Bumpers -- who needs them anyway??

[Baloo914]

OK, so I was sitting at a red light and some blonde not paying attention allowed her Ford F150 to roll forward and bump my back bumper. Wasn't a hard impact, but it was enough to compress the bumper slightly -- just barely noticable. I have removed the bumper itself, and come to find out that the "Impact Energy Absorber" (as it is called on p195 of Haynes) took all the compression. My question is - can I pull this back out to its original length?? and if so - how do I go about it?? I pulled with all my might.. and it doesn't budge. It appears to be straight and the only diference between the two "absorbers" is the fact that one is shorter from the impact.

Thanks in advance!!

[mike mueller]

I've always been under the impression that those are designed for one impact only. I'd replace it with a new one unless you get an answer that specificly states you can reuse the old one, not somebody guessing you can, unless they can back that up with facts of it being reuseable.

------------------
Mike Mueller
Antioch, CA
1970 1.8

[Joe Bob]

This is important...was she cute and single? Did you make a move? Us married guys NEED to know...8^)

[Baloo914]

I am one of those married guys...

She was cute and 17...

[roadtrp204]

Sorry for the bad news, but my friend owns a collision repair shop and bumper struts are a one time use item. Once they have been compressed they have to be replaced. Sucks, cute girl ran into my 75 too,but I did get the repair costs out of it.

[rich]

DO NOT PULL ON OR WELD ON A DAMAGED OR UNDAMAGED BUMPER SHOCK!!!!! THERES MOST LIKELY A GAS CHARGE STILL IN IT!!!!
As a former collision shop owner I can tell you some REAL horror stories about those things! Like they can EXPLODE! With enough force to kill you!. I'm not sure about the construction of the the ones use on the 914, but I had an experience with a (insurance company name omitted but use your imagination, think recently lost big law suit)adjuster that forced me the do some real research on GM's. I had an adjuster refuse to pay for a rear bumper shock on a rear hit GM we had in the shop. The scuff caused by the compression on the shock shaft measured 2 1/4". Because the shock popped back out the adjuster wanted use to paint the shock! After about 2hrs and several long distance calls an engineer at the GM delco, bumper shock division told me to shake the shock. If a rattle sound is present, the shock is junk. Just because the hydralic oil isn't leaking doesn't automaticlly mean the shock is reuseable.
BTW Theres a spring inside. DANGER,DANGER!!