Best 70-73 Rear Bumper Repro
 

Due to it being so hard to find a good usable original, I've decided to go re-pop for my 73 rear bumper. Can anyone who has done this recommend a good current brand/company to buy from? I really hate doing this with such a significant part but am trying to find the best reproduction option. Anyone done this recently?

Thanks, Eli

i used a repro on my 72 after seeing what rechroming an original costs. i used the goodmark brand which is one of if not the only brand available, its sold by majority of retailers for varying prices. quality is very good to excellent & the chrome looks almost as good as originals, it looks like the day i got it after 6-7 years.

i researched mine & found rock auto was by far the cheapest price. got mine about 6 years ago for around $250 shipped, i just checked & the prices have gone up quite a bit, just like everything else has since jan 2020.... but still far cheaper than rechroming.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...ly,bumper,1340

KEEP IT WAXED ALL YEAR LONG..both sides.
Yes, I meant Caps.. these bumpers can get tiny rust pits where there are temperature changes. And any humidity over 60%.
They ARE the only game in town, look pretty good.
Metal is 100% recycled and probably is porous in the middle.

Mine came from Classic Industries. Fitment was very good, but their corresponding bumper bolts were the wrong diameter - too big.

I bought a repop for my SD and wasn't happy with it. I ended up having my original rechromed.

I'll add to this ^^^ with the recommendation that if you're storing a bumper or the car for extended periods with the bumper attached to apply a thick coat of carnauba wax on it and don't buff it off, just let it dry. When you're ready to use the bumper or car re-wax.

Examined several reproduction Firebird rear bumpers & wasn't impressed.
Ended up having an original stripped & triple plated @ TriCity that was 16 months ago.

In looking @ '70-73 rear bumper cores I had, none of them could I discern a legible date code.i thought that was odd. Most original bumpers ive paint penned the body build of the car i pulled them off of. The Firebird rear bumper I picked to drop off was very straight & the peak lines were undamaged. Ran $460 plus $60 commercial ship, the high quality box was a good $20 of that. Very pleased.

I hand delivered mine to a chrome shop in Fresno. They charged $400. My original was straight as an arrow. All the lines are crisp and sharp like they should be. My only regret was wasting time and money on a repop. I ended up selling the repop to a buddy for $50 less than I paid for it.

So apart from different vendors, no one knows the brand? Makes it hard to compare prices if don't know if same or better parts.

I believe this was mentioned in posts 3 & 4.

I had previously understood there was only the one source.

Aah yes, good catch, if that's the case.

i forgot to mention that i did return the 1st one due to a small 1-2" area that was wavy or a had couple small dimples, werent bad at all & probably would be very hard to see when installed but im kinda picky like that & wasnt in a huge hurry for it while teh car was getting painted. the 2nd one was very nice with no noticeable issues in the metal, almost as straight as a factory one if you get a good one. chrome was excellent on both.

when i called around for rechroming the original one it was $500+ with a warning that if they had to straighten any metal it would be a lot more. so i went aftermarket & sold the original that was straight but the chrome had failed.

the bumper is a little lighter weight than originals but the fitment was almost perfect, just some minor tweaks to get perfect. i used the original bolts & brackets. only waxed the outside once after install & put a thick coat on the inside from norwoods suggestion, it looks like the day i got it after 6-7 years, but i dont wash my cars much to avoid excess water getting into nooks & crannies & little to no condensation or moisture while it sits in the garage.

overall im very happy with the bumper especially for the price i paid of about $250 shipped from rock auto when i bought it in 2015, price is higher now but then again so is everything else since a certain date in 2020.....

Have used reproduction bumpers in the past, and they're ok. The chrome isn't as "clear" looking as it should be. If you stare into it, it almost has a fuzzy look. Mine also liked to hang downwards on the corners, so I had to shim the bumper brackets to get it sitting straight.

For my 70 I had an original re-chromed. I put the repro and original side by side and there's definitely a difference.

Good timing with this thread as I have a bad spot in the chrome on the original bumper on one of my 70 T/A's. After reading through everything here, I'm leaning towards getting the original replated.

John

the chrome finish on my repro looks excellent. no fuzzy look at all, just a nice even glossy/shiny finish that looks as good as any low mile factory part or newer chrome on motorcycles etc i have seen. im sure there can be imperfection & issues on any repro part, but that type of chrome is not the norm for these goodmark bumpers... & if they look like that most retailers will do a refund or exchange as the part is defective.

when i called for rechroming in the midwest area 6 years ago, i got very high quotes, 500-800. $400 to rechrome a bumper that may need some metal work is extremely low, must be a west coast thing but i doubt today that is what it would cost. if that is the current price for a quality rechrome id do that if teh bumper was in good shape... but need to factor in shipping both ways to that price if you arent local.

I have a nice straight one in Fresno if you need it call me…….

Looks like Rock Auto doesn't sell them anymore.

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Looks like they are available from many other retailers, not too bad price for 2025 either.

My goodmark repro still looks like new after 10+ years, the chrome is excellent, no pitting or other issues from winter storage or driving use... never waxed it beside the 1 time before install 10+ years ago.

Wonder what chrome plating these would cost today? :eek:

https://www.firebirdcentral.com/1970...p/bum-2009.htm

https://www.ebay.com/itm/36509538222...leMVyi5XL4HykV

I bought a repop for my '73.. It was a POS that didn't fit right and the chrome quality wasn't very good. I had the originals on both my cars (the 72 and 73) rechromed. $400-600/ea a couple years ago.

A few years back.. I bought a Resto Parts repop front bumper for my '70 Chevelle. It was a POS... the metal was super thin and the chrome had a copper hue to it. I ended up having the original straightened and rechromed. My '64 Chevelle has repop front and rear bumpers on it when I bought it. They have the same copper hue... I'm not as picky with that car.

ooops.. looks like I previously responded.. :doh: