Crash: Front bumper removal problem. help me plz

[etxxz]

^^ no spin on that turn the whole day, that is a reducing radious kind of turn and just a few feet down it takes a sharp'ish turn but i probably messed up the exit somewhat. won't know till video footage is posted

Good work. Nice when someone proves me wrong. ;) You could get a job in a body shop!

those are kind words thank you! i'm a little rusty on the welding, but after i grinded it down you can't even tell...for the most part! :p

[xLibelle]

oh snap! did you spin that or carry it through?

[ddavidv]

Good work. Nice when someone proves me wrong. ;) You could get a job in a body shop!

[etxxz]

well....i just put the car back togeth and to my great dismay, the repairs came out amazing, my self-fabricated@work braket fit and welded on nicely and this is what it looks...

I also custom made the marker lights, notice they are not nasty orange anymore and actually looks quite nice. i can make a pair by hand in like 3minutes and fit better than the stock one :D enjoy:




these are rain drops from the test drive, otherwise they are more transparent than glass and car barely notice that there's anything there. seems to seal pretty well so...



i would like to thank all of you for your ideas....and now a bumperless-pic of last week's event:


^^my fav pic:

[ddavidv]

Eeewwww.
There's two ways to do this, the right way...and the other way.
That mess you are looking at is the unibody rail. It's made of high strength, low alloy steel. Welding/heating those has temperature parameters, and I'm not sure how generic MIG welding equipment will take to that stuff. May work, may not.
If you want it right, and plan on keeping the car, I'd have a real, live, trained body guy fix that rail and get your shock mount to fit correctly.
OTOH, if this is just some turd beater that you probably won't own in 2 years and don't care if the bumper fit is off, go 4 it.

[etxxz]

If you prefer the plastic bumpers (and who doesn't) then this is a perfect chance to do this upgrade.

Turn your lemons into lemonade, etc. etc. :)

i just came from the junkyard and the only car with plastic bumpers there was a 318 and the valence was messed up so i decided to simply get new shocks, weld a new bracket and call it a day. i might just bend back my valence since its not too far off i see exactly where its bent.

i just need suggestions on wether welding a new steel bracked infront of all that rubish is a good idea...i really see no other option.

[redhatpat]

If you prefer the plastic bumpers (and who doesn't) then this is a perfect chance to do this upgrade.

Turn your lemons into lemonade, etc. etc. :)

[etxxz]

here's a pic of how the dammage looks now. I am thinking of simply designing a piece of steel to weld infront of all this dammage (previously having hammered to flatten and taking measurements for exactness) and mount the shock directly to it using the welded nuts on the part where the shock bolts onto (now removed, has two nuts braced to back of it)

What do you guys think about this? any other suggestions?


there is no other damage so i'm happy ex the valence is getting replaced and possibly doing a plastic bumper conversion while i'm here. have a junkyard filled with e30s. i would like to hear your thoughts. ty

[etxxz]

OMFG now it really gets ugly. i thought i could just replace the shocks and remount everything but i'm far from the truth. here are some pics. I need repair info, i'm gonna get all that out of there and maybe straighten up the hole.



i have cutting, welding and other capabilities so don't be afraid to give me good tips....i better not find who did this. Please help fast i would like a bumper for this weekend, but i'll drift bumper o no bumper if i must.

i appreciate your help

[etxxz]

^^ not dangerous. i drilled through the hole, through the metal bracket that holds the bumper and has the nut and into the shock untill i started seing smoke. stopped and then i heard an air leak which stopped, finished the hole and tried to pull out with no results. it wansnt dangerous i wore glasses, how hard can oil/air hit you?

The shock is probably bent, which is why it won't come out easily. I think it may take a forced pull back to get you enough access to remove it. I don't have an easy solution for you though. If it were in the shop, they'd probably just attach a floor mounted frame puller to the bumper and pull it with hydraulics. For home use, it's probably the old chain/tree combo but you have to do this very carefully so you don't make things worse/damage additional parts.

thats a good observation on the bent tube. i'm going to tie the bumper to the back of our jeep and tug it out.
:hitler:

[Jparkr]

umm if the shock isnt bent its obviously compressed. so wouldnt drilling into it be dangerous, i mean, they make quite a mess when they are not under "impact" pressure

[ddavidv]

The shock is probably bent, which is why it won't come out easily. I think it may take a forced pull back to get you enough access to remove it. I don't have an easy solution for you though. If it were in the shop, they'd probably just attach a floor mounted frame puller to the bumper and pull it with hydraulics. For home use, it's probably the old chain/tree combo but you have to do this very carefully so you don't make things worse/damage additional parts.

[etxxz]

Looks like you have access to at least the passenger side. Pull that side and twist!

that is like having a lever with the short/more force end digging into my valence and car. not an option.

edit: just tried it with brother, while i kept the bumper from digging into the valence with no result. need suggestions on removing shock from behing maybe. Drilling the top of the bumper will get complicated, i might have to move the headlights so that i dont dammage them.

Just a wild guess, but if you can drill the shock, draining the fluid (big mess I'm sure), maybe it will be easier to un-compress the shock. Just a theory.

Suggestion #2: Sawzall.

I drilled through the shock, no go. no oil spill though. I still couon't pull it out so I drilled pass shock just to make sure and same result, air decompress, easy compression of shock, but couln't pull shock out. I can't sawzall the tube either, there's no space i would cut through my entire car man.

how was this bumper put together in the first place?!! Suggestions please i'm getting owned here

**edit: figured that this diving board is held by 2x two 13mm nuts in the back. so i will just hook this bad boy to the jeep and pull on it and make space for my 13mm's. i'll then post an update**

comments/tips short of total destruction still welcomed :D

[misterlance]

Looks like you have access to at least the passenger side. Pull that side and twist!

[etxxz]

that would solve problems. Yes. But, i can't get directly to the shock, maybe going through the bottom of the aluminum bumper i could tap into it, even then, will drilling the tube uncompress the shock?. as in the part of the tube that sticks out?

...i'm trying to avoid the sawzall, i am very tempted and knowing myself i will enjoy very much cutting even through the valence which may need to get replaced anyhows.