HOW TO MAKE bumperettes GO AWAY?

[johnnywishbone]

can i obtain trim pieces to make 1978 930 bumperettes GO AWAY?

seems like it would clean up the back end.... thx, jp

[aigel]

General solution is to unbolt, fill holes and repaint bumpers. And some people shrink them by installing the Euro pieces. Personally I think they look ok - period correct, so to speak.

George

[stormmaster]

I removed the bumperettes from my rear bumper....filled the holes and repainted....it is being replaced with an IROC bumper this weekend to go along with the 930 flares....if you want a bumper to replace yours without all the work and with good rub strips let me know.

[Zef]

Here we go...
Extreme Makeover, Carrera bumper

[Howard M]

I took a very easy route: Removed the bumperettes and drilled out the small holes in the bumper to be the same size as the larger holes. Then I went to Lowes and bought plastic plugs to snap into the bumper holes, and painted them body color. When I autocross at an event that requires stock bumpers I remount the bumperettes in five minutes with wing nuts. The hard part (or fun part, depending on your definition of recreation) is recreating the license plate lights that you lose on the bumperettes. There are many solutions, using various configurations of mounted LEDs available on the internet.

[VaSteve]

Here's the part I'm always not getting....the thin strips are held on with that plug and it looks like they are pincher under the bumperette? Do you have to pull them out from under in some fashion?

[Howard M]

There is a screw under the plug. When the bumperettes are removed the tip of each strip tends to peel away from the bumper. As I recall, I had to drill a small hole in the bumper at the tip of each thin strip. I then used a black anodized self-tapping screw to secure the strip tip. Doing so does not prevent reattachment of the bumperettes.

[magnuskgc]

Hey Howard can you get a closer picture of the rear bumper setup... I never considered that option.. would like to see how it looks.

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by Howard M

There is a screw under the plug. When the bumperettes are removed the tip of each strip tends to peel away from the bumper. As I recall, I had to drill a small hole in the bumper at the tip of each thin strip. I then used a black anodized self-tapping screw to secure the strip tip. Doing so does not prevent reattachment of the bumperettes.

So if I take out the plug and then the screws, isn't the strip held down by the edge of the bumperettes? Would I need to remove the bumperettes while the bumper was still on the car?

[rfloz]

You might also take a look in The Official Modified Bumpers Thread:

The official modified bumpers thread!!!

[Howard M]

The bumperettes are removed with the bumper still on the car. I have never removed my rear bumper. The screw under the trim plug does seem redundant with the edge of the bumperette, which you would expect to hold down the end of the trim strip which terminates under the bumperette. However, I remember that the ends of the trim strips curled away from the bumper when the bumperettes were removed, requiring the small hold down screws mentioned earlier. I'll try to take a closer photo tomorrow or Monday.

[jtratza]

I'd recommend removing the bumper. You would not believe how much junk is in there. It isn't the easiest project on an older car but worth it IMHO.

[gsmith660]

Here is what I did. Details are here in my build thread the bumper work starts toward the bottom of the first page.
What I have been doing for the last 2 years!