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NWGhiaGuy 
Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2005
Posts: 700
Location: Bellingham, WA
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 Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 10:47 am Post subject: Cast Rear Bumper? |
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I'm sorting through my ghia bumpers and this one seems different. I held it up to my '69 so I know for sure is that it's a '66 and older, but the pieces appear to be cast metal, not stamped. On the back side, there's a casting line outside of the bracket mount that I don't see on another rear bumper corner I have. It's a complete rear bumper with overriders/towel bars and brackets, but I don't know what its off of.
Were certain years cast and others stamped? |
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Bruce
Samba Member
Joined: May 16, 2003
Posts: 17285
Location: Left coast, Canada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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The earliest bumper guards were cast Al, then chrome plated.
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| overheard at the portland Swap Meet... wrote: |
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NWGhiaGuy
Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2005
Posts: 700
Location: Bellingham, WA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 10:46 pm Post subject: |
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| No, not the bumper guards, the bumper blade itself. |
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NWGhiaGuy
Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2005
Posts: 700
Location: Bellingham, WA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Wow, two days and 200 views later and no one knows when cast bumpers were used or when stamped steel bumpers were used? That's a first........?!? |
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retrowagen
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Joined: October 11, 2004
Posts: 1856
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| Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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| six-four KG wrote: |
| Wow, two days and 200 views later and no one knows when cast bumpers were used or when stamped steel bumpers were used? That's a first........?!? |
Karmann never used cast bumper blades. However, they did use cast aluminum bumper guards in their earlier production in the 1950's.
Is there any sign of silver paint inside the bumper? That was one hallmark of Karmann's bumpers. They began Karmann-Ghia Type 14 production with one-piece blades (out of stamped steel), but quickly switched to the three-piece blades (left, right, center pieces) for ease of supplying spares around the world. This carried on until the redesign for 1972 with the one-piece "safety" bumpers (also stamped, chromed steel).
Italian manufacturers were *crazy* about cast aluminum in the 1960's. Perhaps this mystery bumper you have is from a Fiat, Alfa Romeo, or something even more exotic/bizarre. Is there a provision (bracket with captive bolt) for its fastening to the rear fender on the side, about 2-4 inches from the ends? Do the bracket holes match those required by a Karmann-Ghia body to bumper mount bracket?
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David Ruby
President, Karmann-Ghia World Club |
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NWGhiaGuy
Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2005
Posts: 700
Location: Bellingham, WA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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It's definately a Ghia bumper, but it just has these casting marks just outside of the bracket mounts on both sides. Another rear bumper I have doesn't have these marks.
Maybe I'm trying to make something out of nothing, but I was just hoping to narrow down what year(s) it came off of.
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swhitcomb
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Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 5673
Location: Inwood WV
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| Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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My Ghia's bumpers have those too. They are welds.
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32598
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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70 140
Samba Member
Joined: September 22, 2002
Posts: 8471
Location: Ontario Canada
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| Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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regular old stamped steel ghia bumper, complete with rust  |
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NWGhiaGuy
Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2005
Posts: 700
Location: Bellingham, WA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Now I just need to decide if I want to pitch it or keep it around to rust some more! |
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Rome
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004
Posts: 9641
Location: Pearl River, NY
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 1:29 am Post subject: |
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"Pitch it"?! If you realized the price of good uncrumpled Ghia bumpers or even their individual pieces you probably will reconsider. It appears that you could make the bumper a "20 footer" by cleaning off the rust pockmarks with a brass wire brush, then going over the whole surface with 0000 steel wool. Scrape off the inside surface with a regular wire brush, apply a rust neutralizer, then paint the entire inner surface with a very good rust-retardent paint like MasterSeries. Dull silver, non-metallic.
Chase the bolt holes/studs with an M8x1.25 tap/die.
Since the outer "boomerang" sections do not have holes for the reverse lights, this bumper would be pre'67. |
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djkeev
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Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32598
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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NWGhiaGuy
Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2005
Posts: 700
Location: Bellingham, WA
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:55 am Post subject: |
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| Well, that got people stirred up. I guess I need to post my ads in the forum, not the classified section then! Thanks for all your input. |
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