Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 14:43:12 -0700
Reply-To: Phil Zimmerman <phil.zimmerman@MAIL.CRCN.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Phil Zimmerman <phil.zimmerman@MAIL.CRCN.NET>
Subject: Re: After market rear bumpers?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hey Wes, I like your wood 4X4 with 1X6 top cap "after-market" rear bumper.
Kinda like a sun-deck railing of sorts.... appeals to the woodworker in me.
Perhaps a bit utilitarian for some but if the wood approach worked for
you...... good!
By my seat-of-the-pants engineering, wood in the size you used has
considerable capacity to dissipate energy. For example: If a one ton truck
hits you in the rear.....god forbid, the 4X4 will absorb and dissipate some
of the energy from the impact by being reduced to splinters.... meaning,
less energy sent to the stuff we care about most...... that newly re-build
engine!! Larry Chase is hopefully following this thread and might want to
replace his stock fiberglass bumper with the wood one?
Being Friday, I well see if a flame can begin here: I on the other hand, I
took another approach for the "after-market" bumper look. See, in my other
life, I loved Volvos. Sold my '83 244 for my '87 Westy. Ever since, I missed
those rubber covered aluminum bumpers that graced or protected both ends of
my Volvo. Spent (meaning wasted) hours looking at both ends of the Vanagon
attempting to integrate that Volvo bumper system onto my Vanagon.
Well, I can live in the abstract (inside my head) only so long thus, I took
a leap of faith or stupidity.... I can never tell the difference? Spent half
a day at the Volvo wreckers, removing bumpers from a pile of spent 1980's
240 series. Ever notice how few cars make it to the wreaking yard with
'straight' bumpers?? Spent $100 for three bumpers. Took them home, cut them
up, jigged em, tweaked em, cut and fit and ground and sanded them until they
fit the Vanagon like they came from the factory like this. Took them off to
a local welding shop and paid another $100 to have them welded to my near
perfect jigged shape. Gosh do I have alot of time invested into this
project. Wow, the welder did his/her magic. When I picked them up, one of
the shop guys asked..... what you doin with those aluminum bumpers.....
putting em on a race car or something? No, I am putting them on my Vanagon I
replied. Will never rust and will forever remind me of my other life when I
loved Volvos!!
Not done yet! Spent three long days on the end of a grinder, belt-sander and
finally 250grt. orbital sander to get a smooth finish on the aluminum.
Volvo's factory coating on those bumpers is really thick. Another day gluing
the rubber-covers onto the Al. and then spent another day fitting the rear
bumper onto the SA frame hitch that Bill Casper was kind enough to sell me
last Christmas. Wow, do I ever have a strong, rust-proof and kick-ass
good-looking rear "after-market" bumper, plus my bumper full covers all that
extra strong full frame SA trailer hitch.
Now lets add up the Cost, all in Canadian $$. Nah, too many decimal points
to even consider. I had fun all along the way. My point being: Wes'
approach worked for him and has significant value, my approach while perhaps
O.EM. looking, is no more functional than Wes', only took like a billion
more hours to produce!
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