Pushing front bumper back 74 Challenger

[Scooter]

Got back from a drive yesterday to find my drivers side outer bumper filler hanging low. Both pieces of mounting hardware on the outside missing. Did a bit of reading and have decided to move the bumper back instead of fixing the filler. I could drill out the existing bumper brackets but have read a set from a 70-72 would do the trick with no modifications required. Can anyone verify this?

Thanks!
-Scott

[anlauto]

Yes 70-72 bumper brackets will move the bumper back, but I don't think all four of your 1974 bumper bolts will line up with the 70-72 brackets You would need a 70-72 bumper as well to make it look right. I could be wrong, I don't play with 74's too often..

[Burdar]

74 bumper brackets are a one year only part.  They look similar to the 70-72 pieces except they are longer.  There is also a large/thick reinforcement plate behind the bumper that the brackets bolt to.(the brackets don't actually bolt to the bumper...they bolt to the inner reinforcement)  If you are tucking the bumpers in, you'll probably want to remove that reinforcement plate while you're at it.

Some of the bolt holes are in a different place in 74 I believe.  You might find that there are some extra holes in your 74 bumper as well.  You can fill any extra/unused holes with some extra bumper bolts.

[dodj]

It takes more than just slotting the 74 brackets. You also need to cut, notch and weld the side of the bracket that angles toward the centre of the car.

[Scooter]

^^^ Thanks Both! Normally I'd take out the existing brackets and get to drilling and grinding. Had back surgery a bit over 5 weeks ago and even that kind of minor work that would require a lot of up & down to get fitment correct has been taken off my "can do" list, most likely for the summer. Looking for the path of least resistance at this point, especially if there is a possible "bolt in"solution that will not kill the beer budget. I can get a set of repro 70-72 bumper brackets for about $160 shipped. My back says that's the way to go if it'll work.   

[anlauto]

Once you remove the 74 brackets and rebar as Darren mentioned, I think two of the four bumper bolt holes in your 1974 bumper will line up with new 1970-72 brackets... So worst case scenario would be drill two more holes for the bumper bolts, and like Darren mentioned fill the extra holes with extra bumper bolts. You'll likely want to ditch the large bumper guards at the same time if you haven't already...

Cleanest approach would be a new 70-72 bumper as well....meaning less beer for awhile 

[Scooter]

^^^ So if I am reading correctly, the 74 brackets connect to the reinforcement bar behind the bumper and the bumper is bolted to that bar. But the 70-72 bumper does not have a reinforcement bar and attach directly to the brackets? Probably a good bet there are additional items attached to that reinforcement bar as well yes? In that case it makes more sense to get the 70-72 bumper and brackets at a later date. Oh well.. so much for the "simple" solution.

Will need to work out a temp fix to keep the outer filler from flopping around between the bumper and fender. 

[anlauto]

So here's what I found...the outside holes look the same, but the inside holes are different. So with the rebar removed you would have to drill two more holes to bolt your 74 bumper to 70-72 brackets 

[Scooter]

^^^ Perfect, thanks for digging that information up! Looks like I'll be kicking that can down the road a bit and planning on the 70-72 bumper and brackets.