1980 double tube bumper weights

[DRUMMOND]

Front Bumper 65# with rubber,lights,shocks and hardware
Rear Bumper 55# with rubber, shocks and hardware

[RRoller123]

Another answer to a multi year's long question. I assume that these figures are from actual measurements that you made? 120 pounds is the number then, for the combined front and rear system.

[DRUMMOND]

Yes, factually weighed
When I took the front one off, I side you have got to be kidding ( actually I said WTF!!!) I am surprised they didn't add a turbo for all the tube spiders from then on!

[v6spider]

Pretty heavy stuff..makes me glad mines a 72. I took all that off and welded the holes shut. The car looks better without bumpers I think.

Cheers!
Rob

[djape1977]

single biggest upgrade one can make to US spec spider

[Jimb]

Why limited to US models?

Jim

[DRUMMOND]

I think it is applicable to the federal 5 mph survival rule from the 70's? Who crashes at 5 mph? and why would it matter?

[RRoller123]

No damage from common "parking lot" bumping at up to 5mph significantly lowers insurance claims costs.

[DRUMMOND]

So it was insurance companies the forced this law? it would seem to me that to outfit all cars with these bumpers would cost a lot more than what they saved. never mind the fuel consumption increase!

[Jimb]

European cars had the too.

Jim

[RRoller123]

So it was insurance companies the forced this law? it would seem to me that to outfit all cars with these bumpers would cost a lot more than what they saved. never mind the fuel consumption increase!

It was the US Feds, in their endless wisdom. Their underlying reasons are usually benevolent dictatorial mischief. (Like the EPA recently declaring farmer's field plowed furrows as "mini-mountains" so that they could regulate the runoff). But it is unknown to me what role the Insurance Industry played, although one would certainly expect them to have been supportive?

[aj81spider]

Bumper standards were created to resolve some significant safety issues. Specifying standards for bumper height was an attempt to address the problem of small cars sliding under big cars in a collision and killing everyone in the small car. Although our bumpers may not be a lot of help, you should think about that before you remove them (...and let the flame wars begin - never mind the fact that the car looks horrible without bumpers - the front end looks like it has a severe overbite!). Specifying crash resistance was an attempt to keep you from having to spend $1000 every time you bump the wall of the parking garage.

The 5 mph standard was dropped to 2.5 mph in 1982 under Reagan. The drop was justified by an analysis that showed there was a savings of $44 per car versus an increase of $36 in damage per car (in 1982 dollars). When you figure that most cars are not in accidents that means that there is a significant increase in damage to cars that are in accidents to make the $36 figure an average.

I was a summer intern at Oldsmobile in 1982 and the intern next to me was redesigning the bumper support system so it would no longer withstand 5 mph, but only the new 2.5 mph standard. When I quizzed him on why Oldsmobile would do such a stupid thing his response was "it saves $5.00 per car." When I replied I'd pay $5.00 to have better bumpers the answer was "you're going to pay the same amount either way. We build a million cars a year, so this is going to send $5 million to the bottom line!"

You may argue that the feds overreach in some areas, but when you compare car safety today to car safety in the 50's, 60's and 70's there are lots and lots of people who are alive because of federal safety standards. I have a friend who rear ended someone who had stopped on the Long Island Expressway on a foggy night at 50 miles per hour in a 2008 Honda Civic. His car was totaled and he walked away from the accident with no injury. He can thank federal safety standards for that. In 1970 he would have been dead, perhaps because his attractive small car with no bumpers slid completely under the SUV he hit. As Oldsmobile proved to me - the car companies aren't going to spend any money on safety if they don't have to.

[RRoller123]

They ain't coming off of my car.

[djape1977]

fiat crash testing in the 70's
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGoSauHtC-8&t=157s

note that most cars presented here are "eurospec" models.

[RRoller123]

Great video, very interesting!