Trying to install the rear bumper on my 68 this afternoon, fought it for what seemed like forever before I had to quit for supper. Looks good on top, but the bottom isn't as tight to the depression in the quarter panel for my liking. Went back out and am wondering if I found the issue.

Is the bottom lip on the bumper supposed to wrap around the lip on the crossmember that goes between the frame horns? I think the bumper is running into it, keeping the bottom from going forward enough.

Please confirm this, don't want to try and find out I'm wrong, and have to wrestle with it again to get it as good as it is right now.

Thanks.

 

I just checked mine. The bumper lip hangs just below that cross-member, w/ about a 1/4" gap between it and the lip of the bumper at the center under the fuel inlet. It does not wrap around / under the cross-member. It does appear that your bumper needs to come forward a bit more, but it also appears that your cross-member may be hanging a little low in the center, that or your bumper is a bit too high. If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say your cross-member looks like it is sagging a bit in the middle.

 

Thanks. It did look that way to me too, and I considered massaging it up a bit, but wasn't sure if that was just how it was originally.

 

Whats the trunk, rear fender side profile and quarter gap on the left and right above the rubber end pads look like. Does your car have the large rubber pad in the middle behind the bumper attached to the pinch weld?
The body manual has the gap spec. I cant put my hands on mine at the moment.
I cant slip my hand past the second knuckle in the middle of my bumper.

I like them to be as tight as possible to the trunk and quarters. Part of the reason for the "loose" factory spec, I suspect, is to allow room for bumper flex when using the factory bumper jack. Which by the way shouldn't be used as it dimples the bumper where the saddle rides on it.

I have the trumpet to bumper spec somewhere as well if you need that?

 

Crossmember looks tweaked to me, but that's a best guess. Make sure you have all three rubber pads on the tail panels (one in center, one under each tail light).

 

The rear cross member dips down in the middle and I usually hook that lip into the bumper after I have aligned it to the body. This gives a little more stiffness to the bumper. On the Muskrat's new convert, the bumper was too far rearward to do this trick.

 

This is true. I re-checked mine tonight w/ more light available. I can barely get the tip of my pinky finger between the cross member and the bumper at the fuel filler in the center, but nearly 1-1/2 fingers (index/middle) in there at the ends near the frame mounts. While my rear bumper has been off and on the car, its pretty well aligned at the ends.

Was there new body mounts installed recently back there that would make the cross member sit lower relative to the body?

 

They are all a little different as tolerances werent that tight in 68. As long as the gaps are good to go, go with it unless you suspect the frame is tweaked. Then have that checked.