N-25 dent removal bumper question

[Guest]

i am concidering buying a N-25 bumper for a 72 skylark. it has two dents in the bumper (i have the pics and have seen the dents). what size dents can be removed from these bumper by rechroming places prior to rechroming? i can email people the pics to see the dents if that is necessay. the one onf hte right is in the corner of the bumper where the bumper starts to turn down towards the lower edge of the bumper (right in the corner where the angles meet), and the one on the left is where the rubber strip gets attached to the bumper (the ones surrounding the lights). part of the area where the rubber strip gets bolted to is included in the dent. the one on the left is about as round as a tennis ball and about 1" deep at the max.<P>the one on the right is as big as a golf ball and 1/2" deep.<P>also this 72 bumper does not seem to have to holes for the impact strips surrounding the rear tail lights. didn't all 72 skylark/GS cars come with these?<P>john

[Guest]

Don't know about the platers in your area, but I have had a couple of 1972 N25 bumpers rechromed by North Star Plating (Brainerd,MN)with excellent results. They have forms that they use to remove virtually any size dent. Some major dents that crease or fold the metal may present a problem, however. Mine were done about 10 years ago. I believe all 1972 bumpers should have holes to mount the rubber cushions around the tail light openings. The front bumper should also have holes for the 3-piece cushion that attaches to it. I believe that if the bumper you are looking at has no holes, it is a 71 bumper. Another difference on the 71 and 72 rear bumpers is the size of the "BUICK" nameplate mounted in the center, above the license plate opening. The 1971 plate was much bigger and of a different design.

[Guest]

Before rechroming have your plater strip the old chrome and copper plate. Take the bumper home and all the regular metal working techniques apply. When the dents are worked out make sure the bumper is perfectly smooth and take it back to him for plating. Your plater can do this for you of course but it depends what he charges for the labor. Brass brazing rod is the only acceptable filler you can use on any chromed item, so no body putty OK. <P>Remember any low spots or scratches will show right through the copper/nickel/chrome plate, you want a perfectly smooth polished surface for the plater to work with. If you take the time to carefully round off the edges and then sand and polish, it makes the bumper look dipped after plating, a nice effect. If you just sand with 600 grit prior to giving it back to the plater he can polish it for you and you will have saved a pile of cash. The time spent achieving perfection will improve your results without having to rely on the plater caring about another old bumper going in the tank. <P>I have had mixed results with platers in our area but since I do the finishing myself now I've always had excellent results. It's amazing how they will take the extra time to do a good job when they see you did most of the hard work. My plater even did a triple chrome/nickel plate for free on one bumper I sent him because he said it was the only piece he has ever had come in that didn't need any prep work, it looked spectacular and didn't cost extra! Ask your plater what you can do to help him, he'll probably be glad you asked.

[Guest]

How do you remove a dent that is behind a bumper bracket? I have a dent on my bumper (from the previous owner) that I believe would be extremely hard to remove without cutting the bracket from the bumper and rewelding it when I'm done. Are their any other options?<P>Thanks<BR>Tomsriv

[Guest]

Tomsriv,<BR>Dents are best removed the old fashioned way after the chroming is removed. Any welding and cutting can be done at this time. Unfortunetly any kind of dent removal while still chromed will crack and flake the nickel/chrome.<BR>One other thing I should mention is that the copper plate that is put on just before the nickel layer can be blocked and sanded just like you were doing bodywork. It may take a few trips to the plater and a lot of sanding but if the bumper has a lot of wavey sections or low spots you can straighten it this way. Lots of work though. Some platers prefer this method to cover any brass brazing filler you may have applied as the plating ends up more even and it makes the repair impossible to spot.