74 914. Do you usually have to mess with these pieces to get them to fit right?

I am sizing up the front spoiler and it doesn't fit the front end that well.

1. The wrap around on the ends of the new bumper stops short of where the black rubber used to hook. That cutout/hook is now exposed and there will be a gap even with trimming - how do you fill that?

2. The piece also has 2 backing strips that are designed to be bolted directly to the flat surface below the headlamps but they don't come close to contacting.

I checked with GT Racing and was told to trim to fit -

I can probably make it fit with some trimming and blocking but is there an easier way?

thanks

steve

I checked with GT Racing and was told to trim to fit -
I can probably make it fit with some trimming and blocking but is there an easier way?
thanks
steve



That IS the easier way.
you can also use a high temp heat gun to carefully heat and mold some of the flats if needed. I was able to use clamps and thin strips of plywood to heat and clamp out some of the ripples and make them flat once again. But the whole process involves lots of trimming, grinding and fitting. you can also make balsa wood shims to fit behind the mounting points and shim out the bumper as needed. In fact ours are tapered to get the proper fit and then are glued to the bumper mounts permanently with construction adhesive.

the whole process is body work.
much fitment needed.

brant

Fiberglass = fitting.

I can't remember a fiberglass part that didn't some tweeking to get it right, sometimes major surgery. Seems to go with the territory. Keep at it, eventually it comes together.

Thanks Brant -

BTW - I have looked through your history of prepping your vintage racer - I can appreciate the effort you put into that after attempting just a few minor modifications on my car.

Nice work!

Are you racing it yet?

steve

thanks Steve,
always nice to hear.
yep.. 2nd season is underway.
it did an event 2 weeks ago with my dad driving.
not a hiccup... running fun!... wish I was faster with the vette's and camaro's but I'm a bit shy on motor yet. Hope to have a really trick gear box and clutch installed in about a month to see if I can do any better.

brant

You'll have to wait til tomorrow to have it properly installed.

Fitting FG bumpers is not the kind of work Americans want to do.

Boycott Taco Bell!


M

Doesn't it piss you off that there's 15 trillion high quality body pieces available for the avearage rice cruiser and all we have are some poor fitting stock bumper knock offs that have ripples, warpage, no mounting features and generally just suck. I looked at some FG bumpers and the top strip actually had the ripples from the stock rubber in it. I can't believe someone would go through the trouble of making a mold and not correct this.

I wish someone would create a high quality front and rear bumper that worked with the lines of the 914 body better than the 916 crap or stock knock offs and actually fit without practically rebuilding the damn piece to get it to fit!

Rant off..........(can you tell I just tried to fit a piece of crap FG piece to my car)

I think the tops ripple from storage sometimes..
Regarding fit... remember that no 2 of these teeners are exactly the same.
go buy a clean metal bumper and you'll be playing and adjusting it for 30 minutes trying to get it to fit just right also...

I think the modern cars have much tighter tolerances and less variability. Thus if you buy a fiberglass (plastic) bumper cap for one of them it is going to more likely fit...

(although I admit to buying knock off bumpers and fenders to repair accident damage on a honda and not being too impressed with the fitment either)

brant

Nobody makes quality 916 bumpers?

... better yet

we need a milk duds smiley.. I hate popcorn!