Rear Refresh

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InTheGarageMedia.com

damaged and worn down bumper and trunk of 1977 nova

1. Our trusty and crusty 1977 Nova gets much-needed bumper filler panels and taillights to bring it back to life.

Rear Refresh

Repairing a Crusty Fourth-Gen Nova With New Bumper Fillers and Taillights

BY Tommy Lee Byrd

Images by The Author

hen it comes to low-budget project cars, the fourth-generation Nova is holding strong. You can still pick one up for cheap, and they make for a great street cruiser or drag car project. All of the underpinnings are similar to earlier Novas and Camaros, meaning that the chassis and suspension can be upgraded easily. The problem area for many fourth-gen Novas is the body and interior, as replacement parts haven’t reached the same level of availability as earlier muscle cars. Thankfully, Classic Industries is stepping up to the plate with restoration components for these disco-era Chevys.

In the case of our 1977 Nova project car, the main area of focus for this article is the rear body section. Like many 1970s GM cars, the bumper filler panels were in dire need of attention. The centersection was completely missing and the corners were on the verge of turning to dust. A previous owner had replaced the old taillights with some generic LED trailer lights. They worked nicely, but we wanted the original look, so this was an opportunity to give the rear section a complete makeover.

Classic Industries came to the rescue with brand-new taillight assemblies, which dramatically helped the appearance of the car. Classic Industries also offers fiberglass bumper filler panels, a big upgrade to the original material; PN RP5043 is the centersection, while PNs RP5041 and RP5042 are the corners. Classic Industries also sells the front bumper corner filler panels (PN RP5044 and RP 5045). Keep in mind that these fiberglass filler panels require some trimming, drilling, and fitment for proper alignment.

For this project, we used simple hand tools, as well as a drill and angle grinder for the fiberglass panel fitment. We also took the opportunity to sand and prep the panels for primer, but it doesn’t hurt to leave the factory white coating on the panels. We spent a couple of weekends fine-tuning the fitment and reassembling the rear section of the car, but the work brought our Nova back to a factory-fresh look.

Follow along with our process, which you can apply to any 1970s Chevrolet that needs a rear refresh.

2. The starting point for this project is how most fourth-gen Novas are found—the centersection of the filler panel is missing entirely and the corner pieces have deteriorated severely. We’ll also address the trailer lights.

3. Although the corner pieces of the filler panels look decent, the original material has turned chalky, which typically means that paint will not stick to it. Our solution is new fiberglass filler panels from Classic Industries.

wrench being to used to remove rear bumper

4. To access the filler panels, we must first remove the rear bumper. This is accomplished by loosening the eighth retaining nuts.

5. Be prepared for the rear bumper to be heavier than it looks. The steel inner structure adds significant weight to the bumper assembly. Lucky for us the outer portion of the rear bumper is in decent shape.

hand using small tool to remove nuts and bolts from corner pieces

6. With the bumper out of the way, it’s easier to access the corner filler pieces. The corners are held in place with three nuts: two of them are accessed from the bottom side and one is accessed from inside the trunk area.

hand holding original filler panel corner

7. The corner pieces have a steel inner panel, which contains the mounting studs and small tabs that hold it in place. We bend the tabs to remove the steel inner panel and then discard the original corners.

8. Now, we can remove the license plate bracket, as these two mounting holes serve as anchor points for the new center portion of the bumper filler.

9. Classic Industries offers the bumper filler panels to fit 1975-79 Nova applications, but you’ll likely need to do some trimming to fit your car. In our case, we test-fit the center panel and made marks for trimming.

closeup of hands using trimming tools to trim panel

10. The area that needed the most trimming was the center area that fits around the gas filler. We used an angle grinder to trim off the excess fiberglass. Once it fits, we can mark and drill the two mounting holes in the tabs.

person bolting new center panel into place

11. We start the fitment process by bolting the center of the panel in place. Then, we can lift the sides up to fit against the body. Notice that we have now removed the taillights and rear emblem and performed some bodywork.

hand using marker to mark where mounting holes will go

12. The center filler panel has no mounting holes, so we reach inside the trunk and make marks through the original holes in the body.

person using drill to create holes in fiberglass panel

13. Our original mounting hardware was long gone, so we decided to use 1/4-20 bolts and nuts instead of the original-style screws. We drilled the fiberglass panel using our marks as a guide.

14. With the bolts installed, the centersection pulled up nicely against the taillight panel for a great fit.

closeup of hands bolting license plate bracket into place

15. Final mounting involves bolting the license plate bracket into place one last time, using the original hardware.

16. Classic Industries offers new taillight assemblies for fourth-gen Novas (PNs N1445 and N1446). The assemblies are complete with the inner plastic housing, correct-style lenses, thick rubber gasket, and chrome outer bezel.

person holding plastic taillight housing on the outside of the truck while they use their other hand to install the housing

17. The plastic housing and lenses are installed from inside the trunk. This is a good time to address any wiring, socket, or bulb concerns.

18. The chrome outer bezel fits against the thick rubber gasket and six studs poke through the inner housing. It’s held together with the supplied speed nuts, which bite onto the unthreaded stud.

19. Although the new fiberglass corner pieces do not accept the original mounting tabs, the steel inner panels slide into the flanged area easily.

person installing new corners after they have been spray painted

20. We have already test-fit the corner pieces and sprayed them with gray primer. Now we can install them, which allows us to connect the corners to the centersection.

21. The three nuts are tightened on both sides, while ensuring proper alignment with the body and centersection.

22. When the corners are bolted in, we can drill and attach the centersection to the corners. This is done with a small sheetmetal screw, which will be hidden by the bumper.

person sliding bumper onto mounting brackets

23. You’ll need a helping hand for the rear bumper install. First, loosen the corner filler panels enough to allow the bumper to pass by the flared edges. Then, slide the bumper onto its mounting brackets and tighten the nuts.

man doing final check on corners before final install

24. With the bumper bolted on and aligned to our liking, we can now reevaluate the corner panels and perform the final install.

hand using tool to tightening nuts on panel

25. Final installation involves tightening the three retaining nuts on each side, while holding the panel in place.

26. While there are still plenty of areas to address on this crusty Nova, the rear body section is looking so much better with new reproduction taillights and bumper filler panels from Classic Industries.

SOURCE

Classic Industries
(888) 816-2897
classicindustries.com

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