Bent Bumper

69roadr · Oct 11, 2014

i got hit in the very left corner of my rear bumper, and am wondering if it can be pulled out without taking it off the car. (thinking come along or similar), it's pushed in about 1 inch. other than that, the bumper is in original mint condition.

BumperMan · Oct 11, 2014

69roadr, I would call one of your local dealerships and see if they have a BumperMan that services them. I know we have several Bumpermen n California. I have had success n working on older bumpers for people n the past.

Cranky · Oct 12, 2014

My wife bent the front bumper on our Durango recently and I was able to take a 2" tie down strap with a flat hook and ratchet it back out with a bit of work.

1967coronet · Oct 12, 2014

without seeing the bumper face............ if it has no kinks or eyebrows take a good look at your mount brackets / braces before pulling any on the bumper.
looks like it needs aprox 1/2"down and 1/2 to 3/4" outward adjustment.

the mounts / brackets have some adjustment and I they were not good and tight it may have just moved on the frame rails.
may be worth a look.

Lionized · Oct 12, 2014

1967coronet said:
without seeing the bumper face............ if it has no kinks or eyebrows take a good look at your mount brackets / braces before pulling any on the bumper.
looks like it needs aprox 1/2"down and 1/2 to 3/4" outward adjustment.

the mounts / brackets have some adjustment and I they were not good and tight it may have just moved on the frame rails.
may be worth a look.

That's exactly what I was going to post!

Dennis H · Oct 12, 2014

I had the exact thing on my rear bumper corner after parallel parking in Gold Country one day. Some moron gave it a good corner shot. Don't know how it was done, but a local body guy pulled it out and you cannot detect anything. Perfect identical spacing now on each side.

69roadr · Oct 13, 2014

1967coronet said:
without seeing the bumper face............ if it has no kinks or eyebrows take a good look at your mount brackets / braces before pulling any on the bumper.
looks like it needs aprox 1/2"down and 1/2 to 3/4" outward adjustment.

the mounts / brackets have some adjustment and I they were not good and tight it may have just moved on the frame rails.
may be worth a look.

yep, i looked under the car where the bumper bracket is attached, and sure looks like it could be moved out some. other than that, it is still slightly bent just to the left of the two vertical attaching bolts. my game plan is to loosen the mounting brackets and pull the bumper out as far as i can get it, and slip a 2" tie down behind the bumper and try that for now.

- - - Updated - - -

Dennis H said:
I had the exact thing on my rear bumper corner after parallel parking in Gold Country one day. Some moron gave it a good corner shot. Don't know how it was done, but a local body guy pulled it out and you cannot detect anything. Perfect identical spacing now on each side.

hey Dennis, what did you pay for repairs on that?

Runner 68 · Oct 13, 2014

I have pulled minor stuff like that with a come along but it's tricky business. You have to pull beyond the alignment point slightly as there will be some spring to account for. If you pull it too far you're faced with pushing it back in and possibly kinking it. Pushing back in is a bigger problem than pulling it out.

On the 4x4s we would just throw a chain around a tree, hook the other end to the bumper, have somebody keep an eye on it then slowly roll on the power until it was close enough.

I wouldn't attempt it on your Bird.

Best to find a bumper pro then make him buy you a new one if he screws it up.

1967coronet · Oct 13, 2014

69roadr, Glad to hear it is just a slight bend. It may pull out nice if you brace it right at the spot of the bend before you pull. I hope it pulls out nice & straight for you.
Good looking RR.

Propwash · Oct 14, 2014

Hope it pans out for you.. Sucks to see. AMD makes the bumpers and brackets if you need to go new. BTW....what ended up hitting you?

Dako · Oct 14, 2014

Going slow, with a ratchet strap or come-along, and you should be able to pull that right out. I would:
1. Measure the distance you need to get it back to original
2. As mentioned previously, loosen the bumper bracket and slide the bumper out enough to get a hook on it.
3. photo and measure its new setting.
4. Pull on it with the strap or come-along (also mentioned above), a bit past what you will need for a completed distance
5 Release the tension and check your measurement (how far did it move)
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 if more distance is needed.

Note:
Before you start, as `67coronet said, look closely for any uneveness in the top of the bumper(compare to passenger side using a straight edge if needed)...like a bump up (eyebrow was a good analogy, by the way). When you have tension on your pulling source, lay a piece of wood (an 8-10inch 2x4 works good) on this area and give the wood a good tap with a small sledge or dead-blow hammer. This will release that bend and aid in the straightening.

As long as you take this slow and easy, you should be able to correct that yourself in no time. I had done this with my `72 Dodge pickup front bumper and later a buddies `77 Chevy Malibu rear bumper. Neither of us had body skilz. Tied off to another vehicle to do it. Good luck!

- - - Updated - - -

Worst case is to pull it off and send it to a bumper shop (i.e.: Tri-City Plating in TN). They will straighten and re-chrome for about $400. But I would still give it a whirl myself 1st!

69roadr · Oct 16, 2014

Propwash said:
Hope it pans out for you.. Sucks to see. AMD makes the bumpers and brackets if you need to go new. BTW....what ended up hitting you?

don't know. was parked at a local auto parts store. when i opened the trunk is when i noticed it had some black paint on the corner. didn't notice the bend till a few days later. I ended up using a 3000 lb. tie strap to pull it out with the frame of my Chrysler T&C. (thanx Cranky)
before

after

Runner 68 · Oct 16, 2014

Close enough I suppose.
Lucky you didn't crack the paint!

Propwash · Oct 16, 2014

don't know. was parked at a local auto parts store. when i opened the trunk is when i noticed it had some black paint on the corner. didn't notice the bend till a few days later. I ended up using a 3000 lb. tie strap to pull it out with the frame of my Chrysler T&C. (thanx Cranky)

Man.....some coward never the less. Gutless. Good to hear the new Chrysler help get the old Chrysler back to tip top shape. Looks good.

1967coronet · Oct 17, 2014

Looks good 69roadr , good job.

Runner 68 · Oct 17, 2014

Again pretty close but I'm **** when it comes to this stuff. Maybe a block under the corner and floor jack to take the 1/4" of "low" out of it? Or leave it alone and call it good?

69roadr · Oct 18, 2014

Runner 68 said:
Again pretty close but I'm **** when it comes to this stuff. Maybe a block under the corner and floor jack to take the 1/4" of "low" out of it? Or leave it alone and call it good?

yea, i'm pretty **** too. tried the jack under the corner to get it up a bit more, but no go. just gonna leave it at that.

Runner 68 · Oct 18, 2014

69roadr said:
yea, i'm pretty **** too. tried the jack under the corner to get it up a bit more, but no go. just gonna leave it at that.

IMHFO, Good call.

Bent Bumper

69roadr

Well-Known Member

BumperMan

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Cranky

Banned Henchman #27

1967coronet

FBBO Gold Member

Lionized

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Dennis H

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69roadr

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Runner 68

Tarnished Bronze Member

1967coronet

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Propwash

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Dako

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69roadr

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Runner 68

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Propwash

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1967coronet

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Runner 68

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69roadr

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Runner 68

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