What dimensions would you suggest one one of these style bumpers? Thickness of steel, and diameter of tube, I imagine the length has to do with what you hang it from.
That would probably best be a quick bolt-in bolt-out with different weight bars, (lead filled?) to change front end weight for traction conditions. Make the first one hollow tube and adjust weight as needed.
I just figured they took the stock one off and made the little one so it would be lighter, which is what I want to do on my late model. It has a plastic bumper cover, so it would never be seen, but the stock bumper is around 50 lbs or so. I don't want to just remove it, and it would be fun to practice making one. My dilemma is that if I get a pipe whose wall is too thick, it would be just as heavy as the one I'm removing, and if I get one that is too thin, it won't be at all effective if I ever hit anything. Just wondering what will be structurally tough, but still light weight.
On a "door car" you'll have an adjustable rear suspension... so no need for different weights up front... I'd make the bar out of 2 1/2" .120 wall tubing... weld it in... keep a nice hard lip from where it goes from tube to frame. Sam.
I was thinking of cutting up my old leaf springs and using little squares of those to weld the tub to, and bolting that to the frame, but I don't know if 2.5" diameter would be too large for the leaf springs that I have. Cool. If I can explain it simply enough, I might have an engineer friend of mine run some numbers and find out what kind of strength I'd need for the weight of the car, in a crash, etc. I doubt very much if he'll be of any help, as most engineers, he'll probably overthink the problem and it would result in my stock bumper back in place on the car.
I wouldn't really even call that a bumper. When they put parallel springs on those frame rails, the round front crossmember helped stiffen the frame. It didn't have to be round, probably done cause it was cheaper and looked better than square tubing. Some builders probably used it as a mount for a flat-tow bar too. G***ers didn't need bumpers and if they were going to add weight, they'd add it over the rear wheels. Dan
[quote and if they were going to add weight, they'd add it over the rear wheels [/ QUOTE ] This is exactly what I thought, but I asked the same question on a g***er email list that I'm on and the response was the same, it was used as a pushbar (not sure for what) and to add weight. Maybe because of the high front end, it is better to have the weight up there. Well, either way, it looks like I'll have to do something like this, to make room for a larger intercooler in the future. I might HAVE to ask that engineer friend!
They used to run light weight Corvair bumpers on the front to satisfy John Law and 3 or 4" pipe with threaded caps on the rear.
Holy ****, did anybody notice that black '55 is a 4-door?! I thought about the front spreader bar too on my '57--if you're in an accident with no front bumper, the frame is screwed whether you have the spreader in it or not. So's the sheetmetal. A tube isn't going to minimize the damge much at all. I've got a 'gl*** front end, too, so my frame IS the bumper. On a plus side, bumper or no, if you're in an accident, that frame should keep the engine out of your lap. That solid, non-collapsing steering column is another thing though. Get hit hard enough, and it becomes a spear. -Brad
Most of the racing stuff we deal with is 1 5/8" or 1 3/4" OD. Some guys run 2" OD. and go down to .065 wall thickness. It pretty much has the same strength as 1 3/4" OD. .095 **** a little lighter weight. Most racing cl***es call for a minimum wall thickness of .95 and a minimum OD of 1 5/8" That is for the structural tubing. For bumpers and nerfs, I usually run .065 wall thickness. For the simple fact that I want it to bend and crush before any of the ch***is bends. In six years of running the same ch***is I've pretty much had to replace the front bumper once during the year. With three hard hits in that time. I have yet (knock on wood) to have any ch***is damage greater than a bent shock tower. The best tubing is D.O.M. (Drawn Over Mandrel). Regular seamed tubing or pipe will sometimes kink and split when it does get hit. Chrome moly, unless it is heated properly, becomes brittle and breaks easily. For what you're wanting, if you tear it up the ch***is or body with .065, your gonna tear it up with .120. What makes a difference is how much room it has to crush before it gets to anything real important. With your application that isn't going to be real far. Most bumpers short of a 4X4 brush gaurd is only going to be good for parking lot dings.
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