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dingerjunkie
Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2024
Posts: 78
Location: Liberty Hill, TX
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 Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2024 5:37 pm Post subject: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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Hey all...looking for input/advice on parts for my son's project. Putting the question in a separate thread that others may wish to cleanly search for in the future.
'71 Ghia Coupe. Daily driver that will be nice enough for a late-teen to impress with and occasionally enter in local car shows as a driver.
Planning on US-style, not Euro style. I see three options, but I don't know how to make this a legit survey:
1) New stainless set from Vietnam or similar. Very clean, very solid, but have been told that "the color is wrong" or that they will stick out as a mismatch against chrome trim like the headlight rings and such.
2) purchase a used set and re-chrome. Super pricey, and no guarantee that "new chrome" won't be more or less yellow than the 53-year-old chrome on the rest of the car with modern EPA plating rules and different chemistry
3) purchase a not-too-rusted set, polish the crap out of them if there is only pitting, and live with fighting the ongoing corrosion and OCD about having something "cleaner"
How "off" does the stainless look compared to good, complete trim? Picture examples? Anyone have a fourth-option idea that won't have me selling organs? |
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dingerjunkie
Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2024
Posts: 78
Location: Liberty Hill, TX
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| Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2024 7:06 pm Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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Gotta love kids who get the essence of things. To paraphrase my son, "it's a 53 year old car. I'm fine if parts of it look 53 years old."
I'll put a lot of love into the polishing effort... |
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jeffrey8164
Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2018
Posts: 4149
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 6:02 am Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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I had mine re-chromed at Advanced Plating in Tennessee.
They take them to down to bare metal, fix what needs fixing and triple dip them. They look amazing. Pricey, yes, but in my mind , worth every penny.
I’ve seen the stainless ones on a few Ghias and your assumption of the color is correct. They’re just a little off.
_________________
Volkswagen!
Turning owners into mechanics since 1938.
“Let he that is without oil throw the first rod”
(Compression 8.7:1) |
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runamoc 
Samba Member
Joined: June 19, 2006
Posts: 6126
Location: 37.5N 77.1W
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| Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 6:47 pm Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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I put fiberglass bumpers on my '72 with handmade brackets and a rattle can semi-gloss paint job
_________________
Daily driver: '69 Baja owned 45 yrs - Plan B: '72 Ghia
Yard Art: 2 Sandrails
Outback: '69 Ghia - '68,'69,'70,'72 Beetle - '84 Scirocco, GTI - Pair of '02 Golfs- '80 Rabbit Diesel
VW Wiring = It's just wires |
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dingerjunkie
Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2024
Posts: 78
Location: Liberty Hill, TX
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| Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 7:04 pm Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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| runamoc wrote: |
I put fiberglass bumpers on my '72 with handmade brackets and a rattle can semi-gloss paint job
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Nice looking, but why bother with bumpers that will shatter before they absorb...anything? Do you think they'll actually do anything if something makes contact?
Perhaps I'm naive to think that the originals would really protect anything above maybe 5mph.
Just out of sheer, morbid curiosity...where did you find those? |
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helen_nguyen
Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2011
Posts: 59
Location: VIETNAM
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| Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 9:45 pm Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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i sell all kinds of bumper in stainless steel. so let me know if you are interested in |
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Ian Godfrey
Samba Member
Joined: September 25, 2006
Posts: 1205
Location: Melbourne Australia
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| Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2024 4:23 am Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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I vote for the old fashioned 'triple chromed'.... expensive but gorgeous
copper, nickel and chrome |
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todmeg
Samba Member
Joined: November 26, 2005
Posts: 285
Location: new jersey
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| Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2024 6:44 am Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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To me, your key words were "driver" and "teen". those two said, my advice is to do the best he can to clean them up and love them. From personal experience I have learned: New Chrome is like new paint. It is a rabbit hole, so to speak. Once you rechrome the bumpers, everything else looks really dull and you end up redoing everything. so much can be polished and made to look really nice. Not perfect but really nice.
As for the word "teen". They are teens. They don't always use the best judgement. Neither did we as teens. It should be a shame do invest all the time (and money) only to have something bad happen to it because of your teen being a teen. Sounds a bit harsh, I know. My kids are 46 and 35 now and very responsible adults, but I DO remember their teen years.
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1770 DP Bad ass heads dual weber 40mm 010 headers and glass pack. Rivieras. 1971!!! |
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jeffrey8164
Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2018
Posts: 4149
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2024 2:37 pm Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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Put some T-Bars on it and call it a day.
_________________
Volkswagen!
Turning owners into mechanics since 1938.
“Let he that is without oil throw the first rod”
(Compression 8.7:1) |
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runamoc
Samba Member
Joined: June 19, 2006
Posts: 6126
Location: 37.5N 77.1W
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| Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2024 7:13 am Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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| Quote: |
| why bother with bumpers that will shatter before they absorb...anything? |
Cheaper to replace than bent up $$$$$ stainless steel bumpers or $$$ re-chromed stock bumpers.
_________________
Daily driver: '69 Baja owned 45 yrs - Plan B: '72 Ghia
Yard Art: 2 Sandrails
Outback: '69 Ghia - '68,'69,'70,'72 Beetle - '84 Scirocco, GTI - Pair of '02 Golfs- '80 Rabbit Diesel
VW Wiring = It's just wires |
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toddb_67
Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2003
Posts: 1345
Location: Hansville, WA
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| Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2024 12:02 pm Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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I'd suggest a 4th option if the ones you have are too far gone to polish back to a decent shine (that would be my first option).
Because teens tend to bump into things or hang around other teens that tend to bump into things, I would suggest having them powder coated bright silver or 'chrome' colored. It would be durable and fairly inexpensive, especially when compared to re-chroming.
_________________
1970 Pastel White Westfalia
1971 Super Beetle Convertible (sold) http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=582365&highlight=
1970 Squareback "Savanna" (sold)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=714683
1974 Karmann Ghia- current project, 1967cc engine. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=775207
“I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me.” - Dudley Field Malone |
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sputnick60
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 22, 2007
Posts: 4114
Location: In Molinya Orbit
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runamoc
Samba Member
Joined: June 19, 2006
Posts: 6126
Location: 37.5N 77.1W
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| Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2024 5:37 am Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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| Quote: |
| where did you find those? |
It was over 10 years ago but from the Samba Classifieds. He made them to order. Older style that goes back to the wheel opening, new style to fit inside the 'dimples' on the fenders, or to fit if I filled in the 'dimples'. Not sure if he is still there/here.
_________________
Daily driver: '69 Baja owned 45 yrs - Plan B: '72 Ghia
Yard Art: 2 Sandrails
Outback: '69 Ghia - '68,'69,'70,'72 Beetle - '84 Scirocco, GTI - Pair of '02 Golfs- '80 Rabbit Diesel
VW Wiring = It's just wires |
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onwardtothestars
Samba Member
Joined: April 04, 2007
Posts: 385
Location: Hazenville Pass Wyoming
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| Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2024 2:49 am Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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| runamoc wrote: |
| Quote: |
| where did you find those? |
It was over 10 years ago but from the Samba Classifieds. He made them to order. Older style that goes back to the wheel opening, new style to fit inside the 'dimples' on the fenders, or to fit if I filled in the 'dimples'. Not sure if he is still there/here. |
I'm pretty sure .... yep ... after a quick web search.
Glass Action makes the bumpers...
https://www.glass-action.com/
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Beetle, Ghia, Vanagon Syncro, and more |
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runamoc
Samba Member
Joined: June 19, 2006
Posts: 6126
Location: 37.5N 77.1W
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| Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2024 4:47 am Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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| Quote: |
| Glass Action makes the bumpers... |
Looked at their dashes. Thought, naa, I'll go through the trouble of keeping it stock. Bumpers, that's another story. 
_________________
Daily driver: '69 Baja owned 45 yrs - Plan B: '72 Ghia
Yard Art: 2 Sandrails
Outback: '69 Ghia - '68,'69,'70,'72 Beetle - '84 Scirocco, GTI - Pair of '02 Golfs- '80 Rabbit Diesel
VW Wiring = It's just wires |
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empi3
Samba Member
Joined: October 03, 2015
Posts: 379
Location: SW Wyoming
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| Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2024 6:57 am Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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WARNING danger!!!!
I'm in the middle of a PayPal dispute over their fiberglass bumpers. Paid with PayPal on July 26 2024 and they still haven't arrived. If I don't receive them in good, usable shape by September 27,2024 I will " Escalate issue to PayPal".
I will keep everyone apprised of the situation as things as they progress.
As of right now I would wait until I get this resolved before ordering anything from them.
Steven
| onwardtothestars wrote: |
| runamoc wrote: |
| Quote: |
| where did you find those? |
It was over 10 years ago but from the Samba Classifieds. He made them to order. Older style that goes back to the wheel opening, new style to fit inside the 'dimples' on the fenders, or to fit if I filled in the 'dimples'. Not sure if he is still there/here. |
I'm pretty sure .... yep ... after a quick web search.
Glass Action makes the bumpers...
https://www.glass-action.com/ |
_________________
The fact someone posts a thousand messages a month does not mean the messages contain anything worth reading.
Bob Hoover
1970 Beetle
1956 Ragtop Beetle
1968 Ghia |
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empi3
Samba Member
Joined: October 03, 2015
Posts: 379
Location: SW Wyoming
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| Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2024 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: ...bumpers...opinions... |
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I never did get my bumpers but, I did "win" my dispute and got a refund from PayPal.
Heading over to the feedback page to leave some very negative feedback.
Steven
_________________
The fact someone posts a thousand messages a month does not mean the messages contain anything worth reading.
Bob Hoover
1970 Beetle
1956 Ragtop Beetle
1968 Ghia |
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