57 Estate Rear Bumper Ends

[Guest 57etates]

looking for rear bumper ends for 57 estate wagon don't have to be perfect small holes ok any help would be greatly appriciated

[buick man]

Just thought I would add that all 1957 Buick models shared at least the front corner and rear corner chrome pieces, so you do not have to specifically get a corner piece from only an estate wagon. The Special, Century, Super and Roadmaster models are all the same regarding these pieces.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

57etates, the left-hand rear bumper end is the really tough one to find because the exhaust exited that side on all cars, whether single- or dual-exhaust. I have a restorable right-hand piece that I'd be happy to pass along to a needy Buick. It is rusted through but it never got hopelessly squashed out of shape. I had one in similar condition successfully repaired years ago. I'll send you a photo in the next couple of days.

[42crazy]

I think I still have a rechromed right rear corner, I will check tomorrow. I may have a repairable left corner also. Paul in St. Louis

[42crazy]

Finally got to the garage to check on the bumper ends. I have the right rear end, has new chrome, has 8 small imperfections and one spot about 1/2 inch round, and on the very bottom, it has a dull spot where the chrome didn't work well. $175.00 plus shipping. Let me know, thanks, Paul

[Topper1961]

Hi!

Have you got what you needed, if not - I have three in good conditon. Let me know, and I can email you some pictures. One is actualy from a Caballero I bought as a parts car three years ago.

Thanks

Jorn

1957 Buick Century Model 63 & 66R

Edited August 3, 2011 by Topper1961
Adding text (see edit history)

[Guest kansheib]

I have a 57 Special and need the rear bumper ends.

Please let me know if you have any available.

[1957buickjim]

kasheib, How is that convertible coming along? Haven't seen any posts on it lately. Sure is a nice car. If you have any pictures that would be great!

[Guest kansheib]

Jim;

The 57 Buick Special convert project has been stalled for a while unfortunately. My son and i have stripped the car down and marked the parts some time ago. We then got sidetracked a bit. Then in September my boy spotted a 68 Camaro convertible at a car show and asked the fabulous question "dad, how long before we can drive the Buick?" To which my answer was, "many years son, many years".

His next statement ended up costing a few dollars and and many fine and fun hours for us both, "We need a driver then don't we?"

He liked the 68 Camaro. I found a 67 Camaro RS/SS online the next day and we flew to Ontario to pick her up. We spent 5 days over the Canadian Thanksgiving driving the 67 across the USA, into Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and into Saskatchewan Canada, and into Alberta to home. Simply the best road trip I have ever had the pleasure of having. Top down through Michigan to North Dakota in October!!

Great fun.

The Camaro needs very little other than paint that is being done in April, and the rebuild and sourcing of an actual 1967 350 ss engine which we got lucky and found online that is being done now.

So last week we started back on the Buick. We dropped off all the chrome at a local shop on Friday, and may have found a 425 engine to replace the 364 that was in it and not rebuildable.

So we are now going to dedicate some additional time on the Buick. I will get some pictures up as we progress.

For now, here are a couple of the Camaro.

[buick man]

If you replace with any other engine out there which is not a nailhead, you will have to also butcher the rear end, transmission and drive line components to make it work out sorta, for you as other complications and other hillbilly hack saw/cut/chisel tactics are involved as well. To create it you may also have to wait for a really good lighting storm so you can call out "It's Alive" as you reenergize it back to life.

Unless a rod went through the block you should be able to repair the nailhead engine. If not, then there are still a lot of nail heads out there.

Just my humble opinion here: Keep it original man. If you want to cut and dump something, then buy a volkswagen. It would be doing some of them a real service and it would be much less expensive.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

KANSHEIB-KEN, you clearly need some encouragement to keep your Buick-in-the-rough reasonably original. Please, start a new thread for it on Buick - Post War. The car will thank you.

Any nailhead up to the 1964 401 bolts right in. There's nothing essentially wrong with torque tube drive. It's heavy, but the rest of the car makes up for it. Your convertible weighs 700 lbs less than a new Enclave. The Dynaflow does put an anchor on off-the-line performance, so find an original 3-speed manual. They're scarce but not particularly pricy and may even come with a car for parts, although there's not much you seem to need.

A 4-speed was available to back up the 401 in '64 but that's gonna be scarce, too, and a lot more money. Still, compared to all the grief and engineering-on-the-fly that you'd have to do to switch to a "modern" powertrain, paying for stuff that already fits is going to be a lot more satisfying, I suggest.