I just started my first project of the 2021 Fall/Winter season, the disassembly and clean up of everything in the nose section of my car forward of the radiator core support. The attached pics are of the new ‘73 front bumper support system that was developed to meet the new Federal 5 mph impact standard.
While the AIM and new Judging Manual do a good job describing the system and its components, I thought the photos out of the car would be a good tool for anyone considering restoration or assembly of the system.
The first is a shot of the disassembled components looking from the front of the car.
4076CE17-2896-4534-BA7A-2917B9F9548D.jpg
The second is the same components as viewed from the rear.
353F41BB-2425-4EBA-90B7-3FFDD87B99EE.jpg
The third is the assembled version from the front.
E6D8F263-AC9A-4343-9BDA-D5F4BECC***4.jpg
The fourth, assembled view from the rear.
0A47DDB4-B7C3-4084-9EFC-6020A6748892.jpg
The final shot is a closeup of the Omark bolt and bracket system designed to absorb the 5 mph impact.
6DAC5422-F6B2-4546-B2CF-A9E02EB291D7.jpg
Removal of the assembly is fairly easy once the front bumper cover and lower valance panel is removed. Because of the weight of the major components and the way it is tied into the front fenders and hood surround, I removed each of the components separately working from the front towards the rear, reinstallation will be done in pieces working in the opposite direction with the bumper cover installed last.
Overall I’m very happy with the opportunity to clean up all of the components and verify the fit/function of everything before the reinstallation. Besides the silver overspray from what must have been an early front end respray, all of the original finishes are in very good shape and I will not be repainting anything. All of the original bolts cleaned up well with an overnight soak in Evaporust.
With this assembly out of the way I also have complete access to drop the headlight assemblies and clean up the components attached to the header bar. I’ll probably have everything out of the car for a few weeks if anyone has any questions or would like more information or more detailed photos.
While the AIM and new Judging Manual do a good job describing the system and its components, I thought the photos out of the car would be a good tool for anyone considering restoration or assembly of the system.
The first is a shot of the disassembled components looking from the front of the car.
4076CE17-2896-4534-BA7A-2917B9F9548D.jpg
The second is the same components as viewed from the rear.
353F41BB-2425-4EBA-90B7-3FFDD87B99EE.jpg
The third is the assembled version from the front.
E6D8F263-AC9A-4343-9BDA-D5F4BECC***4.jpg
The fourth, assembled view from the rear.
0A47DDB4-B7C3-4084-9EFC-6020A6748892.jpg
The final shot is a closeup of the Omark bolt and bracket system designed to absorb the 5 mph impact.
6DAC5422-F6B2-4546-B2CF-A9E02EB291D7.jpg
Removal of the assembly is fairly easy once the front bumper cover and lower valance panel is removed. Because of the weight of the major components and the way it is tied into the front fenders and hood surround, I removed each of the components separately working from the front towards the rear, reinstallation will be done in pieces working in the opposite direction with the bumper cover installed last.
Overall I’m very happy with the opportunity to clean up all of the components and verify the fit/function of everything before the reinstallation. Besides the silver overspray from what must have been an early front end respray, all of the original finishes are in very good shape and I will not be repainting anything. All of the original bolts cleaned up well with an overnight soak in Evaporust.
With this assembly out of the way I also have complete access to drop the headlight assemblies and clean up the components attached to the header bar. I’ll probably have everything out of the car for a few weeks if anyone has any questions or would like more information or more detailed photos.
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