BUILD THREAD 81 Buick/Olds Turbo Wagon 02/15/2024 More Parts!

[liquidh8]

I too didn't want it flush to the body like those shitty looking fiberglass roll pans. I like them to stick out just a little, but not as much as the original bumpers that stick out like Mickey Mouse ears. Are you going to paint yours, or chrome them?
My opinion, the Olds bumpers look a lot better than the Buick Century ones.

I agree, I have looked at some old pictures and threads here and over at MR, and even looked at yours again. I am doing just what you and others have done. The sides stick out just enough.

I'll be painting these body color, all the other trim will be blacked out. Think 87 T-Type in dark grey.

I like the olds bumpers better also, I would have loved to have one off of a 78/9 Hurst Olds to shorten. I like the indents on the top for the grills. I plan on duplicating this. Just to have the indents under the grills.

 

[liquidh8]

Not a whole lot of anything tonight, weather is crappy and I am welding outside, so I'll get back on it tomorrow.

I am trying to find all my damn fender shims, I know I had a shitload of them, but for the life of me I can't locate them.

 

[Blake442]

Very cool, Jim... I like where you're headed with the bumper!

Speaking of MalibuRacing...
I hopped over there the other day for literally the first time since you joined this site...
What happened? That place is a ghost-town now!

 

[liquidh8]

Very cool, Jim... I like where you're headed with the bumper!

Speaking of MalibuRacing...
I hopped over there the other day for literally the first time since you joined this site...
What happened? That place is a ghost-town now!

Thanks! I want it to look clean and flow well, I hope it turns out.

It is a ghost town over malibu racing anymore, not sure what the deal is.

I did make some more progress on the bumper tonight, I got the plate pocket cutout and filled.

Here the center is cutout.



Used some of the donor bumper for filler.





Hard to get a good picture of it. I have to mod the aluminum bumper support now since the plate pocket is gone.




Adult beverages consumed during tonight's task.



A few shots of the side.

 

[Longroof79]

The bumper looks great, Jim.
You have those dead Yuengling's to show for it...😛
I know you performed a lot of surgery on it.

 

[chophead]

Very nice work with the bumper. I am thinking about using fiberglass bumpers for my cutlass in the front and rear. I am also making aluminum bumper brackets to do away with the heavy steel absorbers.

 

[liquidh8]

The bumper looks great, Jim.
You have those dead Yuengling's to show for it...😛
I know you performed a lot of surgery on it.

Thanks Jack, it's coming along. It is taking almost as much time grinding the chrome and copper off the damn bumpers. Well, I am using flap wheels, thank god for Harbor Freight! I love me some Yuengling's for sure.

Very nice work with the bumper. I am thinking about using fiberglass bumpers for my cutlass in the front and rear. I am also making aluminum bumper brackets to do away with the heavy steel absorbers.

Thank you, I was going to use fiberglass at first, VFN makes some if I remember correctly. But Blake hooked me up, and the steel is faster to modify than the fiberglass. I just scored some aluminum bumper mounts, but they won't be the right distance, so I'll have to get some aluminum tube and make them the right length for the bumpers. I still need to fab a rear set of aluminum ones.

 

[Longroof79]

Jim,
If I recall correctly, I used a DA sander with 80 grit paper to knock down the chrome. I don't think it
completely took it off, but got it to a point where I was able to etch prime it and then applied the 2K primer. It looks like it's holding up so far. I guess time will tell.

BTW, the flapper wheels work pretty good.

 

[liquidh8]

Jim,
If I recall correctly, I used a DA sander with 80 grit paper to knock down the chrome. I don't think it
completely took it off, but got it to a point where I was able to etch prime it and then applied the 2K primer. It looks like it's holding up so far. I guess time will tell.

BTW, the flapper wheels work pretty good.

Jack, I did that on my Black 83 wagon years ago, I held up ok. I just want to be sure the paint sticks this time around, so I am getting it down to at least the copper, if not the steel. Since I am doing so many modifications, it is just easier to get it to steel so I can do some filler work and all and be confident that it is going to stick.

 

[Longroof79]

Jim,
Where I took it down to bare steel were the areas that I welded. Some parts were taken down to copper. I don't blame you for wanting to strip it down thoroughly, especially after doing as much extensive work on it as you did. I also used some All-Metal to fill pock marks and where I welded the bumper bolts to the rear bumper.