Mystery Brackets

[Mike B.]

I got these in a box of brackets and other hardware with my '61. I can't find them in the AIM and am not even sure if they belong to a Corvette. Can someone help identify them? There are two weld nuts on one end of each. Thanks.

[Mike B.]

Re: Mystery Brackets

I should also add that they are substantial 3/16" steel, about 20-1/2" long and the weld nuts take 7/16 NC bolts.

[Mike E.]

Re: Mystery Brackets

they are 2 of your 6 rear bumper braces that bolt to the rear frame rails.

[Mike B.]

Re: Mystery Brackets

Mike,

That is the first place I looked but the rear bumper brackets are already all there (the car is assembled, I just got the box of brackets as extra parts). They certainly look similar to the outer brackets but the ones on my car make a pronounced bend at the end of the frame rail towards the bumper. The inner bracket makes a bend towards the license plate frame thus forming a Y between them. The mystery brackets have no such bend on that axis. Perhaps they are from an earlier C-1. Mine is a 1961. The AIM matches the way the ones presently on my car are mounted.

Am I missing something?

Thanks.
Mike

[Mike E.]

Re: Mystery Brackets

Mike--
I knew yours is a 61--you mentioned that in your first post.
Your 61 (as does every 62) needs three brackets attached to each frame rail.
The ones in your photo are the ones that are attached closest to the frame rail on the inside of each rail. If you don't have these, there are two bumper mounting holes on each side of the body that are lacking bracing behind the fiberglass and your bumper mount bolts are only bolted to fiberglass. Go to your AIM--try part number 3776429 and 3776430. That's what you are looking at.

[Loren L.]

Or they can be used to build a

tree swing for Howard Loomis......coming to Flag, Howard?????

[John O.]

Re: Mystery Brackets

Hi Mike

Mike Ernst is correct. I had all my brackets out of my 62 vette and just put them back in. Those are the brackets he is talking about. Check to see if yours are in or missing. You need them in for support.

John

[Mike B.]

Re: Mystery Brackets

Mike,

You were of course correct. I took another look this weekend and realized that the brackets are the middle set that bisect the Y formed by the inner and outer brackets. What threw me is the previous owner simply put nuts behind the middle bumper bolts where they come through the metal strap that backs the bumper. It looked correct to me when I first glanced at the set up. Now that I know where it goes, I can also recognize it in the AIM. Again, at first look in the manual it was a bit of an optical illusion, sort of like that old drawing of a three columns where there was only two (you'd know what I am refering to if you happen to be a fan of Mad Magazine years ago).

Thanks again for the tip,
Mike Bovino