DIY: Euro Bumper Install - Early Models

[TDE30]

Your observation in the OP is absolutely correct. It's real and it's spectacular.

:D

[scabzzzz]

Also, tried to ad the content onto the OP, but the OP was too long after your writeup TDE30.

[scabzzzz]

Wanna make out?

[Japandrew73]

aww this was awesome! Thanks so much TDE30. This will save me lots of time and mental stress. I'll be sure to give you cred in my instal. You too Scabbzzzz

[TDE30]

Totally fine by me man.

TIA.

[scabzzzz]

Is it cool if I put all that into the original post?

[Japandrew73]

pics work fine

must be these crappy school computers...

[lifeiskaos]

pics work fine

[Japandrew73]

this sounds awesome and very helpful, but is it just me or are the pics not working?

[TDE30]

post pics!

i used epoxy putty on those little holes from the us bumper shroud.

Alright then, here goes...

US to Euro Conversion: Sealing Off Unused Holes




Above is a picture from that Scabzzzz posted earlier when he was doing his swap. I have edited the photo to show where the alterations will need to be to ensure that no water enters the trunk.

The red-circled holes (where the six bumper shroud bolts used to be and the area where the right bolt of the passenger's side bumper shock was) need to be sealed with a bolt, a nut, and two rubber washers. When I did the conversion, I just used some leftover hardware and ended up buying some rubber washers from the local Lowe's Home Improvement store.



^ The only reason I used these things was because the euro bumper hardware kit only included enough rubber washers for where the bracket meets the bumpers. The BMW PN for the correct rubber washers is 51121886299. I recommend ordering 10-12 additional BMW rubber washers if you choose to go that route. I was in a situation where I needed to get this done as soon as possible, so I used the above washers and was very impressed with them. They are considerably thicker than the BMW washers. The choice is yours, just make sure you get the item number off the box in the picture if you plan on using the Lowe's rubber washers.



^ This is how I assembled the hardware to seal off the red-circled holes.



^ And this is how it looks like when it is fully assembled.



^ Use old or leftover hardware to seal off the RIGHTMOST PASSENGER'S SIDE BUMPER SHOCK HOLE, this is the only bumper shock hole that will need to be sealed since the rightmost driver's side hole (has nothing behind it, and is subsequently) is hollow.



^ This is how it will look from the interior, behind the center carpet panel. Clean, tidy, water-tight.

Next, let's tackle the yellow-circled holes. For these, you will have to make a stop by the local Home Depot of Lowe's Home Improvement store. You will be looking for two flat one inch plastic caps to cover the area where the rear turn signal (on the bumper shroud) and its wiring would have gone through. Now, with a rear euro bumper, you have two gaping 1" holes where water can go right in to the trunk.



^ These are what you are looking for, two come in each package. I got mine at Lowe's Home Improvement. Copy down that item number.





^ Two shots of what they look like beneath the bumper.

You will need to use a liberal amount of Super Glue (or similar) to ensure that it is water-tight. On my car, it took a wee bit of Dremel'ing to get the caps to fit, but they went on just fine and have been tested and let no water inside the trunk area.

Alright, let's seal off the blue-circled regions next.

For these, you will need some watertight sealant to fill in holes. I also used a small amount of electrical tape on the insides to give the sealant a barrier to form against. I figured I'd just leave the electrical tape on there since it is hidden beneath carpet panels on both sides, so it won't bother me (especially since the car is black.) The only reason I didn't use another bolt/rubber washer combo was because this will below the bumper line and would look a bit de la ghetto.



^ This is what I used. It is Permatex Hi-Temp RTV (waterproof) silicone gasket sealant. Overkill maybe, but it won't let water in and that works for me.

What I did was, I just used a plastic knife to spread the stuff in the hole (remember to have the piece of electrical tape adhered on the interior side of the hole.) After I got the whole completely filled in, I used some adhesive remover to clean up any remains. I've yet to touch it up with Schwarz 086, but once I do, it should blend right in as if there were no hole to begin with.



^ This is how it should look once you're done. Give it 24 hours to cure, I recommend having a fan on it too to speed up the process.

Finally, let's look at the areas you need not concern yourself with, the black-circled areas.

First, the area where the old bumper shocks went need not concern you. There is no need to weld a plate or fill it with dead fish or anything drastic like that. The frame rails have a few small holes drilled in them to allow drainage, refer to the pictures below.



^ Inside passenger's side frame rail. Two holes on bottom, two more on left side of frame rail itself. A few better pictures are below.





Second, the rightmost hole on the driver's side bumper shock shouldn't concern you because it is hollow.



Third, how about the random rectangular hole in the middle of the valence?



...yup, it's hollow too.

I hope the addendum to this DiY thread helped clear up any concerns with water getting inside your trunk after performing this swap. Do it right, and it won't put a damper on your day. I'd like to stress that this is just the way that I did it, epoxying the holes is also another pefectly good way to seal everything off, I just didn't want to go through all the trouble and potentially make the World's Largest Mess Ever.

[aworthybrother]

Hey I also have tons of pics of my front euro bumper conversion from diving boards, i could post those pics if you want.

Also I'd like to hear more and see pics on the putty to fill the holes in the rear. I have a rear bumper coming soon and need to fill those holes and do whatever I need to with the water drains

sold the car already and no pics available, sorry.

[Japandrew73]

^ Will do, I'm busy getting ready to install the front bumper, but I will post pictures of of: a.) what I did for the DB shroud holes, and b.) what I did for the large (1") holes on both sides of the rear valence (where the light bulb/wire on the trim piece to go through.)

Hey I also have tons of pics of my front euro bumper conversion from diving boards, i could post those pics if you want.

Also I'd like to hear more and see pics on the putty to fill the holes in the rear. I have a rear bumper coming soon and need to fill those holes and do whatever I need to with the water drains

[TDE30]

^ Will do, I'm busy getting ready to install the front bumper, but I will post pictures of of: a.) what I did for the DB shroud holes, and b.) what I did for the large (1") holes on both sides of the rear valence (where the light bulb/wire on the trim piece to go through.)

[aworthybrother]

post pics!

i used epoxy putty on those little holes from the us bumper shroud.

[scabzzzz]

No prob!

I get shit tons of PM's over this thread. Everyone seems to appreciate it, which makes me happy :)