front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

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front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

Postby Bill K » Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:34 pm

Hi All,
Something does not seem correct with the bumpers on my car. The rear bumper is chrome plated steel with a centered rubber impact strip. The front bumper is anodized aluminum with a center rubber impact strip and two large rubber bumperettes. The license plate is located on the passenger side of the bumper. The bumpers material wise are mis-matched, is this the way the car was built. From the pictures I see the front bumper looks to be correct for the car. Is the back bumper correct, or should it be aluminum like the front bumper? During its life this car has had some small changes, I would like to know how the car was built when new. Thanks in advance.
Bill
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Re: front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

Postby spencerforhire » Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:00 pm

I don't think you can fit a chrome bumper on the back of a 74-up Vega; it's more likely someone added the 74 nose and bumper to a 73 or older car and it's mis-titled. I looked at switching my 72's rear bumper from chrome to aluminum(to match the 76 'glass nose), but the rear valance and the back of the quarter panels are shaped differently so the bumper would not fit.
The "fleet"-
72 Vega HB Drag Car -383/'Glide/9"(9.35@146.19)(5.94@117.28 1/8th)
77 Vega Estate wagon- project(someday)will have TPI305/T-5, S-10 spindles/axles
76 Vega GT- 400/4spd/9" retired from active duty(rusty)
06 Silverado 2WD ex.cab daily
03 Silverado 2WD ex.cab (retired)
06 Haulin' 20ft enclosed car transporter
06 GMC Canyon Shop truck
07 Colorado project( 5.3 4L60e swap)
99 Saturn SL1- wife's car
01 Saturn SC2- son's project
07 Saturn Ion Redline project
and 4 more Saturn "parts cars"
Note- the very act of listing all of these has made me realize I have some kind of problem.....

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Re: front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

Postby Bill K » Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:34 pm

The rear bumper is the steel chromed bumper.

The front bumper is the heavy looking, clunky, anodized aluminum bumper.

It just seems like the bumper materials should in some way match.

However, the 1973 Corvette had a rubber front bumper and chromed rear bumpers.

Maybe I think too much.
Bill
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Re: front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

Postby NVEGAR8D » Mon Aug 15, 2011 10:20 pm

Hi,
you may want to google up wikipedia , and type in a vega search.you might find a few pics to answer your questions about your bumpers.
nick75vega
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Re: front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

Postby cosvega76 » Tue Aug 16, 2011 11:07 am

I've never seen a steel bumper on a '74-'77 Vega. All I've ever seen are aluminum. I wonder what it's really off of.

Chuck
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Re: front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

Postby cammerjeff » Wed Aug 17, 2011 7:31 am

Pic's would help!!!!
Jeff R

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Re: front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

Postby spencerforhire » Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:12 am

I think I have this figured out; the71-73 wagons with a chrome bumper that looks like it might be different from the one on a hatchback, and the rear sidemarkers are mounted low(in line with the bumper). The 74&up wagons came with the same aluminum bumper as the hatchbacks and the sidemarkers are mounted higher up the quarter panel.
It just might be possible to put a chrome wagon rear bumper on a newer car but not vice versa and not with a hatchback. The sidemarkers will tell the story; if they're lined up with the bumper it's a 71-73; higher, it's a 74-up.
The "fleet"-
72 Vega HB Drag Car -383/'Glide/9"(9.35@146.19)(5.94@117.28 1/8th)
77 Vega Estate wagon- project(someday)will have TPI305/T-5, S-10 spindles/axles
76 Vega GT- 400/4spd/9" retired from active duty(rusty)
06 Silverado 2WD ex.cab daily
03 Silverado 2WD ex.cab (retired)
06 Haulin' 20ft enclosed car transporter
06 GMC Canyon Shop truck
07 Colorado project( 5.3 4L60e swap)
99 Saturn SL1- wife's car
01 Saturn SC2- son's project
07 Saturn Ion Redline project
and 4 more Saturn "parts cars"
Note- the very act of listing all of these has made me realize I have some kind of problem.....

Visit http://www.spencerforhire.ca
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Re: front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

Postby cos2482 » Mon Aug 22, 2011 1:57 am

Bill,

It's real simple. The 78 Monza "S" hatchback and the 78-79 Monza wagon both were utilizing left over Vega bodies. Both had the same chrome plated steel bumper with rub strips. The bumper that you have on your 74 Kammback was probably from either of those cars as they were a direct bolt up to 74-77 Notchbacks, Hatchbacks and Kammbacks.
I have one on the back of my 75 GT Kammback, from a 79 Monza wagon. A three piece factory "P.E." plastic filler was used to fill the void between the body and the bumper to produce a cleaner look. The steel bumpered Monza hatchback and coupe may had the same skins but I think they had a different crush system. Not sure on that one. (Steel leaf springs vS. shocks?)
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Jim
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1973 Vega GT Hatchback (Millionth Vega)
1975 Vega GT Kammback (Nomad modification)
1976 Vega GT Hatchback (stock)
1976 Vega Cosworth (white/white, stock)
1977 Vega Estate (stock)
1977 Vega Hatchback (stock, bought new)
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Re: front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

Postby spencerforhire » Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:30 am

Now I get it; when the o.p. said "steel", all that came to mind was the early skinny bumper, not the later, large 5mph Monza coupe one. The strange thing is, I had a 78 or 79 Sunbird wagon as a daily drive for a couple of winters that had the aluminum Vega rear bumper. At that time my wife was driving an 80 Sunbird hatchback that had the big chrome one. I don't think I've ever seen in person a later Monza wagon, so I was not aware they came with chrome bumpers.
The "fleet"-
72 Vega HB Drag Car -383/'Glide/9"(9.35@146.19)(5.94@117.28 1/8th)
77 Vega Estate wagon- project(someday)will have TPI305/T-5, S-10 spindles/axles
76 Vega GT- 400/4spd/9" retired from active duty(rusty)
06 Silverado 2WD ex.cab daily
03 Silverado 2WD ex.cab (retired)
06 Haulin' 20ft enclosed car transporter
06 GMC Canyon Shop truck
07 Colorado project( 5.3 4L60e swap)
99 Saturn SL1- wife's car
01 Saturn SC2- son's project
07 Saturn Ion Redline project
and 4 more Saturn "parts cars"
Note- the very act of listing all of these has made me realize I have some kind of problem.....

Visit http://www.spencerforhire.ca
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1972 Chevrolet Vega Hatchback

Re: front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

Postby cammerjeff » Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:17 pm

I thought all the 74-79 Vega Bodied cars had chrome Aluminum Bumpers, But I have only owned a 75 Vega Wagon, 75 Astre HB, 76 Astre Wagon, 76 Vega Wagon, Two 78 Sunbird Wagons, and a 79 Sunbird Wagon. So I cannot verify that the 78/79 Monza Wagons, or the 78 Monza S's had steel or Aluminum Bumpers, I would be suprised but not shocked to learn that they did in fact have steel Bumpers.
Jeff R

1971 Catalina Freeway Enforcer
77 Astre Formula, some day soon powered by a 215 Buick V-8
1973 4-speed Lemans Safari STOCK!!!!! 1978 Catalina Safari
2006 Mallet Solstice, 6.0 LS2, 6-speed manual
2009 Solstice Coupe, 2.4, 5-speed Manual
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Re: front & rear bumpers, 1974 Kammback?

Postby Bill K » Fri Aug 26, 2011 8:26 pm

The guy that built my car assembled it with parts from both Vega wagons and Monza wagons. He did a great job doing it, but it does have some design inconsistencies that just do not look right.

All of the suspension is from a 1979 Monza. The current 262 V8 engine is from a 1975 Monza. The tilt column is from a Skyhawk. As you can tell the car had some modifications. To a novice H body lover the car appears completely original but it is not. I too believe the steel chromed rear bumper is from a Monza wagon. I do have what I believe is the original aluminum rear bumper. When I purchased the car I was given two truck loads of his extra parts. The previous owner decided to collect old motorcycles because they take up less space, so, everything went with the car.
Bill
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