I am trying to fix a 1959 Imperial that was rear-ended as I was moving it over to the garage for the winter hibernation.
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 out.
- I found Ron Jones Garage on Yelp and left a message.- Responded very knowledgeable.**
I then failed in on re-chroming….
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
Dad mentioned one in California but they sound spendy.
*Need a vat at least 80.5″ long.
Scott suggested powder coating instead of re-chroming, but I hate to go that route.
Updates!- 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.
More Updates!
I got a hold of Bob Hoffmeister , I forget who mentioned him but I think it was Randall from the NOCOVMCCA car club. Finding Bob’s web site 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 snowstorm 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 re-chroming, but I doubt it’s feasible. The cost of shipping, straightening and chroming may exceed the budget.
It gets better! I picked up some cheap paint at Wally world to see if I could get a decent match. It was close, its the peach below the chrome strip. I then ordered paint online from express paint. $30 for 12 oz.! Here is the “match”. It’s unfortunately the lower frame bar. LOL. Offduh. Lesson learned.
To sum it up…I found a bumper in Nebraska. Shined it up for a week and brought it back to Brandon at BG Auto. They struggled a bit with the bracketry but managed to muscle it into place. It’s not perfect but it is not completely bent.
I am still on the hunt for better reverse light lenses…those plastic parts are hard to find. I anybody knows a a good source or remanufacturer please give me a shout.
