Nighthawk

New Problem guys. The powder coating guy was sandblasting my rear bumper which was fairly corroded and he ended up with a holy bumper(holy in a negative way). There are some small holes about the size of nickels/dimes in several areas. No pics at the moment but any suggestions on a good fix before powder coating. Probably never gonna find another one in my price range

Allan R

I think you should look. If the bumper was that thin and you got holes from the blaster chances are the rest of it isn't far behind. To weld up everything and then smooth it out is probably going to cost a lot of money.
Check with this guy https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums/members/limey.html He parted out a 76 last year and I don't know if he still has the rear bumper.

Just as an FYI, I found this one on a quick web search - it's complete and pretty inexpensive.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/76-7-Cutlass-...t_25490wt_1046

Nighthawk

Thanks for the tip Allen. Before I do that I'm experimenting with welding plates on the back and then brazing on the front. Will post pictures of results. I have a friend with all the welding equipment so it'll be virtually free.
Not much has happened in the last couple of months cause I've been busy with school but I did paint the calipers, drums, and seat legs. Inserted wood in the bottoms of the bucket seats for cheap fix. Finally, fixed the rear seatbelt. My dad was playing around with it and the whole piece just fell apart. Painted the rusted part and put it back together. Free fix! Recently purchased por-20 aluminum to try on the exhaust manifolds. Have heard differing opinions about that stuff. Anyone else try it? The interior is half back together. Right now I'm working on purchasing the exhaust system, brake parts, and any other basic parts so that this spring when school gets less busy I can have some fun. By the way, anyone have any success stories or advice about painting the engine while its still in the car? I'm interested in doing it so that I can give the engine a cleaning and really decide which parts need replacing.

Greg Rogers

Good luck on repairing your bumper but I also think you would be better off replacing it.. BUT will you be able to find 1 for a reasonable price? I remember back in the 80's ther was 76-77 GM cars running around with 2x8 wood rear bumpers because they had rusted off.

Allan R

Funny you should mention that. Here's a link to Rob Young's engine painting job when he was doing his Under Hood Restoration
There's a lot of good info on this thread that makes it a very interesting read from the beginning if you have the time.

Nighthawk

Greg, to tell you the truth, my dad actually suggested using a piece of wood. Do you know if that is actually legal? I live in PA, and I thought I read somewhere that it had to have the original bumpers or replacements in order to pass inspection.

Thanks for the link Allen, am reading it as I write this.

Greg Rogers

My son had a 77 Cutlass in 89-90 when he was in High School. It was just a beater back then but it looked good and was classy. After he had it the rear bumper came off and was gone, (hope someone didn't run over it) Anyway he drove it for a while with no rear bumper and got pulled over. (I've never been sure what he was pulled over for or what speed he was going or--probably better I don't know) Anyway he got a equipment violation for having no rear bumper. So we did bolt a 2x8 across the mounts and it passed. But I still wouldn't say it was proper- Plus it really did look like crap. What used to go bad was the aluminum mount. If yours is ok you could put back on your bumper even if there is holes in it it would look better than a board.

Nighthawk

Hey guys. Its been a while but I finally made some major progress. Its kind of been put together a couple of hourse at a time but after 1 yr of leaving the car in my neighbors driveway and $4000 later I turned over the engine today no problem. Yes!!! I'll post pictures of the completed engine compartment once I finish getting all the loose ends tidied up. The interior is mostly done except for a cleaning and seat covers and the body and paint work probably won't get done till next spring.

Any tips or procedures for starting a car that has sat for a year. Here's the situation.
1. I hooked up the battery and turned the engine over.
2. I've changed the diff. fluid and engine oil.
3. Still need to top of transmission fluid to replace what leaked out when I took the driveshaft off.
4. I need to fill engine with coolant.
5. The carb. is not properly hooked up and any tips here are much appreciated. I'm having trouble with the vacuum hoses and made a post in the engine section of the forum concerning this.
6. The brake system and power steering pump are also dry and will need filled and bled.
Thanks guys I'll post pictures soon.