[albymangled]

ok noob here....74 Impala


can I just disable / remove the sprung mounts on these bumpers thereby moving the bumper closer to the body and eliminating the filler panels front and rear because they make the bars look crap hangin' so far away from the car ...

do earlier bumpers / mounts just bolt up?

am I wayyyy off track?

thanks if ya can help out

 

[POPIMPIN CUSTOMS I.N.C]

not sure but i wish i had a 74 impala outside to go look at
hope u find out let us know,,,...... i have only seen 1 active member w/ a 74 on here :smile:

 

[albymangled]

any input from knowledgable folk welcome...

a car this old didnt (and I would presume still doesnt) require 5 mph bumpers in South Oz..

just seems a shockin waste of money to buy new filler strips (and the car needs em) when they dont look good....

 

[RMC]

I drove many of these type cars (when they were a lot newer). I didn't keep most of them long enough to really mod them (plus I didn't do that much beyond basic maintenance/repair back then).

You are basically talking about the second year that 5 mph bumpers became required. The bumpers are rediculously heavy. [I still have a damaged middle finger joint that got caught between a loose bumper and the jack.] They are attached to the bumper by energy absorber units, similar to today.

I think if you look at the bumpers, there is a lot more work to make them flush fit. You will have make new mounts to move them up to the body, but the ends will now stick out past the sides of the car. To make it look right, you will will also have to take out some width out of bumper (cut, weld, rechrome on something that is almost as heavy as an axle... $$$). It can be done, but it's not quick, easy, or cheap. Also, I think that good vintage energy absorber unit are getting impossible to find (resale $$).

 

[77Impala]

I never thought of moving the bumpers in like that. I will try to take a closer look at mine tomorrow and see how hard it would be to remove the absorbers.

Mine has the same body filler problem as yours does, so you have an interesting idea.

There are no cars today that pass the 5 mph bumper test. Our old cars could do so with maybe a scratch on the chrome, but todays cars suffer at least $500.00 U.S. dollars of damage minimal, more like $1,500 to $2,500 worth.

 

[Gregg-O]

Yep. Back then the idea was keeping the car intact, now they are built to absorb most of the impact by crumpling up. That's why wreck's look so dramatic now-a-days yet people walk away.