Classic/Antique Car Repair: Front Bumper Repair 1974 Caprice Classic, 1974 chevy caprice, hemmings motor news

Question
I have a 1974 Chevy Caprice. I was in an accident and rear ended another vehicle. This caused no damage to the car other than pushing the bumper in and breaking the fillers. What needs to be done to bring the bumper back out?

Answer
This car was equipped with the 5 mile per hour crash safety bumpers that were mandated on all cars beginning in 1972. The bumper is attached to a shock like device that attaches the whole thing to the frame of the car. These devices collapse when bumped at over 5 miles per hour. They were made not with a spring loaded device that would pop back out after the incident. Once collapsed they are supposed to be replaced. Check Hemmings Motor News, the old car hobbies classified ad bible, www.hemmings.com. for replacements. A while back we were working on a car that had collapsed these items. The owner did not want to replace them and we jacked the bumper back out using a port-a-power and then welded the pistons in place. Not the proper repair, but it worked.