Picking a bumper for my 85 Caprice

[joshringer34]

Will a bumper off a 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix bolt up to a 1985 Chevy Caprice? Want to find out before I buy it. Running chain class against old iron and new stuff.

[smashincwa]

It will be close, but you'll need to make new mount holes. The caprice bumper, even though it's likely aluminum, is better than the prix bumper.

To make the aluminum bumper even better, use carriage/ threaded rod through the steel front, through the aluminum, to the mount bracket. Do this for each - 4 total on both sides. Nut and washer at each layer.

[STROMI 121]

I have no experience with aluminum backed bumpers because I never run them. However I have mounted many different bumpers on cars that they did not belong. If you remove the chrome skin and bolt the reinforcment to the shocks with better bolts, and then reinstall the chrome skin also with better bolts it will work.

[cowdoc]

mount it upside down or it'll point straight down after a few hits.

[klicky96]

Use the aluminum bumper that came on the car. We ran a caprice in a stock class this year, took 3rd, 4th, and a 6th, all hard runs. Twisted the bumper but it stayed solid. I will run them on any stock car I build.

[Tevin34]

I used the rear off a 1076 Grand Prix on my brothers 77 Buick(same frame). I bolted the driver using the stock holes and slotted the passenger side about 2 inches to fit. It holds up real good on the metric rails IMO. A real hard bumper will blow the rail to fast on metric

[57]

Everyone immediately was scared of the aluminum backed bumpers (including myself) until we tried one on a 83 Impala. It did way better than we expected. After a heat win and 5th in the feature it was pretty nosed and the only real concern we noticed was it started breaking out at the shock mounting plates (where it couldnt be welded of course). Of course doing what "smashincwa" said would definately help with this issue. They dont mind head on hits like one would think however we have noticed that when they do have a problem with breaking loose its usually do to a really hard impact from the side. They DO NOT like that lol. Again...the carriage bolt solution would help with this. You could've picked any other steel bumper and i woulda said go with the steel any day of the week but the pontiacs are one of the worse steel bumpers made lol cause they do bend down most of the time due to the design unless modified. Steel over aluminum is a no brainer but with your choices id have to say the aluminum one. But this is jmo of course. Good luck!

[joshringer34]

Thanks guys!! I found a 74ish buick century not for certain on the year but I Googled 76 knew that wasn't it so I went to 74 and it looked the closed to what I found any input on them?

[bluecrew72]

76/7 monte bumpers are great on the front of them and I've used the aluminum backed fronts on the back... works ok... any chance you can stuff bumpers? I know alot of "stock" classes still allow stuffing of bumpers, if so I think you could get creative here and mount a nice piece of tube inside, run your bolts through the steel tube through the aluminum to shock plates, reinstall skin and run a couple chains from your steel skin to the frame to hold it on just in case.

[joshringer34]

I've ran 3 of these cars and always came up short I'm just trying to get a little bit more competitive with these 80's gm car I love them and everyone in my area hates them

[wtf7]

If you can put the short old iron shocks on the front. Less leverage for the bumper to possibly twist. Iv ran aluminum bumpers before but they always have smashed. If it was me I would look for a steel 80s nova front bumper, direct bolt on.

[smashincwa]

Dec 1, 2016 17:09:56 GMT -5 wtf7 said:

If you can put the short old iron shocks on the front. Less leverage for the bumper to possibly twist. Iv ran aluminum bumpers before but they always have smashed. If it was me I would look for a steel 80s nova front bumper, direct bolt on.

The 80's shocks can be made just like the old styles by shortening and collapsing.

To answer your question about picking a bumper for this car. I'd use the front from a 74-77 monte, 75-77 nova, 77 grandprix - all pretty much a direct bolt on and good bumpers. The back from a 74-75 monte or 75-77 grandprix would work well too.

Anything else and you'd be better with the aluminum run and done.
Scott

[Luke Wells]

I think the Nova bumpers are 75-79.

I've seen guys use 74-77 Malibu bumpers with success too.

[turdcorn]

Gonna put a steel square body Vic bumper on mine

[joshringer34]

I was looking for a steel 80s vic bumper but can't find and in my area. That's why I asked about the Pontiac bumper