Bumper question - Again

[adrians]

General question,

Has anyone used 124 Coupe AC bumpers on a late model Spider to replace the tube bumpers, do they simply bolt on ?

I know I'll still need to wrk of the turn signals !

[perthling]

Adrian, you need to check with Curly - he spent a lot of time getting some AC/BC bumpers to fit his (gorgeous) Spider.

[Curly]

That's a definite NO! to Adrian's question of whether they are a straight bolt on fitment
Personal email with details sent to Adrian.
Thanks for the compliment Perthling.

[youngki]

Hi Curly,
I need your advice here.
I have a 78 124, but want those smaller chrome bumpers you have! Please share with us your secret.
Thanks in advance-
Young

[htchevyii]

There are adapters on Ebay to bolt early bumpers on late models, or you can fab you're own. You'll have to check with Curly about the 124 coupe bumpers, but I think they were far from a bolt on. I have an extra set of early bumps ready to install on my '82, but my wife parks it on the street at work and the early bumpers offer almost no protection.

[youngki]

Is it possible to retrofit the nice chrome bumpers from 1970-1973 spiders onto my 1978 spider? I saw that the bumper and the lights look completely different...

thanks
young

[Curly]

Hi Curly,
I need your advice here.
I have a 78 124, but want those smaller chrome bumpers you have! Please share with us your secret.
Thanks in advance-
Young

SPYDUH’s BUMPER CONVERSION.
The bumpers I used on SPYDUH were from a spare set of AC coupe bumpers I had hanging around. The front one had about an 18" section cut out of the centre and plates welded in to the cut off ends to close them off.
The only modification then needed to fit these front bumpers was to re-profile the corners and return shapes to match the shape of the panels. This was done with a 4" angle grinder using a flap wheel. The original mounting attachments on the bumper were left unchanged, and a new set of irons made to go from the mounting points on the chassis to the bumper bar.
The rear bar is a different kettle of fish, because the rear end shape of the Coupe is much squarer than that of the Spider. I had to cut a V-shaped segment out of the centre of the bar and bend the bar into a tighter radius curve to match the Spider's rear profile. That of course, made the return sections that run along the lower rear quarters, no longer parallel. More cuts were then made into the corners and the return sections pulled out to make them parallel again. Metal plates were then welded underneath the cut sections to hold them in place. The bar then needed extensive angle grinder profiling, especially in the corners and on the returns which are now much narrower than they were on the Coupe.
When I was happy that the bar was the correct shape, the gaps in the bar, where it was joined and plated, were filled with bronze and filed back to the match the original surface height and curve. I also extended and angled the 2 original mounting brackets inside the bar by about an inch to reach the rear panel of the Spider.
To support the bar on the car, I strengthened the panel areas around the mounting points at the rear and on the 3/4 lower rear quarters by double plating as well as fitting captive bolts on the rear panel. This was all done prior to painting the car.
All 3 bars were then sent away to the platers, for refinishing. Then once the car was painted it all went together again pretty easily.
I've included a extra few shots (below) to illustrate what may not be very well explained above.
Regards,
Curly

[youngki]

Thanks, Curly.
This is very helpful information.
I'll share whatever I do in the future with my bumpers.

[Fonz]

I saw someone post on here a company that makes replicas which will bolt on to the tube pieces left over from the removal of the original 1979+ bumpers. Consensus was that fitment wasn't the greatest but could be fabricated for better fitment. A good alternative if your looking to save some money. Someone might know more about this. Best of luck to you.