Hillbilly crush tubes for fiberglass bumpers

[dfhtrhjn]

So here's what I did to install a fiberglass bumper. It's got a few pros

1) It's cheap, about $30 at any hardware store buys the materials
2) It's light and pretty strong. I didn't have to put any screws in my fenders, the tubes hold everything flush.
3) It can be done in 3-4 hours by a total novice.

You'd need:
Two tubes
Two external caps
Two internal caps
Two bolts
Two nuts
JBWeld


JB Weld the bolts into the caps.


JB Weld the internal caps into the tubes.


Here's the fitment.


Pic of the external cap and tube.


You measure and JB Weld the external cap onto the bumper.


The tubes slide into the caps. I JB Welded mine in.


Once it's put together you can tighten/loosen the side bracket that holds the plastic crush tube easily through the turn signal.


It's not glamorous, but it works great and sure is easy fabricate.

[RSBob]

Brilliant

[Geneman]

thats really great!! i have been eyeballing this problem for a year or so..and have not come up with a solution that does not require either drilling bumper or or new fg.. is that just standard pvc tube with end caps? how sturdy is the joint from end cap to bumper with the jb? i would have thoight you would have to fg the cap in..

thanks again frank

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Great job!

[JeremyD]

I did something very similar in FG - Quote from my thread

Originally Posted by JeremyD

Thought I'd do a little update. Made some huge progress yesterday - Today I went on the boat.

One of the things I am proud about of the front bumper attachment.

Two bolts, one at each wheel well -



Fiberglass Tube mounted to the bumper



Bumper tubes


Fiberglass tube fits outside the metal tube -


Woo woo - fits like a glove. Easy to remove to put on a trailer or for maintenance.

The rest of the thread Well here she is -

[wayner]

I've been toying with the idea of filling the bumpers with spray foam to make them more of a bumper and less of an ornament

[Cook&Dunning]

Thanks for posting up the pics, very helpful for my fibreglass front bumper resto project. Much appreciated

[RSBob]

Originally Posted by wayner

I've been toying with the idea of filling the bumpers with spray foam to make them more of a bumper and less of an ornament

Great idea for the front. Better check flammability of the foam for the rear due to muffler heat.

[Racerbvd]

Looks great, years ago, I had a guy make me up some aluminum ones, wish I could find where I put the set I kept for myself.

[dfhtrhjn]

The JB Weld seems to be stronger than the fiberglass of the bumper. It has been on for 6 months or so and I've had no problems.

I really like the fiberglass insert from JeremyD, but I wasn't sure how I could glass it in so accurately.

It's standard PVC plumbing from home depot, it's the JB Weld that makes it strong. Oh and I used the 6 minutes stuff so you can hold it in place while it sets.

[Ferrino]

Brilliant! Are those tubes the only attachment points for the bumper or are you also bolting them up to the fenders?

I also wondered how Jeremy managed to 'glass the "sockets" into the bumper so accurately - I presume they were 'glassed in off the car? Should probably read the thread...

[JeremyD]

I first made the tubes out of fiberglass - then I made sure that I had a close fit with the bumper. - with the car jacked up and level - mixed some thickened epoxy - put on the end of the tubes - and mounted the front bumper where I wanted it (aligned wheel arches, etc) - then let the epoxy set over night, pulled the bumper off carefully - then reinforced the attachment point. It's been in the same spot ever since -

Since this post that I referenced - I actually have replaced my hollow crash tubes with modified rennline tow hook receivers and use these to attach a tow bar and flat tow my car to the track - Tow hook (and tow receiver bar) both thread into the same tow hook receivers...





Same fiberglass tubes [sorry - didn't mean to hijack this thread)

[dfhtrhjn]

My tubes are the only attachment point, I didn't need screws in the fenders to keep them up on the sides. I plan on putting screws, clips, or something else just for additional stability. I liked the idea of the bumper being independent of the fender in case someone bumps the car in a parking lot.

[dfhtrhjn]

JeremyD, can you show us how you mounted the rennline tow tube to the inside of the fiberglass fender? I've been thinking about doing something like that on my 911 race car, but I haven't yet come up with a very good way.

[Ferrino]

Originally Posted by dfhtrhjn

My tubes are the only attachment point, I didn't need screws in the fenders to keep them up on the sides. I plan on putting screws, clips, or something else just for additional stability. I liked the idea of the bumper being independent of the fender in case someone bumps the car in a parking lot.

Agreed on the independence of the bumper from the fenders in the event of an accident. I was just wondering if having the tubes only would cause sagging and large panel gaps?