as long as you have them. I had an excellent set of originals and did not want to give them up for the repros which are lighter and the chrome plating is thinner. I had put a pair on my (sorry) '67 GT Mustang Fastback several years ago and have since replaced because rust started coming through the chrome. Cost on the rechrome was as you said about $300 a pop, including the shipping. Just my thoughts and experience....

I bought a repro rear for my '72 from D&R Classic in Warrenville, IL. I don't know who makes it, but it is a pretty decent piece. So far the finish is holding up well - approx. 2 years old, garage-kept. I did have a little trouble getting it to fit right, I actually cut one of my bumper brackets and welded it back together to get my gaps right. I'd probably do it again. But I saved my original, just in case. It does sound to me like IF you get a good chrome-plater, rechrome is the way to go - unless of course your original is totally shot.

I bought a front repro for my 72 from Tamraz for about $159 and it looks very good and fit perfectly without any modifications. There was one small imperfection right in one of the bends but you have to look close to see it. Overall a great value I'd say..I just put it on so we'll see how it holds up. Randy in NJ

So if these bumpers are thinner, has anyone checked to see if their is a weight advantage of any significance?

No, but my new front bumper is coming off in a couple of weeks for some 'additional' modifications. I'll weigh the original and repop and let you know the difference. My front repop was made by Ausleys in the USA so there might not be a great weight savings..........I'll let ya know.......

Originally posted by jonbonvon:
I just received a set of GM bumbers back from Tri-
City Plating, Elizabethton, TN I also have Tri City rechromes. You can ship your originals to them that way you know that you are starting with original cores. (if there banged up they will straighten them) Mine look great and you can't beat a lifetime warranty graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Sorry double post... No I guess that would be triple. graemlins/sad.gif

Just curious. With all the horror stories about shipping damage (I've experienced it too), how does Tri-City pack a bumper to keep it from getting damaged by the "6 ft drop test" practiced by the shipping companies?

the repos on my 70 are also goodmark they look pretty good the only thing is i would recommend doing something to the back side like a sealer. because mine are only a couple years old and are real rusty on back side hopefully it dont creap around to the front side of bumpers

They told me they ship next day Fed-EX when I was pricing to have my 69 bumpers done.
Im in Fla.and the shipping was to be 75.00.
235.00 ea. for chrome aprox. 50.00 to ship to them and 75.00 return shipping.
Thats 595.00 total or 300.00 a bumper.
T.C.

My 70 El Camino has an original rear bumper and a replacement front bumper. I recently had the bumpers off and noticed major quality differences.

The metal on the GM bumper is much heavier. Even though it has not been rechromed and has a few minor scratches and a little light pitting, overall it is in better condition than the much newer repro bumper. The chrome is solid with no peeling.

The repro bumper looks fine on the car, but chrome is peeling on its backside. In order to prevent this from creeping aroung to the front side, I cleaned, primed, and painted the backside with aluminum paint. The lesson is that at least some repros don't stand up to real life conditions as well as the originals.

In this and other car matters, I have a strong preference for original versus repro. I'd rather have an original with a few flaws than a shiny reproduction. After spending $300 on a good rechrome job, you end up with a nice original bumper. After spending $150 on a repro, you still don't have much.

Just my two bits worth.
David

:cool:

Can anyone tell me the turnaround time on a bumper sent to Tri City. I have a friend who sent his to a place in California that took almost a year and a half to get them back. I hate to tie uo the Chevelle for that kind of time.

Dan,I sent my bumpers off to Northstar(Brainard, MN) to get a rechrome job last summer, the turn around was about 3 weeks. They did a sweet job!!

Ive read somewhere on here tricity is fairly quick, with a time of 2-4 weeks.