[nUcLeArEnVoY]

See attached photos.

Noticed it today when backing my '79 back into my storage facility. I know it didn't happen today, and this damage wasn't there when I wiped the car down this past Monday, so it must've happened while it was parked at my gym one of the two times I took it there throughout the week. Some scumbag must've backed into it. I know this is very minor and could be a LOT worse, but man, after having lost my prior daily driver car this past August in a hit-and-run, having my T/A struck by what essentially amounts to another hit-and-run is really reinforcing my desire to leave this sh*tpile of a city (Miami) as it gets more and more overcrowded.

The cost isn't what worries me. I have Hagerty, and my deductible is $500 which is neither here nor there.

My issue is bringing it to a body shop and whether or not the bumper can be salvaged or needs to be replaced. The only actual damage I see is to the front bumper and the headlight retaining panel, since the collision caused it to tweak where the two uppermost mounting studs that mate it to the fender are, as you can see in the pics. The fender thankfully is fine, at the very worse the flange where it bolts to the headlight panel and bumper may need to be massaged a bit, but it doesn't look like it.

I have no issue replacing the headlight retaining panel, I'm more concerned about the bumper. I won't be able to see if the mounting tabs and flanges on the bumper are damaged until it's off, which will dictate ultimately if the bumper is re-usable. If so, then it's just a simple sand and refinish. If not, has anybody actually purchased and had decent luck with fitment on one of the OER repop urethane front bumpers for '79-81? The bumper on this car is original and is victim to the notorious "factory jack point grille warp," so I'm actually sort of excited about the potential of getting a new bumper, but not if the OER ones fit like garbage. I've heard pretty much nothing but bad things about them.

Also not excited about bringing the car to a body shop knowing it may sit outside for god knows how long, either. Every body shop these days always seems "too busy" and make you feel bad for even calling them. Maybe having Hagerty mediate between me and the body shop will make them act a little more professional.

[TAKerry]

That really sucks!! Some idiot that doesnt know how to drive and could care less about hitting someone elses car. I have no need for those kind of people.

Many years ago my wife was temp working at an elementary school. She accidentally backed just slightly into a car. Left a note on the windshield. We got a call from the insurance co., the person was claiming damage that wasnt even near where the hit was! Another time my son literally bumped the car ahead of him at a stop light. They exchanged names and my son took photos. The girl said her car was pretty beat up already and it would be fine. I got a call from her father that there was extensive damage that needed fixed. Including stuff that was rusty UNDER the paint. The guy was a total d bag idiot. I finally gave him a couple of hundred for what damage may have occurred and told him to ...................

[Shiny]

That had to be frustrating and I hope you get some guidance on the bumper.

My son sent a photo of a parking lot smack-and-run on his new truck within an hour of seeing your post.

And it's not just the city.

[Keith Seymore]

I did that once.

I was loading up at Home Depot and told my young son to hold the cart.

He didn't, and it rolled all the way across the lot and hit this nice, new Duramax pickup in the door.

Dang it! I had to do the right thing. I left a note and as I was walking away the owner(s) came out. We visited a bit and I told them to get an estimate and I would pay to have it fixed.

And that is what we did -

K

[JohnnyAction]

Hello, I would call your gym and see if they have outdoor security cameras that may have captured the incident. If not, maybe an adjacent business has one. Outdoor cameras are so common today. I'm sure that the insurance company will make sure the car is repaired properly. Hope you find the person responsible and make them pay.

[vertigto]

^^^^^...what JohnnyAction said. Worth a try.

[Poncho Dave]

I don’t see any tears. It is probably out of shape due to the metal headlight mount being bent. If I were repairing it, I’d replace or repair the headlight bracket and save everything else. Not too bad of a repair, definitely not worth messing with a new bumper cover.

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Originally Posted by Poncho Dave

I don’t see any tears. It is probably out of shape due to the metal headlight mount being bent. If I were repairing it, I’d replace or repair the headlight bracket and save everything else. Not too bad of a repair, definitely not worth messing with a new bumper cover.

Yeah, the warpage on the sides is because the tweaked headlight panel is stretching those spots at the mounting bolt points. The moment they unbolt everything and apply some heat, it'll probably go back to its proper shape. I have a feeling the bumper should be saveable - there are no tears, it'll just need a sand and refinish. These bumpers can pretty much be totally repaired to like-new conditions these days due to the demand since restoration of these cars along with many other vehicles of the era that used the old thermoset urethane bumpers has drastically increased.

I was just wondering if anybody ever actually had success with a repro bumper if it came to that, but so far I haven't heard much positive feedback.

[Skip Fix]

I agree unbolt and add some heat. Lots of the noses start to distort with age.

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

It's been pretty challenging finding a body shop willing to take this car on, even for such a simple repair but I finally have a local shop willing to take a look at it next week once I get the estimate from Hagerty based on the photos I showed them. And if they won't do it, my friend's neighbor restores classic cars for a living and may be willing to take a look at it. I can uninstall the damn thing myself and bring it to them and also refit it back on if need be to save on them having to make space in the shop for the car. I literally just need somebody to repair (if necessary), sand, and repaint the bumper assuming it's reusable, or prep and paint a replacement.

I suspect all that will actually need replacement is the headlight retaining panel, since it looks to me like the bumper may be re-usable since it's not even gouged from the impact and doesn't look like there's any dry rot on it. While I have the bumper off, do you think I should have the body shop recommend replacement of the grilles? Like the urethane bumper, the grilles are original and have warped pretty bad over the decades, I suspect due to use from the factory jack point. I would also like to replace the foam filler insert that sandwiches between the impact brace and the bumper, since I suspect that has also warped over the years and is contributing to the driver side warp in the grille opening - problem is, the fiberglass replacements currently on the market are backordered seemingly everywhere. Has anybody tried using them?