Working on the wagon..

[sleepycutlasscruzer]

what did you do to bring in the back bumper? my buddie said that he like a tucked bumper over the roll pan so im still tossing around the idea on my wagon.

If you look at the Cutlass Cruiser compared to the Malibu wagon, the body lines are different. They do use the same bumper though.
In my case, I cut 3 1/2" out of the center of the bumper. I also had to trim off the ends of the support bar in order to fit the narrowed design. I also shaved the bumper bolts and welded them flush to give it a smooth appearance.
Furthermore, to be able to move the bumper assembly closer to the body, the energy absorbers have to be drilled to expel the gas and oil in them which gives the assembly free movement to adjust in or out...once the position you want is achieved, the absorbers are then tack welded to eliminate movement.

thanks for breaking that down. after looking at it again it looks really good. i dont have a welder yet but ive got a buddie that can help me just based on what you told me. thanks

 

[Longroof79]

If you need any further information, or have questions, etc, please feel free to ask away. It's alittle time consuming, but pretty straight forward. I still have the front bumper to do yet. I'll let you know how that transpires. :wink:

 

[sleepycutlasscruzer]

If you need any further information, or have questions, etc, please feel free to ask away. It's alittle time consuming, but pretty straight forward. I still have the front bumper to do yet. I'll let you know how that transpires. :wink:

cant wait to see how that comes out. keep me posted

 

[Longroof79]

If you need any further information, or have questions, etc, please feel free to ask away. It's alittle time consuming, but pretty straight forward. I still have the front bumper to do yet. I'll let you know how that transpires. :wink:

cant wait to see how that comes out. keep me posted

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Will do. I'll post any further progress in this thread. 🙂 Stay tuned to this channel... :lol:

 

[dirtywhiteboy]

HEY JACK! It's lookin' great!!!!!
I love the bumper, I'm still not sure if I like the filled gate or not myself, so don't sweat not doing it.
It's great to see you making strides! Keep posting the pics!!!!!

 

[Longroof79]

Hey, thanks Brian!
I still have my work cut out for me, but I'll get there eventually. I've been working outdoors, weather permitting of course.
Yeah, I was all set to fill the tailgate pocket and I decided not to. The same with the side marker lights.
Right now I have the bumper bolted up to the car. i have it adjusted all the way up, but I'd like it to go a little higher.
I might have to grind in a few vertical slots to enable me to adjust it further.
Thanks for your complement and vote of confidence. It's taken a while to get going, but once you start, you get on a roll.

 

[pontiacgp]

Jack, I have looked at the roll pan that Lauren engineering sells to see how they get around the curve of the tailgate and they have a noticeable gap between the tailgate and the top of the roll pan. I definitely like the way you modified your rear bumper much better than the Lauren product so it sits close to the tailgate. I know you'll have that problem you mentioned with clearance but I think the tradeoff is worth it.

 

[Longroof79]

Steve,
I have noticed the Lauren rollpan. They do allow for clearance on theirs. I think once I get it adjusted to where I want it, and or work with the cable distance, I should be good. I'd still like to get it as close to the body as possible, and yet leave a even gap around it.
I'll post a pic of what it currently looks like mounted on the car. Then you can tell me what you think. :wink:

 

[dirtywhiteboy]

It was a good call to split it in the middle.
I didn't decide to delete the bolts until the last minute, or I would have done it that way too.
I left my bumper a bit lower so I didn't have an issue with the gate hitting it. I can still go up a bit more, I just have been working on other junk

BTW
I shortened my front a bit too much. It would have been better at 1" wider than I cut it. At the time I planned on reworking the fenders to match, but didn't. Oh well I'll run across another bumper one day if the wagon stays here that long.

That's gonna be nice Jack

 

[Longroof79]

Brian,
I've seen it done that way before...cutting it it the middle that is. As for shaving the bolts, I never really liked the look of the heads sticking out like that. The only thing I regret with that is that I didn't reinforce the bolts alittle better. Someone suggested welding washers inside the bumper for added strength. Now I see why. A few of them puckered in when I tightened down on them. It wasn't catastrophic, but it bugged me. I guess they are settled now and won't go any further.
Nothing alittle body filler won't correct.. :wink:
Here's a few pics I took today.

Not only do I want to close up the gap on top. I also want to correct the angle of the bumper. It seems to tilt in on the top.
I still haven't gotten to the front bumper yet. A few guys over at Malibu racing have done it, and it seemed to come out pretty good. I also have the SS airdam in the front. I would have to factor in the clearance on that before i start cutting.