Fiberglass bumper w/ steel bumperetts?

[RSwannabe]

Does anyone make a fiberglass rear bumper that still uses the stock, steel rear bumperetts? I'd like the light weight of the fiberglass unit, but I want to keep the chrome. Arre there any options?

I want to use this for an unflared (no RS look) LWB car.

Brooke

[Zeke]

I don't know if anyone makes what you are looking for, but you will need most of the steel bumper bracket to mount the chrome parts to. The steel shell doesn't seem all that heavy to me, so why not use the stock setup with a replacement alminum license panel?

I removed the rubber and the reflectors from my steel bumpers and welded up the holes. It has the smoothie look just like the FG unit. Bob Tilton has the same.

[RSwannabe]

Zeke,

I want to go for the "clean" chrome look as well. That is why I am looking for a light weight solution that lets me keep the bumperetts. I know keeping the stock steel bumpers is an option. Is there any reliable source for the aluminum license panels?

Any other options?

[911pcars]

I suppose one could cut the license plate section from a one-piece FG rear bumper, then install the bumper ends with the chrome bumperettes along with a steel or aluminum license plate panel.

Sherwood

[RandyWebb]

Would that work? I don't know how the FG bumpers mount, but on a stock car, the chrome and rubber ('73.5) bumperettes mount to the steel projection from the frame of the steel bumper "sides" (the curved parts that stretch around the sieds of the car and the L & R rear). So, the heaviest parts are where the bumperettes mount.

I have an interest in changing to FG for light wt. but like the chrome bumperette look, so I'm interested in this question.

Another option might be to paint the smooth bumperette looking aprt of a FG bumper silver and then mount the rubber strips on it. I've been thinking of that.

With enough $$ you could get that Al custom paenl beater guy who adv.s in Excellence to make a custome Al. piece.....

If anyone has done or does do anything like the above, lease post pics so we can all have a look.

[zcat3]

Randy - I have RS flares on my 69S along with the fiberglass RS style rear bumper. I wanted to add the chrome bumperettes back on but after looking into it I do not think it is very feasible. The way the glass bumper mounts is basically the same as the metal bumper. There are two mounting arms that come out right where the bumperettes would mount on a metal bumper. And then the sides of the bumper mount near the fender flare with two bolts per side - I can post pictures if you want. Given that the metal bumper is 3 pieces (the glass is one piece) and the brackets for mounting the bumper and bumperettes are on the 2 side pieces, you would have to figure out how to retain the mounting portion of the metal bumper and then attach cut off portions from the glass bumper to these brackets.

[RandyWebb]

BIll/zcat - Yes, I'd like to see pics. And I bet others would too.

BTW, I'm assuming everybody is interested in cosmetics, not bumper protection here. Those two little "nerf bar" bumperettes will only protect from a small subset of the possible hits the car could take from the rear.

[RSwannabe]

Randy,

Yup. You are running right along with my train of thought. Looking to keep the chrome look, but loose the steel weight. Protection from the "bumpers" not really a concern.

Keep the thoughts coming people.

Brooke

[roblav]

Restoration Design makes the rear license plate panel in aluminum.

[Zeke]

If you have RS flares, FG would seem to be the way to go. The nice thing about FG is that you can glass onto the backside anything you want. So, I would go ahead and cut a FG bumper into the 3 components and bolt her up.

You'll only have to make the square holes in the Lic panel to fit over the stock brackets. The quarter bumpers should be POC as they bolt up front anyway. I'm sure there's a way to make a simple bracket, if you need one at all, to glass the quarter to the factory bracket once you separate if from the bumper itself.