how to delete rear bumper bolts?

[Darth Menace]

They look to be just painted carriage bolts.

My guess on what's on the inside, is definitely some kind of wood .

Oh, and somebody mentioned the aftermarket bumpers. There is a manufacturer who makes a glass bumper with the recess for the plastic trim. I don't recall who off hand, but I remember it in past discussion here.

sorry guys no pics yet. but let me ask you something IF there is nothign behind that belongs there (such as wood, duct tape) how can i repair this? i mean getting a glass bumper wont do me any good as the main parts behind it arent there to attatch it to

 

[78CobraII]

Dan,

I'm afraid that its time to go junkyardin'. The bumper supports aren't rusted out on southern and western cars...just rusty.

There are actually 2 steel support parts in both the front and rear MII bumpers...an "inner" part that is cast into the urethane skin, and an "outer" part that is bolted on.

Swapping a good outer is not a big deal. You just need the right size socket and a bunch of rust penetrant. If the inner is gone...I don't know what is keeping the urethane skin from acting like a wet noodle.

You may be looking at finding a new (used) rear bumper assembly...

Get some pictures of the inside of that bumper so we can see what's going on. Try to see the area where the urethane and metal are bonded together.

Assuming that you actually have a wooden 2x4 as a bumper support, if the "inner" is still good, you might actually be able to swap the wooden 2x4 for a length of steel or aluminum tube. Either would certainly have more structural strength!

I've attached 2 pics: one with the bumper removed showing the "outer" reinforcement, and the next with the "outer" reinforcement removed from the urethane skin and its "inner" reinforcement. The rust is mostly surface rust, and the junk is mud wasp nests!

 

[Darth Menace]

ok here are the pic boys...steel beem!

and this last pic is the pic of the inside right part of my bumper. dont know if its stock or not

also does anyone know if the arms that hold the beam on are stock or are they homemade also?

 

[78CobraII]

Great pics!

The bumper supports (shock absorbers) are factory. But that is definitely not a factory bumper reinforcement beam!

Its a nice job though. Looks like a solid piece. Maybe a little too solid...you might should dissassemble and drill it full of lightening holes.

You can either get a used set of factory reinforcement beams, or you can look for a product that will "glue" your current reinforcement beam to the urethane skin. That's not as far fetched as it might sound...the original bumper skin had a thin metal panel "cast" into it. One possibility might be to take your current assembly apart, drill a bunch of holes in the reinforcement beam, and fill the backside of the skin with a urethane glue. Press the reinforcement beam into the glue and let it set.

In either case you will have to fill the bolt holes with urethane repair material...3M makes something just for this.

I'm really impressed with how good your custom reinforcement beam is...it would work well with a fiberglass bumper if you could work out a way to attach it without bolts...i.e. glue or fiberglass.

 

[Putter]

If you were going to go that route, how about expanding foam to fill the voids?

 

[78CobraII]

The pics I posted previously in this thread aren't very good, but you can get an idea of how a factory bumper goes together. In one pic the outer reinforcement has been removed, and you can see the "cast-in" inner plate under all of the broken dirt-dauber wasp nests

The outer reinforcement is a complex stamping with several plates welded on.

The inner reinforcement looks to be a flat plate with a slight curve and a couple of raised stands to bolt the outer to.

The reinforcements probably actually weigh about the same as the urethane skin. Its not nearly as heavy as I assumed before I removed it.

I'm going to carry the whole mess to the sand blaster soon and get them cleaned up for paint.

 

[78CobraII]

If you were going to go that route, how about expanding foam to fill the voids?

If we're talking about joining the reinforcement to the urethane skin or a fiberglass bumper, I'd want something a little more "sticky" than the expanding foam used for insulation. There's probably a urethane product that would allow for filling voids while providing a super hold.

Doesn't the urethane "Gorilla Glue" bubble a bit when you attach it to a moistened surface?

 

[Dano78]

Wow I'm impressed! It's not really as bad as i thought it'd be. The guy who did it actually took a little time and at least kept it true to it's function. (safety minded)

However, I'm not sure your bumpers can be fixed easily but the ideas the others have said are worth a shot. As far as replacing the original missing outer brace in yours, i'm betting there is nothing to secure it to now (rusted off or cut off to make for the steel channel). Sooo that being said you may have to just get new bumpers alltogether if their ideas don't work out.

 

[Blue coyote]

If you DO end up getting a replacement rear bumper, send me that one...Its in WAY better condition than the pile of rust and rotting plastic on mine (and since I live in the Lower mainland of BC, Canada, fiberglass safety features don't inspire me...)

 

[Putter]

There is a rear bumper on ebay right now, with rebar.

 

[Darth Menace]

If you DO end up getting a replacement rear bumper, send me that one...Its in WAY better condition than the pile of rust and rotting plastic on mine (and since I live in the Lower mainland of BC, Canada, fiberglass safety features don't inspire me...)

hey i am getting the bumper backings from some mustang ii guy and am buying a fibreglass bumper. its yours if you honestly want the thing.
i see the bumper on ebay, but i find it hard to spend 2 times more for a used bumper as opposed to a new fibreglass

 

[Darth Menace]

PS-3 Canadian Mustang II owners in a row. i live in london canada

 

[Blue coyote]

You see, I'm in a bit of a rough spot. My wife is under the impression that we have just OODLES of cash lying around and spends accordingly, even though she got laid off last month. I've been working on my 95 Toyota 4x4 to keep it on the road to/from work and the stang has been sitting in my garage for about 13 years now. Slowly collecting parts so that one day I can once again terrorize the Fox-chassis crowd, but its a long slow process, especially when I can't justify spending money I don't have to get parts that either don't exist any more or cost more than they did originally from the stealership.

I'd be happy enough if I could even just get enough detailed pics to fabricate a similar rear bumper for my 78, because the bumper on mine sags and drops phenomenal amounts of rust flakes every time I close the doors. I won't go fiberglass due to the notoriously pathetic driving skills of some of the local drivers.

 

[Darth Menace]

well the bumper thats on mine seems pretty basic to me. kinda wierd, but basic enough and does the job. seems like all it is is a steel beem coming out of those two arms. holes drilled through the bumper/steel beam and bolted on. anyways in all honesty i know what you mean about funds. i am 23 buying my first house WITH TWINS, and i wanna do things on my stang the way i invision them but dont go all out with brand new expensive top of the line stuff. anywyas if you actually want the bumper its yours if you wanna pay the shipping. i am sure London to vancouver might cost a pretty penny but it wont be the end of the world. another thing i found living in canada is sometimes its cheaper to ship from Canada to the USA than to ship canada to canada. so if thats the case and u are close to USA i can ship it there. i am taking it off in december so get back to me.

 

[Dano78]

Do you still have the ability to bolt the outer brace to the bumper itself? (part that bolts directly to the bumper-shocks)

I knew this guy.... he had promised a pair of Chrome plated 2.8 valvecovers some time ago... but never heard anything of it. And there's anothe guy I know (just couldn't be me... ) that happens to have that steel re-inforcement -even already unbolted- just lying around.

 

[Blue coyote]

I knew this guy.... he had promised a pair of Chrome plated 2.8 valvecovers some time ago... but never heard anything of it. And there's anothe guy I know (just couldn't be me... ) that happens to have that steel re-inforcement -even already unbolted- just lying around.

So, does this "anothe guy" you know ever get north of the border? 'Cause I know this guy, he's got a set of 2.8 valve covers, but he's got a really horrible short term memory and a wife who's REALLY good at making the hard drive crash and burn.... If "anothe guy" was to show up at this guy's place, it would take all of 5 minutes to pull and clean the covers from the engine sitting in my garage.

I'd offer to deliver, but crossing the border isn't an option for me...

 

[Dano78]

Couldn't be me!?!

No, unaffortunately The Vancouver I live in is in the and is quite a drive for me this time of the year. Shipping is about the only way to do the deed. amnit:

But- If you're still interested, I'm sure we could work it out. If you are, i can send some pics of it to make sure it's what you're looking for. Of course,a couple of pics of them valve couvers would definately be nice eye-candy for me.

 

[Blue coyote]

I'll see what I can do for pics.

And yeah, I know you're in "that other" Vancouver, or I'd be willing to drop them off to ya Best I could do would be to meet ya on the Canuck side of the border (the guys who sit in those booths don't like me very much...) or get someone who's passing through to drop them off. I've had nothing but hassles trying to ship over the border, but I can mark your name on the covers in grease pencil and put them on my "keep this stuff" shelf in the garage in case you end up close enough anyway. With my II being parked for the last 12 years or so anyway, its not like the bumper is a time-sensitive issue

 

[Dano78]

I hear ya. I rarely ever get up to even the norther end of the state little alone Canada. But we'll see. May have to have a 'Road Trip' since I ain't taken the ol' lady anywhere in the last 2-3 years. She took herself to California a time or two to visit 'her' realitives....hence why I stayed here. That and I was remodeling the house and starting on my new shop too. One of these freakin years I'm gonna make it to that Mustang roundup that up north!
But anyways, yeah how ever you want to work it, I've got one for ya.

 

[Putter]

Well, looks like I will have to address mine before I can get it on the road. I'll take pictures as I go. Hopefully I can salvage what I have. Can I get suggestions from all on how to reattach the urethane to a newly blasted and painted bumper. Glue? were there brackets originally?