bumper bracket

-
C

ccff88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2011
Messages
64
Reaction score
0
Location
fontana
can i shave 1 1/2in on front and back bumper bracket on a 74 dart to eliminate that ugly space?
 
Supposedly you can drill a small hole in the tube and push in the bumper and then put a spot weld over the hole to keep the fluid from draining out.
 
dusted72 said:
Supposedly you can drill a small hole in the tube and push in the bumper and then put a spot weld over the hole to keep the fluid from draining out.
Click to expand...


Yep. If it has the shock type mounts you can do that. You want to drill a hole in them then let the fluid drain out, push the bumpers in where you want them and then weld the hole back up to lock them back in to place.
 
Ok drill hole drain fluid but the bracket can't be adjusted unless it's literally cut. And by cut, I mean having a 2 inch section cut out to bring in the bumpers..
 
The brackets are just shocks, when you drill the hole in them they can compress. Just like a shock. This will suck the bumpers in as close to the body as you dare to go. There should be no cutting involved. Just drill the holes push the bumper closer to the body and weld the holes shut.
 
Does your car have shock mounts or brackets? Think 74 is a limbo year where you can have either or. Sorry should of asked that first.
 
The bumper has a heavy spring in them to push them back out
my 74 scamp does not have these on front but my 75 does maybe try to find
some mounts of a 73 or 74 you will also need the lower fender support rods
 
I just did this on my '74 Duster, it had bumper brackets on the front and shock mounts on the rear from the factory. The front is fairly easy to do, the rear more involved. The shocks had very little oil and VERY stout springs in them. I drilled a hole and drained the oil but couldn't compress the springs enough so ended up cutting the shock body in half and discarding the guts. Bolt the cut end tubes back to the bumper and then it can slide back into the frame mounts (essentially a tube within a tube). You can then weld the tubes together where you want the bumper to sit. The front requires a little drill work. I also half mooned the new hole in the angled bracket with a hole saw to make it flat for the bolt head to tighten against. I'll post pics this evening when I get home.
 
Looks like a little bit of work but I think I got my answer. Those pics would be cool to check out. Thanks
 
On my 75 I removed all the shock absorbing systems from both the front and the back including both bumpers and backing plates. I bought fiberglass bumpers and fabricated aluminum brackets to tuck both bumpers close to the body. I don't have the front finished yet but I weighed everything I removed and subtracted the glass bumpers and aluminum brackets and saved almost 300 lbs!
I intend to have both bumpers done with CosmiChrome when finished. Of course I no longer have any collision protection front or rear but the weight savings is what I was after in the first place. Dan
 
Sorry for the delay in posting the pics I promised the other day.
Front bumper mod:
Pic 1: Two bolts mount the bumper brackets to the "frame" on each side. On my '74 there were two holes drilled in the factory brackets forward of where the two haves come together. Rear hole (oblong) is factory bolt location for the forward mount bolt. The other hole is convieniently 1.5" forward of factory mounting bolt hole.
Pic 2: Rear factory mounting hole (oblong) and new mounting hole 1.5" forward of old hole. This location is not flat as the bracket are "Y"ing off from each other. I drilled a 1/4" hole for the hole saw pilot bit and half mooned the bracket. Using a big brass punch I flattened out the metal so the head of the bolt would have a flat to press against. Although probably not necessary I will put a weld on the back side of the "moon" before final paint.
Pic 3: I eliminated the inner bumper brace that in my eyes was useless weight. Slap in the bolts and this is what you end up with.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1436.jpg
    68.5 KB · Views: 427
  • IMG_1437.jpg
    66 KB · Views: 417
  • IMG_1450.jpg
    43 KB · Views: 422
Rear bumper mod:
Pic 1: Remove nut off shaft and the shock body will slide out of the mount housing which bolts to the frame.
Pic 2: Cut shock in half. There is a big spring in there that does not need to be cut through. Discard all this. Keep the piece that bolts to the bumper (stub).
Pic 3: Bolt shock stub back onto bumper brace like original. Leave it loose.
Pic 4: Shock stubs will slide back into frame mounts. Tighten stub nuts. Set the depth you want and weld the stub to the frame mount. Done.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1438.jpg
    80.9 KB · Views: 393
  • IMG_1444.jpg
    43.4 KB · Views: 510
  • IMG_1442.jpg
    79.7 KB · Views: 363
  • IMG_1443.jpg
    84.8 KB · Views: 378
Pic 5: Finished product. Both mods eliminate the filler panels between the bumpers and the body.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1447.jpg
    63.2 KB · Views: 403
Thanks for the pics. It looks clean. I did what u said and it looks good. Will post pics ASAP. Thanks for all your help
 
Hey sorry I haven't posted pics of the brackets but the dart is still in the shop and I've been working like a dog so I have been able to snap up some pics. Will do ASAP, whenever that will be, thanks again
 
Thanks for the information
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top