Tech Request ____Smoothing 50's chevy bumpers

Ok guys i wanna 1 piece and smooth my front bumper on my 53

it has a couple little kinks and bends in it here and there---Should i take it off and send it to bumper shop and have it straightened before i attempt to 1 piece it and smooth it ?

and how exactely should i go about 1 piecing and smoothing ?

also please keep in mind i do wanna have it rechromed after this process

 

From what I've gathered here on the HAMB - you should have the stripping done at a chrome shop if you want to have this rechromed. Hopefully some knowledgeable folks will chime in, but I gather that the tiniest imperfections will royally fuck up the possibility of ever rechroming that bumper.

 

anyone else got some info/input

 

I have them stripped of the chrome and straightened and the backside sandblasted before I start to do any thing to them after I am finished with whatever is to be done with them I work them down to 150 grit before sending them back to be chromed. I cut squares out of the same thickness and weld them in the bumper bolt holes them make some plates with the correct size bolts welded to them I tack them to the back side and check for fit before welding them solid.

 

What Dave said. I don't have a lot of input on this one -- always figured to make a plate behind where the hole used to be and then shorten up the bracket at least the length of the distance from the old bolt hole in the bumper to the new one in the plate. Gotta suck that bumper in nice and close to the car.

(Damn Gotti, your a posting maniac!)

 

What all those pimps said.

 

This used to be a three piece

 

this is a great place to gather info and i spend majority of my time on the internet here so i figure why not learn a thing or two

 

Do a search on Restoration Chrome, I believe he sells 1 piece bumpers for $317 each with a warranty on the chrome. Don't know about your area, but that's a helluva lot less than the local platers near me would charge just to chrome it, let alone the welding and prepping you would have to do.

 

Hey Nads, what type of bumper is that? Looks a bit like a '56 Nomad but not sure...

 

Yup it a '56 wagon bumper, narrowed an inch and welded together and smoothed. I put exhaust cutouts in it too. It costed $550 to get it chromed.

 

I had the bumpers on 51 smoothed and powder coated in NearChrome. I had the bumpers one-pieced and then smoothed out. Turned out super.

 

ouch! well worth though, that thing is sweet

 

The price from restoration chrome is price to dip a 1 piece bumper

was gonna go that route talked to them thinking i could buy a 1 piece and live with the bolts but got infomed by the lady answering the phone that the prices on the site are to dip not for a new bumper -------got super bummmed over this