77-78 280 front bumper end rubber/ LH needed...

[Willoughby Z]

I posted a WTB in the Classified- not much confidence, since the form to be filled out is for items offered FS.

Back story is that a young woman side-swiped our car while pulling into a parking space in front of us. Parallel, street parking. She went in nose first, catching the left end front bumper with her right rear tire. :stupid:

Thank the stars there was no damage to the body work, parking lamp, etc.

The bumper is higher by a 1/2 inch or so. Hopefully, the mount/shock isn't bent. Maybe it can be re-positioned. Bumper could be torqued. Either part is more available than the the rubber piece- which is shredded! :mad:

Perhaps someone who has done a bumper mod or a donor car or or just needs to clean out their stuff?

I've already checked the usual suppliers- it's a NLA item.

Fingers crossed.

Thanks,

Kris

[robftw]

I''ve never seen the bumper rubber in person, but is it ACTUAL rubber or just a plastic insert?

I could make one out of resin if i had a mould, maybe even silicone so it retained the rubberyness, but it would be quite the experiment

[Willoughby Z]

Definitely rubber- metal plate/bolt(s) inside

[black gold man]

I have one 60 bucks sent.

If you want it I will have to see about getting it off the bumper and ck cond .Or you can have the whole

bumper complete shocks and filler,both ends

60 bucks + ship i am sure it would be 100 shipping

from detroit.

[Willoughby Z]

I have one 60 bucks sent.

If you want it I will have to see about getting it off the bumper and ck cond .Or you can have the whole

bumper complete shocks and filler,both ends

60 bucks + ship i am sure it would be 100 shipping

from detroit.

Thanks! That's a quick reply and a generous offer...

I'll accept the left end rubber piece-dependent on the condition once you have a chance to evaluate it.

The bumper is OK, loosened the shock and lowered the bumper- only a 1/4 inch high- the headlamp bucket is misaligned at the inner /front/ bottom, towards the turn signal. I think there is a little flex in the sheet metal around the hood hinge.

I'll PM you regarding payment/shipping.

Kris

I just removed the damaged rubber, pretty easy-12mm deep-well socket, three nuts/ one bolt

I'm trying to avoid stocking parts that I don't need

[TomoHawk]

The most common thing I've seen with the end pieces is that they crack in the 'bellows' part. If there was a way to rejoin them, then I could fix my one rear end which is starting to crack. Otherwise, you can find them on eBay, and occasionally they are affordable, but otherwise pricey for good ones.

BTW, it's not really really rubber, like a rubber bushing or window gasket, but a flexible plastic or PVC thing. Otherwise it would sag in the heat and fall apart after so many years.

[ZCurves]

Has anyone considered making a replacement part? I am thinking fiberglass replacements. It would be nice to have a vendor start making these.

[robftw]

if anyone is up to it.. i did this on my dashboard.

Take a demel and grind out the cracks into a V shape

Fill it with flexible epoxy, sand smooth and then cover it with that semTEX texture paint, or something like it.

[Willoughby Z]

The most common thing I've seen with the end pieces is that they crack in the 'bellows' part. If there was a way to rejoin them, then I could fix my one rear end which is starting to crack. Otherwise, you can find them on eBay, and occasionally they are affordable, but otherwise pricey for good ones.

BTW, it's not really really rubber, like a rubber bushing or window gasket, but a flexible plastic or PVC thing. Otherwise it would sag in the heat and fall apart after so many years.

I found a pricey one on eBay ( compared to Black Gold Man's offer but it was condition unknown

Yeah, you're probably correct that it isn't real rubber. Definitely not resin, i.e. hard. Someone on this site probable knows more about the composition of the materials of the 70's than I do.

FWIW, years ago, I repaired a split in the bellows using a material that was rubber-like, flexible,black-don't think it was actually silicone. Used a fabric patch from the back, like I was doing a fiberglass job. That way, I wasn't relying on the silicone type material for strength and the outside appearance didn't show more than a seam, in case UV and weathering changed the color of the patch material. Worked pretty good for years (not sure beyond that, sold it).

[Willoughby Z]

Removed remnants of LH bumper end. Checked out the mis-alignment of headlight bucket-inside edge next to the grille opening is not vertical. Top, inside corner adjacent to hood is off- 1/8 inch tighter than the passenger side. The angled sideswipe sledge-hammered the bumper and shocks sideways 7/8 of an inch towards the passenger side. The shocks aren't bent, appears the frame/sheet metal where the LH shock is bolted is tweaked, causing the turn signal to be angled off the horizontal and the bucket to be angled off the vertical.

This is gonna get expensive...

[black gold man]

Did you get your bumper end? And are you happy with it?

BGM

[Willoughby Z]

I did receive it. I'm satisfied and please accept my apologies for not confirming receipt. I appreciate the quick offer and shipping.