Alternate front bumper options

[burgandy81]

Hi all,

Have an 81 Spider and dream of small chrome bumpers. I have a set of early rear bumpers and require a front before I can begin the transformation.

Has anyone tried mounting a bumper from an MG or other more common car? MG bumpers seem to be very cheap and plentiful, I assume most are reproductions.

Curly, did you try any other bumpers before fabricating yours? Outstanding car by the way.

Early spider bumpers seem to be going for $200 used and $350+ new. New after market MG bumpers have been spotted at the $125 mark and I might find a used item locally for under $100.

Not building a concourse car. Looking for a solid 8.5 (or better!) out of 10. Also trying to keep the budget down.

With the budget in mind, I do not want to buy a collection of random bumpers to see if one fits and then realize I still have to go buy the spider unit!

So....who has tried what?

All input and experience much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Danno]

If you find something let me know. i've been thinking about small bumpers on my car (as opposed to NO bumpers), but am just too scared of the prices I'm seeing.

I think at least one guy will stop in here and gag at the idea of putting a British car part on our Italian cars, but who cares!

[mbouse]

gag only if you suggested it for my vehicle.

on your car, i could care less. i applaud RacyDave and what he is doing to his Spider... i love Danno's rear lights. If we were all traditionalists we would be very, very boring. and we would be stifling overbearing. Does not seem to be the I-car enthusiest's nature here in the USA.

Now, if you suggested that a Spider bumper be put on an MGB, or heaven forbid an MGA, i promise you'd hear some healthy objections, and you would not need a hearing aid to do so. if you want stifling traditionalism, visit a LBC forum for a few days ...OMG... i remember one poster that started a flame war near big enough to burn your screen, because he detailed putting an overhead cam engine into his Spitfire. Sacriledge!

[Danno]

LOL. I'm with you on this one Mike. A good fiat part should never be used for anything other than helping another fiat stay on the road and in good shape. (Unless, of course, the seller can make a larger wad of cash by selling the part to other pininfarina designed car owners who don't know the part came from a FIAT...lol)

[mbouse]

i understand where you are coming from with the original question. at my first Fiat Freak Out, i was astounded at the displayed tolerance given to the visibly modified vehicles; thinking the group was gonna be a traditionalist society. then, i discovered what Denise always says....it is more about the people than the cars by that point. We gather to celebrate friendships won over the previous year of sharing via email and internet.

someday, i hope to drop my girder beam bumpers, and paint Queeniesome non-traditional color. Of course, that will entail some redesign of lighting; the likes of which are constantly discussed here. when that day comes, i expect to hear some fhue-fhue from the traditionalists in my circle. Even my wife says if i drop the bumpers i'd better not get rid of them. Her Spider, not surprisingly, will remain visibly stock.

it's my car! shouldn't it look how i choose? why do you get a say, unless i ask? so, yeah. put those MGA bumpers on that Spider. take lotsa pictures, cuz we love to gawk.

[Curly]

Thanks for the compliment Burgundy, I looked at the MGB front bumper and believe it could be made to fit, but SPYDUH's bumpers are fabricated up from a pair of 124 AC Coupe bumpers. (Just keeping it in the family )



A member of our club has done a pretty good job using an early Jaguar XJ6 front bumper. I believe he cut the bumper behind the over riders to narrow it down a bit, then rejoined it with bolts and brackets out of site behind the over rider. No welding or rechroming and I think it looks great. The indicators could have been done more discretely but in my view the bumper's pretty neat.

[burgandy81]

Thanks Curly,

Thats the spirit! Clean look, close to stock and personalized.

I really like your front bumper design. Unfortunately cheap Coupe bumpers are even harder to find in Canada than early Spider units. I had thought about cutting up a random junk yard bumper in homage although I can't think of a clean way to finish the cut end and am therefore still looking for full width option.

XJ huh? Will look around. Hadn't thought of that one.

If the idea of an MG bumper is objectionable to some, wait for further heinous unapologetic modifications........

Any other ideas out there?

Thanks again.

[WarbirdAL]

Oh yeah.... that's the spirit. Love those bumpers. I bought a 77 with the bumpers off. (I have em ) but I cant stand to put them back on. First of all the weight diff is incredible, and the look. I have been prowling for some of the older style bumpers but havent found any lower than 400 bucks! I have been toying with the idea of searching the local junk yards for chrome bumpers with a tape measure to see if they would fit.

Is the old 850 spider bumper too small? I have a possibility of picking up some of those real cheap.. I am sure I could get the rear bumpers on but not sure about the front.

[lanciahf]

Below is what I did. I wanted to replicate Curlys spider. The bumpers were found on ebay. Note: There is a set of early rears on there now.

Front

Rear

[Danno]

lanciahf, what are those bumpers from and how do they mount?

[racydave]

Ralph, looks great! where are the front turn signals from? got any install pics? Ive got a set of bumpers from a 69, they need re-chroming, havnt decided not to paint them... Did you cut the lip off the rear to install the rears?

[lanciahf]

Dave the lights are from an early fiat spider front turn signals, (68 - 74)with euro lens. I patched both holes in the front valance then cut out holes for the light housings. The light holes were tricky to do. The bumpers are from a 73 to 74 spider? The only difference from the earlier bumpers are how the sides are mounted, pins versus bolts.

The rears were easy, I used the stock bumper shock, drilled a hole in the shock to released the oil and then collapsed them. Using the same hole I put a rivet in there to hold the shocks in place. Where the bumper meets the shock I had to slot the holes on the bumper shock and use washers so the bolts line up. Cutting of the rear lip is not necessary.

The front bumpers are from a spider, just the middle was cut out and end plates were welded where the cuts were done. I still need to re chrome the fronts so the cuts look like they came from the factory. I had a body man make brackets that bolt to the bumper shock locations in the wheel well to hold the bumper level. He also cut the pins off so the sides can be mounted closer to the body.

The only regrets I have is that I should have had more cut out of the front bumper so the "new" ends would line up with the lower grill opening. There is only about an inch more to go due to the stock bumper mounting on the back of the bumper.

Sorry no pics but the next time I have the front apart I'll take some.

Take Care,
Ralph

[mdrburchette]

That really looks good, Ralph! I especially like how you raised the front bumper for the early traditional look.

[lanciahf]

Denise I think you mean lowered? Previously I had the earlier bumper mounted to the later model bumper shocks and did not like the look. The bumper was mounted too high compared to an earlier spider.

[mdrburchette]

Oops...actually I meant it was nice how you raised the car for the bumper. I knew there was something that had to be done for it to look right!