As I noted earlier in the blog, the rear bumper was out of alignment. It was shifted to the left and not level. Taking a closer look, one of the rear bumper brackets was bent and the bumper was not attached to either bracket as it should be.
The first step was to source new brackets which I purchased from California Import Parts Ltd (https://www2.cip1.com/). Once the brackets arrived they were taken to the local powder coat shop to be made black. That process was slowed a bit by the COVID-19 shelter in place orders but this week the brackets were finally done.
I had a bit of a challenge sourcing new seals that surrounds the brackets as they pass through the body. Some of the suppliers showed the seals as out of stock. I was finally able to source the seals from M&T Manufacturing (
https://www.mtmfg.com/), a Volkswagen part supplier in Rhode Island.
Now with all the parts in in hand it was a matter of installing the seals, fitting the brackets to the frame and the bumper to the brackets. Experience taught me not to tighten any of the bolts…in fact, keep them as loose as possible. Once everything is in place the bolts can be tightened while paying attention to the overall alignment of the bumper.
Neither of the two bumpers are perfect but then again the car is 46 years old. The bumpers are functional and certainly presentable. And now they are both lined up and level.
