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1961 Cadillac Restoration: Sweating for the wedding?

Started by Andrew Trout, October 30, 2014, 12:53:16 PM

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Andrew Trout

Time for the next adventure: removing the rear bumper! This bumper is actually not original to the car. The car was in an accident before my Dad got it, and the bumper was damaged. A replacement was found from a junk yard 1961. Based on the while paint we see under the red paint on the gas filler tube cover, we think it might have been a white one. There's a code on the bumper that says 8G. Not sure if that means anything.


Jacked up the back of the car, jack stands on the frame, and some WD-40 to help free up the bolts.


Then we set up the rear bumper on a table and started removing all of the bolts. The braces that connect the bumper to the frame will be sandblasted and powder coated black.


Some of the bolts were pretty rusted, so we needed extra leverage to get them free.


I think some of them were seized. This is the only one that broke, but a few were pretty mangled looking.


Removing bolts for the tail light housing.




After a period of time, we moved the bumper into the garage and heated up the bolts with a torch. I swear, every time my Dad would light that thing it was pointed right at me.


So here we are, the rear bumper is removed and broken down. Braces and shims will be sandblasted and powder coated black. The nuts, bolts, and washers will be cleaned up, re-coated and re-used. Any bolts that are too mangled to be re-used we'll replace. This whole process will take a few weeks. We're hoping to have the bumper back on by mid-May as that's when cruise night season starts to ramp up around here.
Rochester, NY
1961 Convertible

Andrew Trout

We got the metal braces and supports for the rear bumper back from being powder coated. One of the braces was cracked, probably damaged when the second owner (my Dad's the third owner) got into an accident. My Dad welded it and we're good to go.


We've learned a lot in the restoration process and had the disassembly of the bumper well photographed so we could put it back together. It also helps we did it a few weeks ago so it's still fairly fresh in our minds.


My Dad working on the driver's side


I worked on the passenger side


Metal's together, time for the tail lights


Tail lights are installed.


Complete bumper, ready to go back on the car on Saturday.
Rochester, NY
1961 Convertible