Aluminum Rear Bumper Project

Jim Sullivan

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
Just for the hell of it, I weighed an original rear bumper assembly and the three aluminum sections that I've got fabricated so far, but still have to make the mounting brackets. Although the original bumper assembly feels like it weighs 100 pounds, it actual weighed in at 52.8 pounds. The aluminum pieces, without brackets and bolts weighed in at 11.8 pounds. So, with the addition of the brackets and bolts, it should come in around 15-16 pounds. Anyone know what an original aluminum bumper weighed?
 

Junky

Well Known Member
Back in the 1960's, Cadillac used aluminum bumper ends on some models, however, I have no idea why. They are extremely rare today. I bought one at Carlisle from a guy that knew exactly what it was for $300, and put it on eBay, and sold it for just shy of $700. I haven't seen another since, and the one that I bought was back around 2012. They were originally casted, polished, and then chrome plated. Never understood why they went with the aluminum, when steel was so prevalent in bumpers, and the center sections were made of steel, just the ends were aluminum.
 

409gang

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 1
I wonder how hard it would be to make sand molds and cast those bumper pieces, I remember in high school shop class making simple molds out of a sand called petrobond and making aluminum things like Chevy bow tie license plates and dueling pistol profiles that I still have. Lol
 

Junky

Well Known Member
The fellow that sells the plaques that car clubs hand under the license plate, takes his sand cast molds to an aluminum foundry to have them casted. Not worth it to set up a kiln and attempt to melt your own aluminum. The aluminum that they make castings of is usually made of virgin aluminum for its purity.
 

Barry Taylor

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Jim, as a comparison, i just put a VFN rear bumper on the BelAir and with the stock brackets and bolts it came in at 21 lbs. started out at 5.5 lbs. the quality and fit of the bumper was excellent.
 

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