What I really want in a Bumper Guard
 

Please excuse the rudimentary MS Paint prototype. Euro bumper guard on the right, My slimmed down dream bumper guard on the left.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1459346491.jpg

There are a lot of bumper mods out there. I like the idea of removing the large US bumper guards but the Euro ones stick out more than I like too. No guard there at all looks wrong if you leave the impact strips. No impact strips and then your rear bumper doesn't match the front, then you fall down the slippery slope of Iroc bumpers.

What say you? anyone make anything like my terrible rendering?

...and the down side to that would be....?

Haha. Good point... Money? Tiny amount of safety too. I think paint and good bumpers all around is a 3k proposition.

I don't think you are factoring in the internal routing of the light. These guards are molded with an internal passage that is nowhere near you would need it to be for your 'dream' bumper.
Bill K

I agree with you, and the bumper would be a solid piece of rubber. You would have to move to bullet style screw lights or the BMW lights that mount right on the blade.

I would settle for a lightweight fiberglass copy of the Euro part. I don't mind the shape, it's the weight that bothers me.

JR

^me too. You might be onto something. I wonder if a plastic injection mold might be just as good. Give it a little rubber texture, paint it black and Viola. JR what's the weight difference between the euro and US bumper guard?

About 8.3 pounds per pair, I think. The ROW guards weigh in the neighborhood of 7 pounds/pair.

JR

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1459356541.png


Excuse my shaky redline, but could you cut/trim a bumper guard like this?

That's what I was thinking at first Stephen. However, that guard is a complex curved piece of rubber. Then you have to figure out how to mount it as the studs would be cut out. Much easier to start anew. It might be small enough that it could be 3d printed. A rough plastic 3d print could then be sanded and painted. Any 3d printer enthusiast want to chime in? Or 3d modelers interested in designing a 3d print file?

Edit: I remember miles of these 3d part guys at SEMA even years ago. Perhaps one of them might be able to comment. It comes down to cost and weight for me. If I can get a piece that needs some refinishing for $100.00 / pc or less it would be worth it.

Chrome bumper guards
 

Anyone attempted to make a chrome bumper guard for the impact bumper.

Bit of a classic look

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1560149682.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1560149898.jpg

I am prototyping this.......

They will be very reasonable. Printed from plastic.

I cut down my factory piece till I got something I liked. The fit is good. All edges will be rounded off for a more delicate look and feel to the piece. They can bolt to the factory stacked two hole location or be installed anywhere along the top edge of the rear bumper.

I'm making these for me. Lets not discuss till I can post pic's of the finished part.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1560170607.JPG


Sorry for the rudimentary photo..... I flipped it so the position is more correct.

Just blueskying here..could the existing ones be drilled out from the unexposed side to get rid of some weight?

Biggest issue I see with drilling, after screwing with these for months is...... the steel structure cast into the rubber is pretty massive. Certainly designed for impact. I don't see how to drop significant weight.

I had a moron back up at a light once and run into my front bumpers in his old Chevelle. The good news is his bumpers were at the same height, as the rubber bumpers on my 911. It pushed be backwards a foot. I had zero damage. I looked closely, and now 15 years later it still has no evidence. I was laying on the horn, and the moron thought I was honking at someone else, and kept going backwards.

I like the protection of the guards, but it is your car, and it is just a car. Do whatever makes you happy with it.

It would be pretty easy to trim the foam. Two issues:
- There are threaded sleeves (or bolts, I forget - been a while since I've had them off) in the bumper that would need to be reset.
- you'd need to finish the edges of the bumper (heat gun?)

Other than that, should be fine. And I agree it would look better than either the US or euro bumperette.

It's not foam in the factory piece. At least not in 1988. It's rubber and very difficult to cut through considering that piece of steel wonders aimlessly throughout. Also what your referring to as threaded sleeves are in fact welded to the steel structure. Ask me how I know.......

I quite like my Euro bumper guards.

A work buddy and I had just parked the SC and were going in for Friday Malay chicken curry when there was a bit of a boom.

A guy parking his Ford Mondeo ran into the back of my car while parking (wrong gear???) The SC was fine and the numperettes fair smashed a hole in the ford's fiberglass/plastic bumper. A satisfied snigger as we inspected the damage.

Are these something that could be 3D printed? Obviously not structural but could give the correct look?