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Posted by: tadink May 21 2017, 01:16 PM

Having sold a rubber bumper top (that is otherwise in very nice condition) I was in the process of removing it from my chrome bumper.

It is held on by a number of bolts embedded in the rubber - and as luck would have it, the bolts and broke off before the nut would move (having rusted itself securely to the bolt!)

so - the question: how can you repair and modify the embedded bolts / plugs so that the rubber bumper top can be affixed to a new chrome bumper??

As the pix show - I have 1 bolt remaining, 4 that have sheared off, and one where the 'plug' in the bumper has disintegrated. The missing plug gives me the most hope, as I'm sure one might be able to remove the other 'plugs' and reconfigure something that would hold the bolt.

Thoughts or suggestions?

tom

Posted by: mb911 May 21 2017, 01:46 PM

Way back when I drilled and tapped and threaded in a stud the molded in washer on the bumper tops

Posted by: r_towle May 21 2017, 05:35 PM

I guess you could find some new rubber with imbedded studs similar to what is used as vibration isolators on many electric motors and pumps. I seem to recall seeing them at decent hardware stores.
Epoxy them in place?

Posted by: rhcb914 May 21 2017, 06:25 PM

If there is enough metal to tap that will work for a temporary fix. Use some lock tight and go easy on the torque.

Posted by: Garold Shaffer May 21 2017, 06:36 PM

A few years back I picked up a parts car with a great looking bumper top. When I went to pull the bumper top I found that all the studs were broken off and someone used self taping screws next to the broken studs to hold the top on. You couldn't tell from looking at it on the outside and it was held on just as god as the studs& nuts did. Maybe a option to try?

Posted by: bandjoey May 21 2017, 08:14 PM

The inside is rust toast. Carefully drill out the stud and dig out all the rust you can. Epoxy in the new bolt. Get the spacers for those studs from 914rubber before putting the pad back on. Goood luck. It workes

Posted by: Mikey914 May 21 2017, 11:05 PM

Epoxy will buy you some time. How much depends on how bad the rust is internally. Eventually, you will need a new one, but you could get a few years out of this one.

Posted by: John Jentz May 22 2017, 09:10 AM

RTV works.

Posted by: tadink Jun 6 2017, 11:57 AM

Well, Bummer, my buyer thinks that is all too much work!

SO, THE RUBBER BUMPER TOP IS BACK FOR SALE!! $165.00 OBO

Posted by: Perry Kiehl Jun 6 2017, 12:32 PM

You don't show the top side. If there's dimples across the top along the lateral indentation, and if you can squeeze it and hear crunching, it's toast.

FWIW, no mounting studs will make it a tough sale.

Posted by: gereed75 Jun 6 2017, 12:35 PM

A while back I did a top repair with black 3M Marine 5200. Thread -

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=240803&hl=

It worked like a champ. The adhesion to the old rubber is incredible. So good that I think it could be used to hold new studs in place. You will have to clean out the old ones and build a new nut plate and locate it carefully, but I suspect that with some perseverance it will work.