[Bro-Ham]

Hello!

I have a 1979 Sedan deVille which has a trailer hitch bolted to the back bumper. I removed the nuts and the hitch came off easily yet the top of the bolts are inside the bumper so the bolts are still hanging down from the bumper. What is the easiest way to get access to the inside of the bumper to remove these bolts? Does the whole bumper need to come off? Thanks in advance for the answer and ideas!

Dave

 

[terrible one]

How did that get there?

Have any pictures?

 

[Bro-Ham]

Hi!

Hitch was bolted to the bottom of the bumper. The bolts were put through holes that appear to have been drilled through for the purpose of affixing the hitch. Now, the bolts still come through at the bottom and I can't figure out how to get them out. That's why I'm wondering if removing the entire bumper is the answer or if there is a simpler way to do it. Right now, the bolts are just hanging there so I put the nuts back on them so they wouldn't slip up into the bumper and rattle around.

Thanks for the reply!

Dave

 

[terrible one]

Well having plenty of time on my hands...always, I would just remove the bumper. However, I'm sure that there is an easier way to do it. The guy installing it probably wouldn't have gone through the trouble to remove and then re-attach the bumper to put the hitch on, you dig?

If I were you I would wait for some more suggestions though.

 

[Bro-Ham]

Hi!

I took some pictures although I'm having trouble figuring out how to make them smaller so they can be attached to this thread. I will work with this so you can see what the situation looks like. The bolts somehow got INSIDE the bumper and are hanging down through it at the bottom. I'm guessing the bumper has to come off and the 20+ bolts may need to come off from the back of the bumper to get inside. I'll try to get the pix on here tomorrow.

Thanks!!!!!

Dave

 

[terrible one]

You can resize your pictures in paint. Simply open them in paint and then go to Image at the top and then Sketch/Skew. Then do say 50% or so and it should be small enough to post on here.

 

[Bro-Ham]

Please help me figure out how to open them in PAINT. Thanks! Dave

 

[davesdeville]

If you're running Windows 95-2000 or so you just double click and it should default to opening them in Paint. If you have XP, right click and select "Edit" in the menu that appears.

I think I know what you mean but I'm not sure. Pics would be good.

 

[terrible one]

In XP, open Paint, then at the top go to File, and then from the menu that drops select Open, find the picture, and then do the Sketch/SKew thing that I escribed in a previous post.

 

[Bro-Ham]

Hello!

OK, let's see if this works. The picture is of the bottom of the rear bumper. The bolts you see hang directly down to the ground from the bottom of the bumper and they previously held the hitch on to the bumper.

THANKS for all the assistance and expertise in helping me to get these pictures on here for you all to see! It was good to learn how to do that!

Also, thanks for all the ideas and advice! Everyone on here is GREAT!

Dave

 

[terrible one]

And there is no way to get at the back of the bumper? As in is it completly enclosed all the way around? Don't know much about bumpers, sorry. However it just seems to me that someone doing this quick little job wouldn't want to go to the trouble of taking the bumper completly off to drill and drop some bolts in, but you never know...

Believe it or not, my '76 came with one as well! However mine were bolted to a plate that was welded to the back of the bumper

I got it off and all though, and since it was only welded on the back part it's not at all noticeable when looking unless you crawl under the car.

 

[Bro-Ham]

Hello!

There doesn't appear to be any easy way to get these bolts out since the back of the bumper has a plate with about 20 bolts so I'm guessing the whole bumper needs to come off. I, too, am amazed someone would go through the trouble to do it the hard way.

Thanks for the ideas!

Dave

 

[Innovator]

Hello!

There doesn't appear to be any easy way to get these bolts out since the back of the bumper has a plate with about 20 bolts so I'm guessing the whole bumper needs to come off. I, too, am amazed someone would go through the trouble to do it the hard way.

Thanks for the ideas!

Dave

How many bolts does the bumper have to come off? My 68 only has 8 bolts per bumper... did it really change that much?

 

[N0DIH]

My 94 FWB rear bumper came off quite easily. 8 bolts. Just get a pillow or something to prop up your head, it was neck straining having the car jacked up and having to reach up that far.

the 94 bumper is fairly light, the 77-79 may not be so light, be careful.

 

[Innovator]

the 94 bumper is fairly light, the 77-79 may not be so light, be careful.

Uhh yeah its safe to say that my bumper is probably bullet proof and weighs about 100+ i can only imagine his is right around that range!

 

[Bro-Ham]

Hello!

I had a '78 Sedan deVille that I made the mistake of removing the rear bumper to replace it due to a minor bit of rust forming. It took two people to get it into place and it weighed a ton! I'm not looking forward to doing the same with this car although the hitch is ugly and I want those bolts gone so here we go! All part of the fun!?

Dave

 

[N0DIH]

My question is how did the bolts get there in the first place? Bumper on or off?

Hitch shops likely aren't going to be pulling bumpers for a class 1 hitch. But then again, that was the "old" days....

 

[Bro-Ham]

Hello!

I can only imagine the entire bumper came off, the multitude of screws on the back of the bumper removed, and the holes were drilled and bolts put through and then the whole thing was put back on. It may have been easier to attach a hitch platform to the frame! You are probably right in suggesting that in the good old days doing all the extra work probably didn't seem like such a big deal. Who knows!?

Thanks for all the input on this!

Dave