HQ wagon will be wight width. If you are going to shorten one a WB Statesman one actually looks a lot better than a HJ-HZ wagon. They all still look odd though.
HQ wagon will be wight width. If you are going to shorten one a WB Statesman one actually looks a lot better than a HJ-HZ wagon. They all still look odd though.
Sorry, I thought you meant you had the HZ sedan bumper on the HQ.
No tail lights...... Clean look!
So your van has a similar rear bumper to mine (in my avatar). Yeah, they don't sit perfect, but if you fiddle with the brackets you can get them pretty good. I have mine mounted on the hinge where the bump-stop for the tailgate sits. Because I have the rubber strip I can hide the countersunk bolt head behind the rubber. I haven't made anything yet to support the outer edges, but some bent stainless should do the job, using the normal holes in the body.
Vans.... This is the 2nd time round the block, 40 years later! talk about turning back the clock!
Hi Rob, yeah mines mounted exactly the same as yours. The ends hang down like its twisted but I don't think it is. I can't seem to like the look of bumperettes. I'm a fan of full bumpers, I will also look at end mounts like what your talking about. I'm thinking of spending the money and converting a wb stato rear bar. I was putting it back together last week after it came out of the spray booth and kept thinking there has to be a tidier way.
I also think bumperettes are a sad excuse. But you need to put some effort in to get a full bar to look and sit right.
The first thing is you need HQ lower tailgate hinges. These allow the bumper to sit higher. To do the job correctly the bumper relief in the quarter panels needs to be reshaped to give an even gap around the bumper. Pinching sections form a wagon would certainly help. Another thing that never looks right is the lip that hangs below the tailgate and between the taillights. This should be trimmed away. If you can't make it look factory - you've failed!
One of these days I'll complete this job correctly to satisfy my own thoughts.
the only vans/utes full bumpers look good on are HR and HTs etc HQ-WB with full bumpers just don't look right in my opinion ,the only good one I have seen was a HZ ute with a colour coded bumper that had been chopped to fit properly
Last edited by thatotherguy; 11-05-2014 at 09:53 PM.
Have to agree with you Mick bumperettes all the way for me on my HZ vanOriginally Posted by thatotherguy
Fixed it for you Gene
That said, if it a real Sandman I'd leave it alone. Outside of that, put those bumperettes in the bin.
I agree with everything you say and one day (before I respray it) I'll cut that lip off and reshape the guards. I'd love a pair of HQ hinges, any idea where I can find some in serviceable condition? I've bought 3 sets and they are all bent/worn out/rusted.
I've also toyed with the idea of cutting a bit out of the centre of the bumper to narrow it and get it fitting tighter, but the cost of re-chroming is getting ridiculous.
Vans.... This is the 2nd time round the block, 40 years later! talk about turning back the clock!
Unless you have a HQ Wagon rear bar it makes sense to shorten the bar. You must be careful to retain the ever so slight point. I've seen it done before and it was done straight and looked wrong. As you say re-chroming is expensive but finding a decent bar that doesn't really need re-chroming is nearly impossible anyway. Under "some" circumstances you might be able to get away with a painted bar.
Another thought I'd like to see someone have an attempt at is using a front bar to make some rear bumperettes (HJ to HZ) I reckon you could get a factory look. You'd get matching shapes and rubber (if you like) and be true to the model. As opposed to using HQ Bumperettes which share nothing in styling with the HJ-WB models.
I'm fresh out of HQ lower hinges that I'm willing to part with. Apparently though you can use door hinge re-bush/pin kits to fix the worn HQ lower tailgate hinges.
I kept trimming bit by bit out of a sedan bar to get it tight to body , massaged the rear panel to resemble a wagon, but it was too tight, I used a rusty dented bar for this reason but it looked good to me. I also cut the stip of steel off and used the hz hinges ,looked fine, think they should work but have a pair I hq hinges soaking in diesel (a bit seized) and will try them also, but instead of chrome I will paint my bars and add the rubber stips.
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