Muffler Cover Plate mounting hole locations on bumper

[eche_bus]

I'm just about set to have my bumpers painted and decided to check the fit of the gravel guard I picked up recently. Things don't look right, and I could really use some help.

From what I can tell, the four mounting holes in the gravel guard itself should be pretty much all in a straight line. If this isn't right, please correct me.

When I place the guard on the rear bumper, the two middle holes line up without a problem. Trouble is, the end holes, the ones shared with bracket bolts, don't really line up at all. If I bend the guard in at the ends far enough, I can get it to line up, but I'm warping the inner holes by then and it just "seems wrong".

Here's a photo of the bumper. The inner two holes are located 16 mm. from the front edge (top edge in photo) of the bumper.

I know the outer holes are located correctly as the bumper brackets line up fine, so my concern is with the location of the inner holes. Are they too far back relative to the outer holes?

One more bit of info: I've discovered a stamp on the inside of the bumper that shows it is from VW Brazil.

Perhaps someone here could measure their rear bumper gravel guard mounting hole locations for me? Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated - I'm supposed to take this to my painter this weekend!

[white74westy]

I've got mine off the bus. Will take pictures soon and try to post as quickly as possible. Hope this will help!

[eche_bus]

Thank you white74westy. That would be very helpful! Please use a yardstick or other straightedge to see if the holes line up.

Meanwhile, here's a few more photos to better illustrate the problem. Keep in mind the gravel guard appears straight when I line up the back edge (top in photo) with a yardstick. I can "draw" a straight line between all four holes. Lens distortion makes it appear curved in the photos.

If I line up the middle two holes, here you can see how far the outer two are from each other. (Yeah, the left could be moved up a bit, but it's still just as bad as the right).

So, just for grins, let's say I line up the two outer holes. Here then is where the guard sits relative to the bumper - well beyond the rear edge (top in photo)!!

The most important thing I need to know right now is whether the holes in my bumper are in the right spot. I just need something for reference. Either hole locations from a late bay bumper or a gravel guard would go a long way toward solving this mystery.

[curtis4085]

I will say my gravel guard is not linear. Has slight ark to it kinda follows contour of the back of bumper.
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[white74westy]

Hi eche_bus,

So here's what I've got. My gravel guard has never been removed from the vehicle, since it was installed at the factory. I'm in the process of soaking all the fasteners with penetrating oil, so that I can remove it and get it and the bumper, bumper guards, etc. ready for paint. So, I apologize for not having the greatest shot of the hole alignment. It does not appear to be curved. I do wonder however, if you have all the correct fasteners??? It appears that the two in the middle, are actually "adjustable" clips. I'll call them that since I'm not quite sure of the technical term. They appear as if they would be capable of being moved in and out (slightly), dependent upon each bumper's specific needs and are secured with screws, rather than nuts/bolts. This may account for the lack of hole alignment. Once I'm capable of removing the hardware, I'd be happy to get more pics of the holes. On another note, please forgive the picture quality. I hope these prove useful. If you think there is another angle or you would like any other pics, please let me know if I can provide any further help!

One of the "middle fasteners"

[Sage79]

As was stated earlier, the guard follows the contour of the bumper so has a curve to it. The clips use a small screw which also allows a little adjustment in the center, the ends bolt in with the bracket bolts.
_________________
Dirk
'79 Westy 2.0FI
'73 Sportsmobile 1.7dual Solex 003Auto - now my daughter's
'77 delux 2.0FI 090Auto - now my son's

[white74westy]

[Sage79]

The stock clips are the key, they allow the guard to be almost straight whereas the bumper and holes have a curve.
_________________
Dirk
'79 Westy 2.0FI
'73 Sportsmobile 1.7dual Solex 003Auto - now my daughter's
'77 delux 2.0FI 090Auto - now my son's

[white74westy]

Good deal! That's what I figured...as soon as I started taking the pics for eche_bus. I mentioned it in my original post. Seemed like they were critical to correct positioning!

[SGKent]

weird - mine fit fine and the holes lined up. My 1977 back bumper is not curved in the center but rather straight. It is curved only at the edges.
_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[eche_bus]

Thanks to all for the help so far, esp. white74westy for all the photos.

Please let me clarify a few things:

* I have the correct, original hardware direct from VW - the clips and the screws. What I hoped to show by my photos was that the holes in the bumper and the holes in the guard didn't line up. Hardware doesn't make this better as the clips still have to align with the bumper holes well enough to allow the screws to pass through. They don't.

* IMPORTANT CLUE: If I install one of the clips onto the bumper, the hole in the center of the clip is partially blocked by the bumper metal. This is with the clip slid in as far as it will go. This has me seriously worried the 2 center mounting holes are too far from the edge of the bumper.

* The alignment problem I'm having is front-to-back, not side to side.

* This bumper is fairly straight toward the center, too.

What I need is a dimension - the distance from the edge of the bumper to the center of the 2 inner holes. I mentioned mine were 16mm and that isn't looking right. You don't need a gravel guard to measure this, you just need a bumper.

[nathansnathan]

It looks like the outer holes are closer to the edge on the brazillian bumper is the problem, but I'm just looking at the pics.

If that's a carriage bolt, the square is like a half inch in, where the brazillian looks to be a quarter inch in only.

[eche_bus]

The center of my carriage bolt holes are actually about 1/2" from the edge. The photo makes them look closer due to the angle it was shot. I still think the issue is the distance the two inner holes are from the edge. A measurement should clear this up.

[1967250s]

So, that's a Brazilian bumper? I thought '72 was the last year VW put gravel guards on the Bus? Mine had one, and I thought that the late rear bumpers were supposed to be straight, at least between the mounts. Every US rear bumper I've seen is straight. Maybe your trying to put a US early guard on a Brazil bumper?

[eche_bus]

[BUSBOSS]

[eche_bus]

[BUSBOSS]

[eche_bus]

[eche_bus]

No one here with a late bay and a ruler?