Arrowstorm

As the title indicates, I would like to know if it is possible to just yank this bumper out and hammer that puppy straight.

In the pics, you can see that the passenger side of the bumper has an indention in it that snuggles up too close to the grill. The driver's side is included for reference. I'd really like to hammer that thing straight, and if it's possible, I would greatly appreciate some tips and hints on how to do it.

I was thinking of putting a torch to the backside of the bumper and maybe hammering it. Would that work?

It's really that one area that gets to me. The rest of it by the housing, even though it isn't perfectly straight, I can live with that. But the ding by the grill... Grrr. The dent was there when I bought the car, and at the time, I thought it added character, but now it's time to straighten out some of those character flaws.

Any advice, helpful tips or recommendations would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

Buz

Oldsguy

Yes it is possible but it takes skill, which I do not have. I think you might end up damaging some of the chrome plating in the process so you need to decide if you want a chromed ding or a straight bumper with a blemish on it where the chrome is damged.

Professur

You want to press that out, not hammer it. Any good chrome shop will handle that job easily.

Oldsmaniac

You can send it to a shop for rechrome and they will straighten no problem, you can purchase the cheaper lighter repop bumper. The ones I have had done appear to have been made dent free with some type of chisel as there are many strike marks on the back side.

oldcutlass

You may be able to straighten it with a blocks of wood and a bfh. If you use a torch you will damage the chrome.

joe_padavano

You personally will never get that straight with a hammer and wood. The metal is distorted at the impact point and stretched behind it. As noted, a good chrome shop has the equipment to straighten the dent and shrink the stretched metal. That work will require the chrome to be removed and re-plated. Expect to pay about $500 to have this done.

Arrowstorm

I see..... I see..... lots and lots of character in that little ding! Why, there's a story there! The PO said his mom did that and the rest is automotive history!

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll get it professionally done after I finish other more "serious" character flaws.