Repro or other front bumpers: recent experience?

[r-mm]

Hi all

My 1965 912 is in the closing stages of rust repair and the front bumper is ugly. We are looking at significant work to right it or a repro, which very well may also need significant work. Im posting to learn if anyone has experience with current reproductions on the market.

Restoration design sells Dansk’s Taiwanese made version - https://www.restoration-design.com/store/product/PP294C

Genuine appears to be available as well: https://www.delawareporscheparts.com...IFJlc3VsdHM%3D

Thanks
Rus

[bob joyce]

you might want to check with Restoration Design.
their Dansk bumper if you put a straight edge across the top was bowed
i had to drill out the middle support bracket and then i could lower the top and reweld.
this is important for being able to have the bumper seal and hood closing
just have them check it with a straight edge before they ship it.

[ptrsbtrs]

Rus you could also post a WTB for an original bumper
in good shape.

[myflat6]

i believe my front 'S' bumper was Dansk -- certainly aftermarket. it took significant work from my sheet metal/body guy to fit properly. it needed to be shortened and the ends brought in - lot of cutting, shaping and welding.

[myflat6]

here are some photos i snapped when the shop was working on my front bumper. i cannot dig up the 'before' pictures, but the fitment was WAY off. now, this seemed to be the case with all of the new panels i purchased. i purchased panels from Porsche, Dansk and Restoration Design -- and my body/sheet metal guy said they all needed to be re-worked and that this was common if you want good fitment. my aluminum decklid from AASE also needed a lot of re-work. it is expensive restoring these cars!

[moito]

i`m always delighted when potential customers tell me that they get a new bumper from dansk for the money i am asking for a rustfree straight original.

[myflat6]

i`m always delighted when potential customers tell me that they get a new bumper from dansk for the money i am asking for a rustfree straight original.

yes - agree. i learned a lot of lessons through my restoration. i would do a lot of things differently the second time.

[r-mm]

I am trying to learn these lessons but still not clear on the best way to proceed. Neither is my (very experienced) metalworker. When we can touch and test a good-used part we have been eager to use them. Absent that its all a bit of a crap shoot. We have two genuine, used bumpers on hand and both present different, difficult reworking issues. Both looked reasonably good to the naked eye, off the car. Even if I were to buy a bumper from someone that was presently mounted on a car, how would I know that the same issues would not present? For example the bumper could be 90% bondo, or the fenders could have been tweaked to make the seal gap even while the bumper could be wildly out of flat. The entire car could have been hit and the assembly could be wonked accordingly.

In summary we are entirely uncertain whether starting with a used, repro or Genuine Porsche bumper will save time, money, frustration. Tricky business. Leaning to the Dansk bumper and pricing in the re-work that we know it'll take.

[r-mm]

We were pleasantly surprised by the Dansk bumper, the fit was as good as we could have expected and minimal rework was needed.