Fitting older bumpers to a newer car

[Jimmy Filth]

Pretty much as the title says really. The cheapest vs the best ways to do it. I have the early bumpers and the late mounts/mounting plates, was wondering how I would go about fitting them???

[Jimmy Filth]

I've found several posts using the search function that say this can be done, but none really say how. Has anyone on here done this before?? Type 3 detectives say you need to buy the older brackets, then cut them and weld them to the new shape brackets, surely there must be an easier way than this...

[Editor]

Later cars have a reinforcing bar that may interfere with the bumper, and if removed leaves big holes in the front panel. The later mounts are much deeper so you will have spare 'hole' with the earlier mounts (needed for the early bumpers themselves anyway).

I suppose to get around the mismatch you either fabricate from scratch to suit both the mounting paltes and the bumper holes, or join the two versions in whatever way it can be done. Which is simpler depends on your facilities and skills. Sorry that's no more help than you've already found!

[Jimmy Filth]

So the front bumper will go through the two oval holes at the bottom as opposed to the two slits?

[Editor]

Not really - the reinforcement tube is only held on the bumper with sheet metal screws. The idea is if the car is hit, the bumper is pushed back onto the reinforcement tube, which goes back about 1/2" to 1" before the ends of the tube hit the front axle, which then limits the bodywork damage in a slow frontal collision (5mph with no bodywork damage was called for by USA standards).

Because the reinforcement tube isn't meant to be rigidly fixed, the bumper holds it in place rather than the other way round. There's no fixing holding the tube to the car, only via the bumper mounts, and then only by about 3 self-tappers.

[kyle]

are u planning to use early wings as well? cus if u look at the pic, the clearance channel for the bumper in the bottom of the wing will look massive like this. i think its only the rear wings but do u c how its not in the rite place and looks wrong.

[furrytom]

I fitted some to mine - just removed the reinforcement bars and used the later mounts.

Took a bit of jiggery pokery - a lot of time lining up and leaves a couple of unsightly holes in the bumper (you can just see them in the photos).

With the bumper on you cant really notice the holes where the reinforcement bars go so I am quite pleased with how it looks.

I am yet to do the rear yet but will crack on with it soon.





This was before:

[kyle]

oh they do have the bumper channel in the front frpnt wings but if ur painting ur car u can fill them or beat them out if u want