1965 Corvair - Bumper Prep

As you have probably noticed by now this Corvair was no cream puff to restore and the bumpers are no exception. Bob had the chrome, nickel and copper stripped off first and now he is starting the repairs by working the hi crowns with a hammer and dolly.

Using a custom vise grip with hardened tips he squeezes some low spots out.

Close up shows how the tool allows exact control pushing dents out of the heavy gauge bumper metal.

Using a straight edge to check the work makes a huge difference. Being sure you are always heading forward is imperative in any area.

Next he metal files all the highs down until the desired shape takes place.

Bob uses a belt sander to remove the imperfections quickly. Steel sands hard so power tools are used.

We always end up doing some final hand sanding to get it finished right.

One of the first things we do is check the fit to the body for gap spacing.

A bit of trimming was needed, so out came the grinder.

As seen it fits much better. See "bumper prep" in our fabrication pages for a detailed summary of these types of repairs.