Camaro rear bumper center bracket rivets
 

I need to replace the rear bumper center bracket bolts with the correct rivets, which I have purchased. Not sure exactly how the rivets are installed, appears the bumper assembly needs to be removed but what tool is needed to seat the riveta? Is there a hand tool I can buy or does this need to be done at a machine shop?

The originals will take serious force to flatten, so I doubt a machine shop would have the right equipment. Maybe a sheet metal shop, or a spring shop. You could probably drill out the center of the rivet, and then be able to swedge it by hand, but it won't look correct from the back.

As an alternative, resto houses sell bolts that are machined to look like rivets. I made my own using Metric bolts, because the head was larger for given shank diameter, than with SAE bolts. I just put the bolt in a portable drill and spun it while grinding the head. When I got close, I put the bolt in a drill press, and finished up with a file. You would need to lay on the ground and look under the bumper to tell they are bolts, not rivets.

Joe, there are good bumpers out there with the center bracket installed with the rivets. D+R (Steve) carry's a nice bumper.

Thanks for the input. when I saw the rivets I knew it wasn't going to be an easy fix.

I'm not familiar with D+R, can you tell me how to contact Steve??

I haven't seen any repro bumpers of awhile, but unless they have improved, I'd stick with OEM. If the ones D & R has are restored originals, then that might be OK.

I compress the center bracket rivets on my Chevelles with an arbor press. Have a helper or two on hand and sacrifice a couple test rivets to get it right. Good Luck!

I spun down some stainless carriage bolts in a drill press, they work fine with nylon lock nuts and look close enough for my car. re-chromed GM bumpers

http://www.fototime.com/7346342CE3435B0/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/54B6CB02DE86F49/standard.jpg

Had a friend do a similar thing just in the lathe... does the trick! I wouldn’t want my fresh chrome any where near a press of any size to compress the rivet...

Didn't realize Camaros had the rivet HEAD exposed, fortunate for you!!

Yes, it is a bit unnerving squeezing rivets, wrap the bumper in layers of foam and extra pairs of hands for the very careful set-up.

Most of the time the OEM's and the NOS bumpers need to be rechromed. Crazy money in my opinion.

I had my bumper rechromed 20 years ago, so I don't know how the prices are now. But at the time, it was just a little more than the cost of a repro bumper- maybe $40-50 more.

I can see original OEM needing plating, however unless mixing repro or SHOW CHROME there should not be a need to replate NOS as long as it's not shelf worn, the fine scratching in the original chrome was there when it was new.
Remember "production chrome" was not triple plated NOR were they polished prior to copper , nickel and chrome plating, they were sanded with belt sanders and then nickel plated then chrome plated and thus the fine scratching should be visible in a car restored to how it left the factory.

I can only speak on my own experience with 69 Camaro NOS rear bumpers. I ordered one from a dealer BITD. The bumper came in and I get it unwrapped. WTH, all along the bottom outer exposed surface you could feel these weld bb’s. No sure why they would be on a bumper? So, I take it back and another was ordered. Same thing. More bb’s. I had them order a 3 rd. Same. Looking back, they probably just kept giving me the same bumper? I don’t recall if they were all wrapped in brown paper. By the 3rd one, I finally just had to relent and settle for this bumper. Parts manager told me they were all like that? Still have it, haven’t decided if I’ll used it. If I can find a Chrome plater that can do factory quality chroming, I’d like to go that route.