Even NOS Parts Need to be Restored

One of the items that is extremely difficult to find for a 1976 280z is a bumper corner.  You may have read my previous post on the process I used to restore these.  I had to find a NOS (New Old Stock) part for the front drivers-side as the one that came with the car was too far gone.  This new part bolted right on and has been on the car for months.

This weekend I took the car out on a drive and was surprised when I returned home to see that the cover was hanging on with only one mount!

The rear mount, which is a piece of metal pressed into the rubber part, had popped out.

This was a quick fix which involved screwing the mount into the rubber.  I have taken this as a lesson that NOS parts degrade over time even if they are still in the package.