I went to put my front bumper on today and it doesn't fit right. It looks like the correct bumper and grill but neither went on smoothly and they don't fit together. My only guess is that maybe they go to a Special and not a Super? Appearance wise they look the same but I can't think of another reason why they fit like this. The bolt holes matched up to the bracket but this is what it looked like when done.
your car looks like a roadmaster(big body), so id say the grille is off of a special or century(small body). JEFF
It's a Super Riviera but I'm thinking your right that the grill is off a special...I wonder if the bumper is wrong too because it fits weird on the sides and sticks too far out from the car....
When it comes to body stuff, Super and Roadmaster are together as are Special and Century. When it comes to the mechanical side, it's Super and Special and Century and Roadmaster. And some years they didn't make a Century.
there is a large filler peice that goes on the bottom of the grille that sticks out about 4 inches from the grille, the bumper looks correct, but the grille is deifinatly wrong, i just sold my 55 roadmaster or else i would gladly take pics. my front end was in pieces when i got it and i assembled it all too, a giant heavy puzzle! the one this that i do know that was different about the roady grille is that it had to cast cirles attached to it on the ends that lined up with the dagmars if that helps any. heres a pic, you can barely make out the filler peice between the grille and bumper but its there! hope this helps jeff
Thanks Jeff. Looks like I need a new grill. The only thing I can't figure out how to change, or what to do about is the bumper bracket and why/how it sticks out so far from the car. Even if I get the correct grill, I'm not sure how to correct this gap. The arrow is pointing to where the bumper bolts on to the bracket. Any ideas?
bassfire has a build post on a 55 buick super, maybe he can help..? here is the post.. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=383609
Looks to me like the bumper bracket, or the bumper and the bracket, got tweaked over to one side. Way too much gap on the one side, going side to side and front to back. I would take the bumper off and measure the brackets for square. Something needs to be straightened.
I agree and there is some play side to side but the bracket doesn't move back any farther. I'd say the gap between the grill and the bumper is a good 2 inches...
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