Thanks Bryan, I've got a couple of them stashed away.
Aluminum Rear Bumper Project
- Thread starter Jim Sullivan
- Start date
409envy
Well Known Member
I may start on a 63 front bumper next(next meaning after a few air cleaners and the quarter panels are on the 62)(and my JD 4310 is back together). 62's?, maybe after that and a bunch more projects.
So, at the rate I'm going, could be before I retire.
Yes!!! I'm in for a front bumper as well... can't have Hayden's car with a heavy steel front bumper now can we.
I think this is the last piece of the rear bumper puzzle. Need this to mount the license panel and support the whole bumper. May not be practical for a drag car, just adds more weight? 
That's interesting about the aluminum brackets being unsafe. The whole aluminum bumper would really be unsafe. I would think the aluminum brackets would hold up better than the rest of the bumper would. Of course the whole assembly wouldn't handle much of an impact.
P.S.- These bumpers are not DOT approved.
Actually, my Z-11 car came with the original rear aluminum bumper and it had all the correct aluminum brackets.
I believe my car was the next to the last to be built, 49th.
Not sure about the NHRA ruling, entirely possible, but I personally never heard of them being replaced by steel ones. Given it would have been NHRA they could have outlawed anything!!
They certainly did everything they could to make sure the Z -11 could not run. Nothing would surprise me.
I believe my car was the next to the last to be built, 49th.
Not sure about the NHRA ruling, entirely possible, but I personally never heard of them being replaced by steel ones. Given it would have been NHRA they could have outlawed anything!!
They certainly did everything they could to make sure the Z -11 could not run. Nothing would surprise me.
Spent a good part of the day sanding, grinding, planishing, beating, twisting, drilling and swearing. Finally assembled a complete aluminum bumper. Not near as fun as cutting, beating and tig welding. Got it all together and found a discrepancy in the center piece width. Now to correct that and.another test assembly.
lennyjay
Well Known Member
Are you sure you don't work for NASA engineering. Really a great bumper. Got an idea.....is there a way to incorporate 3-D printing in laying out each piece of the bumper, then hammer the aluminum over it and assemble the end result. Just throwing it out there....nice job.
So far so good with the Everlast. I have only played around with different frequencies. I prefer around 60-90 Hertz. I haven't had time to mess around with pulse yet. The only thing I didn't care for was the #26 torch, it is a little on the heavy and bulky side. So I picked up a #17 CK flex torch which I really like. This will work for everything I need to weld.So Jim, are you liking the Everlast?? Inquiring minds want to know.
Thank you. I don't know much about 3d printing. Not sure if it would hold up to the hammering or if you could print pieces as large as bumper sections.
Just weighed the complete aluminum bumper. The original weighed in at 52.8 pounds(15lbs, 13 oz.) and the aluminum came in at 20.4 pounds(20 lbs, 6 oz.). So a 32 pound weight difference. I thought it might be a little lighter, but I am using 1/8" aluminum. Thinner would be easier to shape. But my thought was, with the thicker aluminum, there would be plenty to grind and sand to smooth it out.
There are 2.5 pounds of bolts holding the rear bumper together. 
