Removing 72 front bumper

[72 Challenger]

What do you need to remove in order to get the bumper off? I'm stumped and ended up cracking some trim.

Anyone?

[blown motor]

Remove the front valance, maybe not necessary but it makes the job much easier. Then I removed the six bolts holding the bumper brackets, three on each side that bolt to the frame. Then you can get the whole bumper and frame off and into a position that makes it easier to get them apart. I think that'll work, it's been a couple years since I did mine.

[anlauto]

72 will only have 4 bolts at the frame rails like 70-71, I agree, easiest with the lower valance removed

[blown motor]

72 will only have 4 bolts at the frame rails like 70-71, I agree, easiest with the lower valance removed

Interesting. I expect changes in the impact regulations must have warranted the increase to six.

[RUNCHARGER]

No impact on 72. 73 is when things went bad.

[72 Challenger]

I have decided to hold off replacing the bumper due to this thread! The body work is too nice to mess with so I rather deal with an ugly bumper than paint chips on my valence. We will see. I am thinking about selling the car. I really like it and it's in awesome condition but it's just too damn similar to my 1974.

decisions decisions.

[PLUM72]

Not to hijack the thread, but what is the trick to getting the 4 bolts out that bolt the brackets to the frame?  I recall working on a 72 challenger years ago where an impact wouldn't break those bolts loose.

[72 Challenger]

My car has been rotisserie restored so I am not much help there. Mine came off with relative ease.  On my last car where I put a 70 bumper on a 74 I had to ask the junkyard to torch off the bolts.

[blown motor]

Mine came out without too much difficulty. I find with an impact that sometimes switching from reverse to forward and back a few times can break things loose. I also find that a Johnson bar with a pipe on the end is stronger than an impact. Use the same reverse/forward switching and be careful not to twist it off.