t has become relatively common to rework the bumpers on high-end builds, usually tucking them in to fit closely against the body panels rather than hanging “out in the wind” like the original bumpers typically did.

Old Anvil Speed Shop took a different approach with this 1962 Chevy Impala project. Not only did they want the bumpers to hug the body, but they also wanted to add air intakes in the front bumper and a diffuser at the rear. When considering the feasibility of these modifications, they found a host of issues with the original bumpers, which had waves and defects that would have been very challenging to straighten. After lots of deliberation, they hit on the idea of making the bumpers from scratch, from 0.090-inch aluminum sheet.

There is some precedent for this. Those steeped in Chevrolet lore may recall that in 1963 a few Impalas were made for racing, the Z-11 model, which used aluminum for the bumpers and front sheetmetal. These cars are extremely rare and highly prized today. Nevertheless, we can’t think of an example where bumpers of this complexity were hand-fabricated from aluminum, which, as you’ll see, is quite an undertaking.

Aluminum has some features that make it a good choice for a project like this. It’s much lighter than steel and more manageable to form, and it can be polished to a mirror finish so it doesn’t require chrome plating. All the aluminum trim on this Impala was stripped and repolished so that these aluminum bumpers will match the sheen of the trim perfectly.

As with any project of this complexity, a lot of thought went into deciding how many pieces to make the bumpers from, where to place the joints, and how to form each component.

The first step was cutting a sheet of aluminum into blanks of the proper size. A manual leaf brake was used to make some of the tighter bends, and the brake was fitted with a radius die to make the softer bends. Special tooling was made for a Pullmax machine to create intricate contours, and some of the smaller pieces were shaped by meticulous work with hammers, dollies, and an anvil.

As each bumper element was shaped, it was TIG welded to other components to create a sub-assembly. Each joint was smoothed by grinding, filing, and block sanding before it was joined to the next segment. The fit of the bumpers was continually checked against the car, ensuring that everything was in proper alignment.

The rear bumper was notched on the bottom to clear the custom-made stainless exhaust tips, and a diffuser was made to fill the center of this cutout. The diffuser fins were made from a 3/8-inch aluminum plate, and they were bolted to the baseplate from the back side to ensure that the joints were crisp and clean.

After the bumpers were completed and the fit on the car finalized, all the exterior surfaces were carefully sanded with progressively finer abrasive grits and polished to a mirror finish. A pedestal polishing machine was used for the larger surfaces, and handheld buffers were used for the hard-to-reach recesses and details.

Ultimately, these bumpers are a testament to the fine work being done at Old Anvil, plus they offer the perfect finishing touch for this outstanding Impala project.