Bumper support material removal interpretation...

Matt93SE

Matt93SE

New member
So I've got the front end apart on my car working on the front splitter. OMFG this front bumper support is heavy!!

9.1.4.2.A.2 States said:
2. The OEM front and rear fascias shall maintain the OEM crushable
structure/support. The OEM crushable structure/support may
be lightened as long as it is still recognizable as being the OEM
crushable structure/support. The bumper shock absorbers may be
removed. The OEM front and rear fascias shall be attached at the
stock locations, but fasteners are free.
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How far does the "may be lightened" go? i.e. can I remove 90+% of the steel (keep just enough to recognize it) and replace some of the removed material with aluminum to keep some impact strength? Or would you consider that a strained interpretation?

I would be perfectly fine to just swiss-cheese the thing with a hole saw, but I have some rectangular aluminum tubing left over from another project that would help retain some semblance of strength while losing weight off the nose.

Would like some opinions from the gallery before I start cutting. :)
 
Matt93SE said:
How far does the "may be lightened" go? i.e. can I remove 90+% of the steel (keep just enough to recognize it)
Click to expand...

Get a case of die grinder bits and sawsall blades. Cut it so that all that remains is a 1/4" thick outline of the bumper support shape. It'll still be recognizable. A solid plate square and a solid plate with 90% out of the middle still has the outline of a square.
 
Completely agreed and understood. It's a huge chunk of stamped sheet metal. 2 min with a plasma cutter and I can remove 40lb of weight off the car and still be legal.

My main question is: "Is it legal to take that leftover shell and add some aluminum back in to regain lost strength?" They say I can remove material, but nothing about adding. sure.. IIDSYCYC, but this is more common sense than using air as my preferred power steering fluid or turning my PS pulley into an idler by adding a bearing..
 
Funny you should bring this up, as I had the plastic fascia nose and bumper off the 'Teg off last week. Mine's heavy too. I was reading that rule, and I was at the point where I was debating the work "recognize": if it's hidden under the fascia, and the fascia maintains its outline without it, is it not "recognizable"?

I chose to reinstall it for three basic reasons:

- I hit s**t, especially s**t in front of me, and
- It's where my tow hook is attached to, and I'm too damn lazy to re-engineering it.
- I hit s**t.

I don't see in the rules where you can add in aluminum, as that would be - effectively - replacing it with an alternate material. So I think it's non-compliant, but I really doubt anyone would notice...or even care. But have your way at it will hole saws and Sawz-All, for sure. - GA
 
Dang! Don't the Yo! JD maufacturers believe in using alu-minimum for their bumpers? ( :p )

Mine's maybe 20lbs including the plastice, bumper bar, bumper shocks and radiator core support.
 
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I should have weighed it before I started cutting. I've probably only removed about 5 lb from it so far, but the steel bumper alone is 20lb. there's another "filler" bracket along the top that's another 5lb. The plastic and styrofoam is another 8-10 maybe.
 
Damn. It's a shame it doesn't say "lighten and/or reinforce." THAT would have been a deja vu moment right there...

K
 
Z3_GoCar said:
Dang! Don't the Yo! JD maufacturers believe in using alu-minimum for their bumpers? ( :p )

Mine's maybe 20lbs including the plastice, bumper bar, bumper shocks and radiator core support.
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no, they (the JDM yo OEM's) are more interested with making stuff affordably. durability seems like a nice touch, too. the philosophical differences between ze germans and the japanese starts at bolt standards and goes on from there with no convergence. the only thing I can find that they share is a drive to do it better than the yankees. they waged war in the 30's and 40's with similar attitudes to what we now see in their cars. I swear every honda through the 90's has a hidden chrysanthemum stamp on it...

Matt: grab a big hole saw and start cutting the heavy crap out. leave the mounting structures, the outlines, and some webs in between hole saw cuts. should keep the thing strong enough to hold itself up and bump draft, just consider it a wear item if you like to "hit s**t"
 
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Greg Amy said:
- I hit s**t, especially s**t in front of me, and
- It's where my tow hook is attached to, and I'm too damn lazy to re-engineering it.
- I hit s**t.
Click to expand...
:happy204:

You'll wish you had left it alone at some point. A little war wound is better than a new bumper and radiator for those oops moments. RAMMING SPEED!
 
...So I cut all the weight off the ends and left the battering ram in the middle...

And just to aggravate the bug that flew up Knestis's arse, I reinforced it with a layer of black spray paint. :)
 
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