1957 Rear Axle Bumpers

[Richard H.]

What would you recommend to clean up these original axle bumpers? There is paint overspray on them, and they are hard as a rock. What color should the metal backer plates be? Or, at $80 for 4 repros, would I be better off just buying replacements?

Thanks- Rich

[Richard M.]

Re: 1957 Rear Axle Bumpers

Rich, Since you'd likely NEVER drive so hard as to bottom out the rear axle, I'd simply media blast all 4 and protect the steel portions with some primer and black paint.

Rich

[Bob B.]

Re: 1957 Rear Axle Bumpers

Rich,

I don't know how hard is hard, but, keep in mind, that rubber is pretty hard anyway when new. It looks to be in good shape and I restore/reuse items that nice all the time. I bead blast stuff like that because the beads just take off the overspray and don't affect the rubber and it removes rust from the metal. Lift up a piece of where the rubber is thin on top of the metal mounting tabs to be sure, but I think the metal is dark and I had mine just like yours black oxide plated. If light, I'd do cad. If you don't have a plater, you can paint dark with a semi-flat black or natural with iron color paint.

Bob

What would you recommend to clean up these original axle bumpers? There is paint overspray on them, and they are hard as a rock. What color should the metal backer plates be? Or, at $80 for 4 repros, would I be better off just buying replacements?

Thanks- Rich

[Richard H.]

Re: 1957 Rear Axle Bumpers

Thanks- I didn't think about blasting them. I ended up using my little soda blaster, as my blast cabinet currently has aluminum oxide in it. The rubber cleaned up pretty well, and I painted the metal plates black, as they seemed to have had the black asphalt based stuff stuck to them.

Rich