I'm definitely interested, but UK based... Any idea on shipping?

I'm sure there are enough folks that need them we can consolidate a shipment. I have someone over there that could help.
Mark

Interested but you are killing me man LOL cash flow going to Oregon at an alarming rate

You have some time to set some cash aside. These are a ways out.

Please put me on the list

What you think Mark time wise ? Summer, next fall? Just gauging it for my car..

I'd say fall. I did get an into to my friends uncle. He has a heavy equipment manufacturing facility. After a brief conversation he said for the quality I will need that he would refer me to an associate that does make these type of parts for other cars. He will also help out as needed. He appreciated the time I took to help his nephew through his ratings and is currently flying for Air China.

Just a thought for everyone. Ever try to drill chrome? Better order what you need before chrome.

Just a concern. Has anyone else noticed that Mark Henry hasn’t logged on in a week? I think that’s unusual for him. Welfare check?

Yes I was wondering. I have heard nothing from him.

I have in a past life tried to drill Stainless Steel and got nowhere. It may have been me but it was so hard to drill a SS pan that burned my drill bits up. It could have been me of the fact that I was very young and was not doing it right.

Bob B

SS you can drill with a good bit and cutting oil. The chrome will chip, so the option for no chrome with primer may be good.

You need a good sharp bit, oil and go slow. heat will kill the bit. for larger holes try a smaller "pilot" bit (it's just a bit about 1/3 to 1/2 the diameter of hole to be drilled). We will drill 3/8 inch holes and WD40 works fine for that.

Any update on this? I recently removed the tatas from my 74 and found some small dents, no doubt from being tapped while parked back in the seventies. I love the no tata look but not the dents. Need front and back.Click to view attachment

I'd be in for an early front bumper with oil cooler cutout and holes for a license plate frame. And probably an early rear bumper with holes for license plate frame.

It’s been over 6 months so I take it that this is not happening. I just bought a 70 front chrome to send out for reworking with my rear 70 chrome for my 1970 – 4

So Mark I am not in for any now!

Bob B

Just waiting for tge exclusive to expire.
It's an annual thing.

Interested....

I would still be in for two early fronts...

Still in for two early fronts if the bumpers are accurate and the quality is high.

Reworking my old one is not that interesting to me...

I am interested. Hope it works out.

I haven't been in contact with PTT for some time, they said they had a bunch done last time we talked.
Basically it's a quality control issue and to a much smaller extent of logistics.
I was hoping to get them to the point where I could ship direct, but with the QC issues that wasn't happening.

I could never get a straight answer from them on QC, the bumpers weren't that bad, but the top holes and mounting holes were slightly off and the big one was the fog light grill openings wasn't fully cut out which is a poop load of work to do right. This all made for 8-10 plus hours/set on my end and that would be before any custom holes for tits, etc. I would be making no profit at all on each set, in fact I'd be lucky if I was making $15/hr per set. Hard to justify when I have all kinds of 996 and aircooled engine work at my shop rate.
I asked them to send samples that I would pay for when they passed QC and didn't hear much after that.

In the end I was out $4.5K for 3 passable sets and wasn't willing to go any further.

The one GT set I'm keeping, I have one set that will look perfect installed and one set that has slight blemishes that are hard to see installed. I'll offer those 2 sets up for sale, maybe in the fall when I have more time to make sure they are good.
So I'm hoping to recoup some of my money.

Basically it came down to I rather lose some coin than to piss off all my 914world friends with a sub-par product, just for a couple of bucks.

Mark tried to make this work and until he threw in the towel I stayed out of it.
There are 2 different sources here. One the primary manufacturer and 2 the guys Mark was dealing with. The primary manufacturer gave AA the exclusive for 1 year and as soon as that expires we will work as a co op and look to bring in and distribute to those that need them on a GB. The period has to expire before we can do this.
I applaud marks efforts to try to make this happen, but I think he was wise to cut bait on this one. At least from the gray market "manufacturer".

Thanks for chiming in with the details Mark, looks like I'll be ordering a set from 914rubber

we have our own exclusive tooling with the guys for these bumpers so will always have them available

I have an offer from their tooling and was told that for the next year that it was not available. Same folks that do the Harrington bumpers.

If I had it all over to do again I think I would have went with fiberglass bumpers. If someone has a pic of James Patrick’s flared six that was at his shop when we did the tour please post. His bumpers were fiberglass. Great look and finish.

I was lucky enough to be able to buy my bumpers directly from Harrington
Before that option got taken away. Great price and Free Shipping and no
issues. Real nice people to do business with.
Too bad that option has been taken off the table for at least a year...

I’ve never seen a glass bumper that didn’t require major work.

I would be interested in a front with plate and no tits.

I agree, plus no protection

We have plenty of sets floating over, they will be here in September

Thank you for trying Mark.

I will be in for a front and back when the GB comes up Mike.

-Andrew

Bumper protection isnt the first thing that comes to mind when driving a 914. This car has no protection other then putting it on its roof and if that happens your screwed anyway.

Have to say the stainless bumpers have nearly zero appeal to me, being obviously incorrect. Like the concept, but it's a proper repro that I am after.

Ah well...

I guess the 914 world will continue to have to try to dig up, straighten, and rechrome increasingly weak/rusty bumpers...

But, to each his own.

I still wish I knew of a quality rechroming place and we could organize an exchange program with them for 914 bumpers.

regarding the rechrome, since you are in WI, Keystone in Brainard MN has a good rep. I got their name from other members here , Bob B(bigkat) and a couple others. But searched for a while, and I just bought a rear bumper from sixaddict here in SC that was redone by a place in TN, called Tri-city Plating.(rear bumper) and looks amazing, so I sent my early front one there last week. $475. So once that comes back I will also send off my late front one that is on the car and the other rear one I have and I will be reselling one set to pay for the other.
Just FYI-

We have a good one here locally, but they are not inexpensive. As the metal will often need to be reworked and polished there can be a lot of variation in the labor required to do them. This is one of the reasons that the prices are up there. I still prefer a re-chromed bumper, but at a certain price point the stainless makes sense.

we usually send ours to the bumper shop in California, they charge usually 275. plus shipping both ways. Much better to save your original chrome bumper than to purchase aftermarket ones. Of course mild steel painted bumpers cannot be chromed

Why not? At least one member here has done it and it looked great.

the steel bumpers are too soft to chrome and it will crack easily if chromed

I would do this in a heartbeat if—and this is a big if, I think?—Tri-City had a jig or form to make sure my bumper is straight. It was actually a new piece in 1991 when I got it, with a small ding. It's picked up a ding and/or "push" since, but the real problem is it is tight at the center of the hood...suggesting the upper curvature around the hood/headlights needs to be re-formed. Then you start getting down the road of 2-3 visits to the chrome shop with the car (without a bumper on it...), etc.

Maybe finding a very good sample and sending both bumpers is a viable method, but the reality is my situation is rare: Most of the core bumpers left are pretty tired—rusty, reworked, and rechromed many times over 40 years.

It really would be wonderful to buy a truly good repro. I'd buy two if the quality and price are right. Kind of seems like this would be a project right up Restoration Design's alley—and it would be nice to do business with someone on the continent.

The stainless bumpers fit nicely and are readily available along with the top seals, bumper guards, chrome driving light and horn grilles along with the bumper mounting dog bones, the fog lights and all hardware. Why try to duplicate what is already being made?
The only thing that is can see is maybe making mild steel, but our people making the stainless said that it would be just as much to make the mild steel, which seems incorrect, but that is what they told me.
Since most would rather chrome, and usually the painted steel is repairable, I cannot see investing in producing the mild steel

We have of course many many many used rear bumpers perfectly rechromeable as well as mild steel refinish able. However we have very very few front bumpers of any kind, so finding good straight candidates to rechrome would be a real problem, hence the stainless

Are you saying they made bumpers with 2 different types of steel? My BS meter is buzzing.

well if the fronts are that rare I guess I got lucky- I believe it, because it took me a year to find a decent one and then I ended up with a local guy that got some 914 parts mixed up with a lot of 911 parts he bought(truck load) and the front one was an early one with a very nice topper, OEM, small scratch and very small dent, . I don't think either one has been redone before. I do see a lot more rear ones tha front ones for sale in places such as ebay.
I test fit them all before sending off for chrome- perfect fit each of them. But with the shortage of nice bumpers out there its great to have an option of getting a nice looking SS bumper , but at the same time a repro chromed bumper would be nice as well. I think those two things can exist at the same time, different market. BUT is it cost effective?, might not be a large enough market for it, I don't know.

Well I am not sure what is bull or not but,
I now have a set of 1970 chrome bumpers that are ready for re chroming. I got a better front from EBay for $200 delivered and the rear is good from my 1970 -4 cylinder car. Good to go on my 6

I looked up the Bumper Shop in CA that was close to my work and they said they do Georges Bumpers. I also looked up their reviews on Yelp and it was not great but there were only 2 reviews.

They want $330. Per bumper so I will do 2 fronts and the one rear that was on my car.

The owner said they do the work on the bumbler there as far as straightening out and dent repair and then their plating shop is in father outside of town. He said he has the jigs to get them right.

$660. For a pair does not sound bad. A 10 Min drive from my shop.

Bob B

I bought a very nice early rear (hard corner) bumper recently, and it came with a killer front bumper that needs to be chromed, but it's straight.

The weird thing about it is it looks like the square holes where the capture nuts install were never knocked out at the factory. You can see small squares where they knock out, but they haven't been knocked out.

They don't look welded, or re-done to my eye.

This thread reminds me that I need to go get it re-chromed.

I use Verne's Plating up off of the Long Beach freeway in L.A.

I have three early front bumpers and a couple square corner early rears, all need a little metal work and plating. I haven't found any shops in southern CA. Most say the 914 bumpers are too thin to rework. I even asked Vern's and they weren't too interested.

I would love to know where the place is that does it for $275 including shipping !!!!!
I have never been quoted anything less than $475

I would be up for a group buy refinishing deal. I think Bruce did a refinish group buy years ago.

If the place that does Georges says $275. for him, plus shipping. I would guess that is a bulk deal. $330 for one or two sounds like the regular price.

Who did the group deal, Vern's?

That was a while ago.

Bob B