Replacement Bumpers

Dan and I discussed the need for replacement bumpers.  When I acquired the car, it included the original bumpers, which had been replated, probably 40 years ago.  As Dan would say, they had been "loved on" a little too much.  The plater had gouged the surface with a grinder in several locations, the surface hadn't been properly prepared, and the plating was coming off in several locations.  I mentioned that when I restored my coupe I had located a gentleman in Ohio who reproduced the Model PB Plymouth bumpers.  I couldn't recall his name, but said I'd pursue a new set of bumpers.

I finally remembered the bumper man's name -- Paul Bowling of Buckeye Rubber Products in Lima, Ohio -- and I called him.  He hadn't made any bumpers for a while and he no longer has a chrome plater that he can trust to do his work, but he's making us a set of bumpers that we can get plated.  This was a big deal!

11 January, 2013 -- Today I took Andy Jattuso, a long-time friend, out to visit the car.  He had not seen it in over a year and was quite impressed with the progress.  I guess it's harder for me to appreciate how far we've come, since I usually see the car at least once per week.  It was fun watching Andy go over the details of the progress.  That's Clint Rankin talking to Dan and Deron Shady in the background.

Tail Light Surgery

Tail Light Surgery...

The car was originally delivered with a single, left-side tail light and a single brake light (The right tail light was a $20 option that very few people opted for; turn signals were non-existent in 1932.).  I had acquired a spare left tail light stalk and asked Dan if he could cut and resection it to make a right-hand light.  We did this on my '32 coupe and it worked very well, resulting in the option for turn signals and dual brake lights.  A couple of weeks ago, I visited the shop and Dan and Deron suggested that the lights would look better if they were made shorter and lower to the bumper.  Today (1-8-2013) I went out and saw the results: