Kevindc
Well-Known Member
I have a 73 Dart Sport with a badly corroded front bumper reinforcement piece. Can or do people delete this? If not I'll start looking for a replacement.
Thanks
Thanks
73 Bumper Reinforcement Keep or Not
- Thread starter Kevindc
- Start date
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Mopar Al
MOPAR AL
Scrapped mine years ago.
Kevindc
Well-Known Member
Great, I'll toss the reinforcement.
Thanks
Thanks
mderoy340
Well-Known Member
If you remove it, do not use the factory bumper jack.
Kevindc
Well-Known Member
I don't have a factory jack and doubt if I would buy and use one. The point about front damage is a good one. The reinforcement piece is pretty beefy. Seems the only reason to delete it would be the weight savings. Perhaps I'll look for a replacement.
None of the pre-73 cars had any reinforcement behind the bumper, they bolted straight to the brackets. Given the size of the later bumpers, even without the reinforcement they're stronger than the earlier bumpers (and heavier).
As far as collision damage goes, those bumpers were reinforced as part of a 5mph impact test mandated by the government. That's where the big rubber guards came from too, and the shock mounts on the '74's. In low speed impacts, they'll help. But anything much over 10mph is going to trash the bumper and push it back into the body/frame anyway. The bumpers are still bolted to the frame in the same manner as the earlier bumpers, just a couple of bolts and captured nuts inside the frame. Heck, even the shock mounted bumpers aren't really an improvement in a higher speed impact. Yes, they absorb some energy, but once you hit them hard enough to bottom the shocks out the rest is going into the frame.
Truly, the frame is the weak link. Even the non-reinforced bumpers and brackets are tougher than the frame they're bolted to. As far as the bumper jack is concerned, those things are sketchy anyway. Better off without them.
As far as collision damage goes, those bumpers were reinforced as part of a 5mph impact test mandated by the government. That's where the big rubber guards came from too, and the shock mounts on the '74's. In low speed impacts, they'll help. But anything much over 10mph is going to trash the bumper and push it back into the body/frame anyway. The bumpers are still bolted to the frame in the same manner as the earlier bumpers, just a couple of bolts and captured nuts inside the frame. Heck, even the shock mounted bumpers aren't really an improvement in a higher speed impact. Yes, they absorb some energy, but once you hit them hard enough to bottom the shocks out the rest is going into the frame.
Truly, the frame is the weak link. Even the non-reinforced bumpers and brackets are tougher than the frame they're bolted to. As far as the bumper jack is concerned, those things are sketchy anyway. Better off without them.
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