should I hit the bumper with a sledgehammer?
 

My rear bumper on my 82 TD is a little extended and down from it's original state. The shock to body appears sound. I want to straighten it. I have had once source say "leave it alone" and another say - hit it with a sledgehammer and a piece of wood. Any guidance?

Or
 

Back it into something solid (no Japanese cars) to move it in and lift the car by the bumper to move it up.

That's another possiblity
 

I have been looking around for a concrete wall to back this baby up to but everything I look at I am afraid this mama will knock it down. I need a stadium or a nuclear bunker or something.

it's ok
 

i dont think you need to worry about knocking anything down

i backed into the wall of a parking garage from the inside pretty softly. it was enough to push the strut in.

eric

Hydraulic jacks between the bumper and a fixed object are more easily controlled than just driving into the fixed object. Put a piece of wood between the bumper and the jack.

The real technical challenge here is finding just the right tree. You don't want to damage the car or the tree. Small enough to give a skosh, but big enough to push the bumper piston back home - that's what's wanted.
This is how they do it at NASA, right?

Coming out of a Blimpie while on vacation, I backed into their sign. Hard.
Made a terrible noise and I thought that I had crushed the bumper in or worse. Got out to take a look and NOTHING. Just a little scuff on the rubber pad.
That is one serious bumper setup!
Moral of the story: don't worry about damage to your TD...just take it easy.

which first - up or in?
 

which direction should I push it first - up or in?

o.k. Whose going to field that one?
Beuller, Beuller...

I would go up then in. I would use a Hydraulic jack for at least the fine tunning.

With a jack or against a solid object put a little tension on whatever direction you want to go. (put 2 layers of duct tape on anything where metal will contact metal). Use a persuasion device of the apropriate size and a block of wood or if you need a more focused blow put duct tape on the hammer and the spot then hit around the source of the bend just a little. Then tighten up the jack or move closer to the object. Might have to repeat a few times in each direction. You may also what to move the jack aroung when doing this procedure. The pounding release's tension in the metal so it stays in the same spot when the jack is let off. Like Kerry said put a piece of wood between the jack and the bumper, if the block slips tape it on.

If you do try this be carfull working around a jack with tension on it.

That's my 2 bit Canadian advice Eh:D

Hey, PK, if you want to come over next week, we can probablt take some time and get it reset. Did you ask Heinz his opinion?

done!
 

thanks for the offer - but i took care of it yesterday - put a block pf wood under the bumper, used the jack and lifted it up. definitely more in line with the other side now. As far as the sticking out - i backed it into a tree in my yard a few times. My neighbors were somewhat bemused by that. Seems to have helped. The bumper looks much better, almost perfect. I have decided to leave it at that. Thanks to all for their guidance.

You can probably feel confident that your neighbors won't be breaking down your door ro get you to work on their cars.
"Hey, Paul, I was wondering if you could ram my car into a tree for awhile. It's not running right."
"Love to help you out, but I've got to get down to NASA and smack the Shuttle around."