87 Regal bumper to grille clearance

[Rt Jam]

I have a pile of aftermarket parts on the front of my 87 GN. Goodmark header panel, grille, bumper fillers, lightweight aluminum bumper supports and a Glass Tek fiberglass bumper.

Is this distance from top of bumper to grill correct? Seems like there is too much gap.

 

[ck80]

Visually, that gap seems excessive compared to stock.

However, from what you listed as your mods, there's a couple issues adding together I think that are leaving you there.

#1 - loiks like you're not running a factory bumper reinforcement and replaced it along with the gas struts that connect it to the frame? Or are you? And so, while I'm not familiar with that glass bumper, I presume you aren't using the grille return springs, or if you are, they aren't stock gm ones hooked in the stock locations.

#2 - you're not running a center bumper filler which, again, mounts on the true bumper reinforcement. It takes up some of the air gap looking from above

#3 - everything you've got on there is aftermarket. When their parts are off 1/32 here and 1/32 there, pretty soon you've got an extra 1/8 inch where you didnt expect it. I vote your problem lies with the reinforcement and bumper shell. Factory GM was manufactured 'short' relative to sitting on the car and you had to shim it outwards away from the passenger cabin to tolerance and get gaps cleared and lined up. Aftermarket they don't build it expecting you to use those plates. Means there's no ability to really adjust in or out closer or away from the body like factory parts can.

 

[Rt Jam]

Visually, that gap seems excessive compared to stock.

However, from what you listed as your mods, there's a couple issues adding together I think that are leaving you there.

#1 - loiks like you're not running a factory bumper reinforcement and replaced it along with the gas struts that connect it to the frame? Or are you? And so, while I'm not familiar with that glass bumper, I presume you aren't using the grille return springs, or if you are, they aren't stock gm ones hooked in the stock locations.

#2 - you're not running a center bumper filler which, again, mounts on the true bumper reinforcement. It takes up some of the air gap looking from above

#3 - everything you've got on there is aftermarket. When their parts are off 1/32 here and 1/32 there, pretty soon you've got an extra 1/8 inch where you didnt expect it. I vote your problem lies with the reinforcement and bumper shell. Factory GM was manufactured 'short' relative to sitting on the car and you had to shim it outwards away from the passenger cabin to tolerance and get gaps cleared and lined up. Aftermarket they don't build it expecting you to use those plates. Means there's no ability to really adjust in or out closer or away from the body like factory parts can.

#1 The bumper reinforcement is also from Glasstek. It is molded like original but in fiberglass. I mounted my original steel bumper to compare and it was the same.
The lightweight struts to replace the bumper shocks are a problem. They were a bit longer than stock. Plus stock had shims. Pretty dumb to make them longer than original. Seems like shorter would be better and then we could shim to compensate. So I cut and rewelded them 1/2" shorter but it seems like it needs to be even shorter to get the bumper closer to the grille.

I have reproduction return springs which pull the grille forward but it's not truly forward. It swings up in an arc. In the pic there are 1/4" stoppers to keep the grille flush with the header panel. Without stoppers, the gap get smaller but the bottom of grille will be higher than the top of bumper.

#2 I have a center filler to get rid of illusion of gap but still wondering what IS the proper gap.

#3 Prepared to deal with the 1/32" off here and there, just need to know where and what is out.

 

[ck80]

#1 The bumper reinforcement is also from Glasstek. It is molded like original but in fiberglass. I mounted my original steel bumper to compare and it was the same.
The lightweight struts to replace the bumper shocks are a problem. They were a bit longer than stock. Plus stock had shims. Pretty dumb to make them longer than original. Seems like shorter would be better and then we could shim to compensate. So I cut and rewelded them 1/2" shorter but it seems like it needs to be even shorter to get the bumper closer to the grille.

I have reproduction return springs which pull the grille forward but it's not truly forward. It swings up in an arc. In the pic there are 1/4" stoppers to keep the grille flush with the header panel. Without stoppers, the gap get smaller but the bottom of grille will be higher than the top of bumper.

#2 I have a center filler to get rid of illusion of gap but still wondering what IS the proper gap.

#3 Prepared to deal with the 1/32" off here and there, just need to know where and what is out.

Factory had variance all over the place, it wasn't like the new cars of today.

I swear there had used to be a post in this thread here of someone showing the front of their car, and the gap, and theirs looked right.

Your bumper is going to be tucked over the fillers, and it's going to cover that little tab on the fillers that extends forward near the grille to a point where you won't see it.

When the 'center' bumpernfiller is installed, the v shaped silver plastic, that will not be visible either as the grille is going to come all the way up to it.

Take a look at this picture. Everything should tuck up underneath.

On the cars that saw 100k+ of road use back in the day, with bodies flexing and things moving, you used to see the bumper fillers touching the inside of the bumper shell usually on the outside edge, and, factory tolerances being what they were, the bumpers sometimes toughes the corner edges on the fillers up top where things tucked underneath.

Made snagging used fillers out of the junkyard a real hard find.

But that picture would've been one example of a factory tolerance. It's a 50k mile car.

If your grille isn't resting between the 'wings' on the top semi flat surface of the bumper that sweep towards the headlights, you're too far forward

 

[Rt Jam]

Your bumper is definately closer to the grille than mine.

I'd like to push the bumper higher but the fillers at the bottom say no. I'd like to push it back closer to the car but my 6" bumper brackets also say no.
Do I have the brackets on wrong end of car? My rears are 4" and the rear bumper looks correct.

 

[ck80]

Your bumper is definately closer to the grille than mine.

I'd like to push the bumper higher but the fillers at the bottom say no. I'd like to push it back closer to the car but my 6" bumper brackets also say no.
Do I have the brackets on wrong end of car? My rears are 4" and the rear bumper looks correct.

I think the bumper brackets are too long. Could be that made one set that you could use on most gbodies, but, regal, cutlass, monte, all had different part numbers that didn't interchange per Hollander.

Could be the maker decided on a one size can fit all, just not to factory measurements, and said send it!

 

[Rt Jam]

I think you are correct. Brackets were too long. If too short, we can shim but kind of stupid for them to be made long. Luckily I work at a place that has robotic welding. I trimmed the 2 aluminum brackets and welded them back together. So this got the bumper closer to the car.

Then I also trimmed the bottom of the bumper fillers to allow the bumper to come up higher.

Do you think it needs to come up more?