Rear bumper

Ok...Rear bumper off car- Only able to remove 1 of the outer bumper bolts (the chrome ones) that hold the outer piece to the heavy inner bumper piece. So far have tried 2 more and they just spin & nut does not unscrew...anyone gone through this? I was thinking of using a thin wrench (like the kind you get w/ your circular saw) to try & hold the square part of that carriage bolt while using my air wrench or impact but if anyone has a better idea, I'm all ears

Ahh, yes...removing the rusty bumper bolt nuts. Remember doing that some years ago on mine. There isn't much of a shoulder to hold those in the hole and it doesn't take much for them to spin and round out that square hole in the bumper. Aside from spraying them with PB Blaster, I remember using vise grips on the head of the bolts...which wasn't easy due to the small area to grab onto. Of course, this ruins the bolt head and that chrome cap they put over it. You can buy new bolts, though. I also used a heavy duty tape on the bumper around the head to avoid scratching it. The thin wrench sounds like a good idea if you can get it underneath the bolt head.

LOL....got 1 more off w/ liquid wrench (soaked for 1 hr) vice grips (sideways- w/ bumper perpendicular to me & grips facing the same way) & the good ole breaker bar! What the heck is PB Blaster?

77mali wrote:LOL... What the heck is PB Blaster?

Only the best penetrating oil out there

Makes a helluva weed killer, too! Had some stubborn dandelions that just wouldn't die with Weed-B-Gone and such. Just sayin'...

Think Walmart carries it.

walmart kmart any auto stores and some of your bigger chain grocery stores and most all hardware stores carry it........

That's good 2 know, will give it a try. TY.
Got 1 more to go & 1 of the bottom bolts is spinning think it must be a loose retainer clip. Too dark & too many bugs out.

Ill have to try that too. I broke 1 out of 4 so far trying to take mine apart with just the brackets and well they are still sitting there.

So today has been successful and the rear bumper is apart. I continue to be amazed at how much better steel was back in the era of these A-Body cars. I was expecting that the inner bumper would have swiss cheese holes everywhere, especially since the car had been sitting for at least a year- or two uncovered before I bought it. There is corrosion as you'll see but nothing goes through and I think that when I blast it, I'll be safe w/ a removal of 1.5 to 2 mils, no proble. Any way- I'm posting some pics of the aftermath and like I said, a couple of bolts were a real pain in the a$$ but they were no match for my Dremel tool. There is a close up of the bottom bumper bolt retainer...w/ part of the bolt still attached. The retainer was broken and hence, why it spun freely.

when you put the bumper back together use new bolts with Keepers ( to hold bolts ) while mounting it back on car makes a world of difference << --- keeper I call call it dont know right name

Sandblast that bracket and POR-15 that thing before you put it back together. You will be glad you did. Also if you have an ACE hardware store around they sell the chrome bumper bolts for your bumper. Spendy lil guys but worth it and they don't have the spinning covers "all chrome".

Started the rough sand blast to de-scale. Thanks for the advise I've seen those carriage bolts, very beefy in comparison to the originals- the square shaped part underneath the head is longer and will sit better in the square hole in the outer bumper. Those retainer rings/keepers are a good idea too. Gonna have to replace the ones that are on the brackets that slide into the bumper shocks. Am pondering sinking and cutting the bumpers. Once I get the front off I'll see what I have to work with. I think I'm leaving that to the chrome shop but am getting rid of the bumper strips that stick out & powder coating in whatever the final paint scheme will be.

what i meant 77 mali .............. there is a washer on the inside to keep bolt from being pulled thru, has alot more adjustability over stock ones as well

The great thing about POR-15 is if you get the loose stuff off you can paint over it. That's actually what is made for. I have painted alot of my stuff with it. Expensive but worth it!

Limey wrote:what i meant 77 mali .............. there is a washer on the inside to keep bolt from being pulled thru, has alot more adjustability over stock ones as well

Dude, those brackets look brand new...are they aftermarket?