1958 rear bumper part question

Working on a 1958 Buick Special station wagon. There is a long, small molding attached to the upper rear of the rear bumper. It is about half an inch wide, half an inch deep, and four feet long (spans the center portion of the bumper). I think it must be unique to the station wagons, since I don't ever recall seeing this on a 1958 sedan's rear bumper. This piece is attached to the bumper by 7 or 8 small, thin bolts and maybe 5/16" or 3/8" nuts. They are rusty and I am sure they will break when I begin to remove them.

My question is, does anyone know if these are individual molding clips that I can replace easily, or are they part of the molding, which will be nearly impossible to replace, especially if this is a wagon-only molding?

I"ve attached some photos of it, but my camera had a smudge of grease on the lens when I took the photos, so they are not the best photos. You can see the attached molding in the middle photo, and you can see the tiny nuts that hold it on in the first photo.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Leonard, Texas

Working on a 1958 Buick Special station wagon. There is a long, small molding attached to the upper rear of the rear bumper. It is about half an inch wide, half an inch deep, and four feet long (spans the center portion of the bumper). I think it must be unique to the station wagons, since I don't ever recall seeing this on a 1958 sedan's rear bumper. This piece is attached to the bumper by 7 or 8 small, thin bolts and maybe 5/16" or 3/8" nuts. They are rusty and I am sure they will break when I begin to remove them.

My question is, does anyone know if these are individual molding clips that I can replace easily, or are they part of the molding, which will be nearly impossible to replace, especially if this is a wagon-only molding?

I"ve attached some photos of it, but my camera had a smudge of grease on the lens when I took the photos, so they are not the best photos. You can see the attached molding in the middle photo, and you can see the tiny nuts that hold it on in the first photo.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Leonard, Texas

If the strip is stainless it must be hollow with clips. If it is cast (pot metal?} it probably has studs cast that want to break off. But this is my guess to be taken with a grain of suspicion. Pat

Very likely stainless and OEM clips. You will most likely have to fabricate clips. Should not be too hard to work something out that will work just fine..............Bob

I've never seen one on any 58, but I have not studied any wagons.

It looks like a stainless piece. Crank it off, you really don't have any other choice.

On the '57s, this strip is held on with small carriage bolts.

Dan

Pete,

I have no real answer for you but looked back in my picture files to find this.

The car was finished just in time for the Eyes On Design Show in Michigan last summer.

No not mine but wish (sigh).

Well, I removed the nuts from the little bolts, and every dog-gone one of them broke off. The molding appears to be stainless steel and is held on with little clips that insert under the lip of the stainless molding. I think I can find something that will work. Apparently, this molding is unique to the station wagons. As Doug's photo shows above, it is exactly the same width as the tailgate. Maybe it is intended as a filler to prevent dirt and spray from coming up on the tail gate and the tail gate window.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Leonard, Texas

In the past i have taken the broken clips and drilled the back out and tack weld in a new bolt in, as long as the clip was still good. The space behind the clip between the stainless should have enough room to hide the bolt head....just a thought.