Offtah! So, I am trying to fix a 1959 Imperial that was rear-ended as I was driving it over to storage for the winter.
Here is the trail to success.
- BG Automotive – Helped remove the bumper and Brandon Persley referred
- Scott Duda- High Plains Fabrication referred
- Pinkies Rod Shop- Has smaller benders- Left Message
- Wally’s Speed Shop- Great guys, and pretty booked.
- Found Ron Jones Garage on Yelp and left a message.- Responded very knowledgeable.**
Chromer rumor list? I guess they are dropping like flies due to EPA tightening.
Utah
Elpaso TX- probably just the other side of the border, lol
*Need a vat at least 80.5″ long.
Scott suggested powder coating instead of re-chroming, but I hate to go that route.
I have now removed the bumper and stripped it down to get it hammered out and re-chromed. It looks like there is some aluminum work in the middle that I didn’t notice before… I think the lens covers may also be challenging to locate.
Soooo. I got ahold of Bob Hoffmeister , I forget who mentioned him but I think it was maybe Randall from the NOCOVMCCA car club. Anyway, https://imperialheaven.com/ is a huge win. Bob has a bumper that looks to be in decent condition for being 50 years old. Bob is quick to respond and quoted reasonable prices in my opinion.
We settled on a price for the bumper, a handle, and another bit I needed, so I jumped in the box truck and lumbered east for 8 hours to pick it up before the snow storm that is inevitably coming soon to a town near you. The next step is to give it a shine and bolt it back on. I think it will look ok for a driver. At least until I can get the other one straightened and re-chromed.
I am going to try and get an estimate for rechroming, but I doubt it’s feasible.