Drag Racing Tech - First wallet weight reduction mod (MWC bumper supports)

Just get these the other day. Took a while to finally get them but well worth the wait. For anyone whos interested, heres MWC lightweight bumper supports. They only weigh 4-5lbs each :D Thank you to Eric and Midwest Chassis!


front

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr253/senicalj/IMG00956-20120627-1742.jpg

rear

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr253/senicalj/IMG00963-20120627-1902.jpg


Install pics front

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr253/senicalj/IMG00957-20120627-1824.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr253/senicalj/IMG00958-20120627-1825.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr253/senicalj/IMG00959-20120627-1825.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr253/senicalj/IMG00961-20120627-1834.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr253/senicalj/IMG00962-20120627-1854.jpg


Install pics rear

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr253/senicalj/IMG00967-20120627-1944.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr253/senicalj/IMG00968-20120627-1945.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr253/senicalj/IMG00969-20120627-1945.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr253/senicalj/IMG00966-20120627-1943.jpg

Im still waiting on mine. Over 2 months now

I ordered mine in march. My gf bought me these for my b day which was in april lol. Just got these last week!

How much weight does it save?

Stock camaro supports are 40lbs together. These are like 10lbs together. So like 30lbs!

how much are these... and where did you get them lol i need them for my intercooler

Updated post 1 with install pics!

how much are these... and where did you get them lol i need them for my intercooler

Midwest Chassis. PM Eric aka ssvert99 for price.

Hope mine show up soon

Hope mine show up soon

Install was cake. Didnt even take the bumpers off ;)

Very nice!
Can't go wrong with Eric.

My front MWC bumper support weighed 3.4 lbs.. the rear weighs less than that. I'd guess around 7lbs for the pair.

^^ sweet

i need these!

I will pick these up after a Kmember for mine, very nice piece.. IIRC they don't break the bank too bad either for the weighs savings.

I will pick these up after a Kmember for mine, very nice piece.. IIRC they don't break the bank too bad either for the weighs savings.

mine were 285 shipped for front and rear.

Thanks for the install pics Joe!

150.00 each is normal price. We can do custom options if needed.

We offer front and rear for 93-02 Camaro, 98-02 Trans Am, Firebird Formula, and 93-97 Firebird Formula front.

Jsteele... your parts are at the powdercoater now and will ship soon.

We have been a bit overwhelmed by the response of these bumper supports and it has taken us a bit to get caught up here. We will build inventory for quick shipping as soon as the current orders are filled, which won't be long now.

^^ thanks for the update.

PM sent...

Very nice!
Can't go wrong with Eric.

Great guy to do business with.


My front MWC bumper support weighed 3.4 lbs.. the rear weighs less than that. I'd guess around 7lbs for the pair.

That was probably the weight then. I did not weight them.


I will pick these up after a Kmember for mine, very nice piece.. IIRC they don't break the bank too bad either for the weighs savings.

When Eric told me the price for 2 shipped to my door I had to take them right away :nod:


Thanks for the install pics Joe!

150.00 each is normal price. We can do custom options if needed.

We offer front and rear for 93-02 Camaro, 98-02 Trans Am, Firebird Formula, and 93-97 Firebird Formula front.

Jsteele... your parts are at the powdercoater now and will ship soon.

We have been a bit overwhelmed by the response of these bumper supports and it has taken us a bit to get caught up here. We will build inventory for quick shipping as soon as the current orders are filled, which won't be long now.


My pleasure Eric! I cant believe how well these lined up in the car without you guys having my car right in front of you. Very easy install and I didnt even have to take the bumper covers off. My bumpers dont sag anymore :) Great pieces of work! I will be ordering other parts from MWC again :D Thank you Eric!

I have been looking for something like this!

How do you remove the factory units? do they bolt in like MWC does?

What do you guys expect as far as turn-around time from Order to Delivery.

Thanks for the install pics Joe!

150.00 each is normal price. We can do custom options if needed.

We offer front and rear for 93-02 Camaro, 98-02 Trans Am, Firebird Formula, and 93-97 Firebird Formula front.

Jsteele... your parts are at the powdercoater now and will ship soon.

We have been a bit overwhelmed by the response of these bumper supports and it has taken us a bit to get caught up here. We will build inventory for quick shipping as soon as the current orders are filled, which won't be long now.

93-97 Firebird Formula front.Any plans for 93-97 trans am front? I assume there a lil different from the formula.

Any plans for 93-97 trans am front? I assume there a lil different from the formula.


I'd like to know this also

I have been looking for something like this!

How do you remove the factory units? do they bolt in like MWC does?

Yes same thing except mwc ones are easier to install. I did it without taking covers off. Should take them off geting stock ones out though.

Can you take a picture from the front looking down into the bumper cover from a bit further back?

Got one of these a couple years ago. Free's up a lot of room and saves a lot of weight. Great for anyone doing an inter cooler up front.

Can you take a picture from the front looking down into the bumper cover from a bit further back?

I think the best I could do is in pic 5 and 6 if I understand you correctly? Tell me what exactly it is you want to see and ill see if I can make it happen.

Got one of these a couple years ago. Free's up a lot of room and saves a lot of weight. Great for anyone doing an inter cooler up front.

Yep thats just it, saved weight and makes room for intercoolers, trans coolers ect...

wow didnt know MWC was building these things now. i may have to pick up a rear support as the front has to much going on already.

wow didnt know MWC was building these things now. i may have to pick up a rear support as the front has to much going on already.

I would have gotten the rear support but I read if you don't seal off the bottom of the bumper it becomes a parachute like effect causing a lot more drag than the stock unit in place. Also can't trust the people driving behind me.

I would have gotten the rear support but I read if you don't seal off the bottom of the bumper it becomes a parachute like effect causing a lot more drag than the stock unit in place. Also can't trust the people driving behind me.

Yep, that's why I don't have a rear one. Don't trust people driving behind me.

I've got my stand alone fuel cell mounted between the bumper brace and radiator support and still have a ton of room.

i heard the same thing about the aerodynamics (or lack of) being screwed around when that support is removed. Nothing a quick tin job cant take care of.

i heard the same thing about the aerodynamics (or lack of) being screwed around when that support is removed. Nothing a quick tin job cant take care of.

Correct. HioSSilver did a nice job on sealing his up.

Are these street legal? And how much does the bumpers shake now? (if any)

Are these street legal? And how much does the bumpers shake now? (if any)

If my car was a dd I wouldnt do it. Use these at your own risk they are just to support your bumper covers not as a crash bar.
No movement that I know of. They brought the nose of my car right back up where it belongs. Im very happy with these.

If my car was a dd I wouldnt do it. Use these at your own risk they are just to support your bumper covers not as a crash bar.
No movement that I know of. They brought the nose of my car right back up where it belongs. Im very happy with these.


Oh so you remove more than just the foam bumper support?

Oh so you remove more than just the foam bumper support?

Yes. The whole stock bumper support comes out and is replaced.

Yes. The whole stock bumper support comes out and is replaced.


Well scratch one item from the to do list

Where are some pics of what people did in the rear to keep it from the "parachute" effect for lack of a better word.

I just want to see how noticeable it is that it is like that.

I think the best I could do is in pic 5 and 6 if I understand you correctly? Tell me what exactly it is you want to see and ill see if I can make it happen.

Just a picture looking down from a bit further back, Trying to get a general idea of the amount of room it frees up.

Edit: Nevermind I've got it now they were a bit confusing to me the first time I looked at them but I see it now.

I finally got around to installing mine as well. Great fit, I'm very pleased with them.

Just a picture looking down from a bit further back, Trying to get a general idea of the amount of room it frees up.

Edit: Nevermind I've got it now they were a bit confusing to me the first time I looked at them but I see it now.

Its hard to get angled pics like that because the airlid is in the way.
Ill see if I can get one from a little further back. It does free up alot of space for sure.

You have a custom part built and was told it would be a while. We did the non parachute types first for both the Pontiac and Chevy models as we had several orders for both, have sold out of those and are on another production run now. Sorry about the delay but MWC is a small shop, extremely busy, and do what we can with the space and manpower we have.


Anyone else interested in standard bumper cover supports similar to the pics from the OP here we have them available and ship quickly. You will not find a better engineered, better fitting, and as light weight components as what MWC offers. We do offer custom mods to these supports but are built on a per-order basis.

I like.

Eric - Do you guys build standard LT1 Camaro bumper supports? And any progress on the LT1 k-member with integrated stands?

To mount a fuel cell cell (dedicated for nitrous, something like the SAFE cell) do I need a special order or can I use the normal supports?

i made my own for my 93' very time consuming and hard to get the angles right to keep the nose where it's supose to be. alot of space for fuel cell and intercooler.. would i do it again no not when someones has a well built and engineered piece...i never did the rear thou cause of the air pocket

I got my front and rear supports a few weeks ago, just haven't gotten around to installing them but I will say they look like quality pieces and they are very light. On my scale, my front support came in at 3.9lbs and rear was 5.1lbs. I was abit of a wait for them but its not a "make or break" mod so I had no problem with waiting for the lightest supports on the market.

I like.

Eric - Do you guys build standard LT1 Camaro bumper supports?

Word around the campfire is that they have an order for one. So I would expect them to be in production at some point in the near future.

any updates on hese for lt1?

they in stock ready to ship?

I grabbed one of these for my front bumper while he had them in stock. Honestly, it's worth the wait. It fits great and doesn't weigh much. It's also really not that noticeable. Really nice piece.

Your parts are built now and I will ship it if you like, if not the next guy will be more than happy. You have a custom part built and was told it would be a while. We did the non parachute types first for both the Pontiac and Chevy models as we had several orders for both, have sold out of those and are on another production run now. Sorry about the delay but MWC is a small shop, extremely busy, and do what we can with the space and manpower we have.


Anyone else interested in standard bumper cover supports similar to the pics from the OP here we have them available and ship quickly. You will not find a better engineered, better fitting, and as light weight components as what MWC offers. We do offer custom mods to these supports but are built on a per-order basis.

Hey Eric do you have any firebird fronts in stock? I'll take one

i'm curious about an lt1 front also!

i'm curious about an lt1 front also!

I talked to him friday, said he would have some soon

Or you can get one without fog light mounts.

Installed mine today. Great fit

Thanks mdacton. Yea ill give eric a call. Im not needing one with foglight mounts.

I have the front and rear MWC supports. Was a wait but well worth it. If you dont have the patience to wait, then you just need to get out of racing all together.

So are these in stock now? I need to buy a rear one...

you have a link to the madman one?

I never heard a reply and im not going to wait more than a couple days I am more than capable of making one but I have more important things to do.

Ok, thread stays on topic now!

No bashing. Buyer and feedback section is available.

If your asked to stop posting until things can be figured out listen, one member has a week off because he didn't.

Guys we are here to help, I'm in this game too. I know it's gets tiring to wait some times but it's part of racing. I would be lying if I said I never got mad about parts or machine work that went over my time quote. LOL But I try to stay calm and be nice, once you cross the line it doesn't seem to help.

Thanks, Andy

^^^Thank you for that.

Thanks Andy, and I apologize for being one of the parties who took it off topic.

As for on topic discussion, I just asked him about an LT1 (Camaro) front support (with a fuel cell mount) and he said about 4 weeks. Now I also asked about a bunch of other things, and it wasn't exactly a standard bumper support, but that may give you LT1 guys an idea on lead time. He mentioned that he had an LT1 car there, so I imagine he has to design/build one off of that. I will probably order from him pretty soon, when it gets in Ill add a bunch of pictures of it!

Sean

Those look nice! And provide so much more room.

Those look nice. I plan on ordering both front and rear supports over the winter.

i am glad i found this thread as i desparately needed a front and will be placing my order this week.

Those are nice and no were near as high as I thought they would be. I was told that the stock bars are only rated to 25 mph and if so wouldn't these be in the same strength iif not more? What are these made out of? I can't wait to get my order in good work mwc :thumb:

Can you remove the stock bar without taking the bumper off? Hoping to order mine today!

Whats the wait time on one of these?

Can you remove the stock bar without taking the bumper off? Hoping to order mine today!

I always look for the quickest/easiest way to do most everything but had to disonnect one side of the bumper to get the stock support out. Its a good idea to just take the whole thing off.

hey guys im about to order my supports and have a quick ? about the rear. people say if you do the rear support it creates a parachute effect. now i spoke with eric a few times and he said that really only happens if you remove the ttop well which i will not be doing so wil it really make any difference?

anyone???!

I would take Eric's word for it.

I would take Eric's word for it.

he did mention i could easily do a quick tin job back there but at that point id just keep the stock support. just trying to decide to buy just the front or front and back

If its a street car I'd leave the stock piece in.. getting rear ended was a big fear for me without the stock piece and barely any support, so I cancelled my order for the rear support.

If its a street car I'd leave the stock piece in.. getting rear ended was a big fear for me without the stock piece and barely any support, so I cancelled my order for the rear support.

you know that is an excellent point. i will probably just get the front then since its 99.5% street car. i know the mwc front is like 3.5-4 lbs but how much is stock support?

you know that is an excellent point. i will probably just get the front then since its 99.5% street car. i know the mwc front is like 3.5-4 lbs but how much is stock support?

The stock front bumper support is somewhere around 20lbs I believe. Its a good bit of savings.

The stock front bumper support is somewhere around 20lbs I believe. Its a good bit of savings.

well for around 15lbs savings for $200 is not really worth it. i much rather spend the $200 on a chris1313 that will give me way more gains

i much rather spend the $200 on a chris1313 that will give me way more gains

I have one I'll sell for 1/2 that

hey guys im about to order my supports and have a quick ? about the rear. people say if you do the rear support it creates a parachute effect. now i spoke with eric a few times and he said that really only happens if you remove the ttop well which i will not be doing so wil it really make any difference?

Honestly I wouldnt worry about it. Air will be rushing past the bottom of the bumper not up inside.


he did mention i could easily do a quick tin job back there but at that point id just keep the stock support. just trying to decide to buy just the front or front and back

Get both.
My car is 99% street but not a DD.

I just ordered both front and rear for my car. I plan on making an aluminum pan for the rear of the car eventually, but probably not until summer or warmer weather.

Senical,
After installation, is there any give in the bumper around the nose emblem? I also heard these bumpers are flimsy without good support. Kind of worried about it not holding shape. Have you done any highway driving?

Senical,
After installation, is there any give in the bumper around the nose emblem? I also heard these bumpers are flimsy without good support. Kind of worried about it not holding shape. Have you done any highway driving?

I cant say that there is at all. Even without the support, the structure according to what your talking about was fine. The only issue of before (when I didnt have a support at all) was the nose sagging down a little. Now theres a support holding the front, its all good. I do not use any bumper foam or anything. I dont need it and no one should. The nose will not cave in and if anyone told me it will I would call :bs:
Yes, my car is still mainly a street car. I usually only go to the track to test out a mod or something. The car sees lots of highway/street. Its not a garage queen like alot of guys have. Its been at least around 10k a year since iv owned it. Dont worry you will be fine :nod:

Spizmo - I love your avatar!

Thanks for the info, it's more than enough and it's nice to know you have done everything I was wandering about. Between this and your input on the SSRA in another thread, it looks like I will have orders to place in the near future.


@ vert Thanks, I still try to see between her finger tips ;)

I got mine in Thursday as soon as it was ready to ship. Installed it tonight. Fits well.

http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww277/raisondetre777/2013-02-07_18-34-30_746.jpg

http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww277/raisondetre777/2013-02-09_18-08-06_798.jpg

http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww277/raisondetre777/2013-02-09_22-44-51_27.jpg

I usually don't even consider buying stuff like this, but I really like these and they are pretty reasonably priced..

The MWC supports actually contact the fascia and do the job they are advertised to do... support it! There are other "bumper supports" on the market that do not contact the fascia and sag is still an issue.

We do have the 93-97 Camaro model available with or without fog light mounts now as well!

Ordered the front with the fog light supports for the ws6. Will take some pics when I get it.

Got my midwest chassis bumper support with fog light brackets on.If you want to keep your fog lights it is a nice settup.http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj297/sabersaw30/IMG_1111_zpsf6a3b675.jpg

^ good job! You got yours pretty quick it looks like.

^ good job! You got yours pretty quick it looks like.

Yeah got in a couple days.

Did you call them? I pmed ss vert99 and haven't heard back

Did you call them? I pmed ss vert99 and haven't heard back

Yes call him.

The MWC supports actually contact the fascia and do the job they are advertised to do... support it! There are other "bumper supports" on the market that do not contact the fascia and sag is still an issue.

We do have the 93-97 Camaro model available with or without fog light mounts now as well!Bump...
Do these allow easy/easier fitment of a Procharger intercooler? Thought about ordering the front and rear supports this week.

Yea, and I think they can even weld tabs on there for mounting. I could be wrong On that part tho. But I do know it will give you the extra room needed.

Is there anything that connects to the top of the front bumper? I see how the bottom bolts in, but what holds the top?

edit: 99 camaro

The bar is wedged into the bumper to hold it up. nothing bolts to it but the tabs at the bottom, which is not weight supporting.

You guys saying this about a parachute affect on the rear ones. Could y'all elaborate more on that

The nose of the bumper sits on top of the support just like the stock one.

The "parachute affect" I consider to be non-existant. The bumper does not stick out in the air (like a scoop) so it rushes by the bumper. Of course I have no data to back that up but i'v been installing ductwork for 15 years so I have a good idea what to expect from the air. I wouldnt worry about any "parachute affect" :)

Yeah I get how it fits inside the bumper. But does anything mount up top where the three or four push pins are on the top of the bumper? Or do you need to use the stock piece of plastic to mount to that part?

Got my midwest chassis bumper support with fog light brackets on.If you want to keep your fog lights it is a nice settup.http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj297/sabersaw30/IMG_1111_zpsf6a3b675.jpg

That looks good man. Hopefully during the summer or down the road I can get some for my T/A also.

Yeah I get how it fits inside the bumper. But does anything mount up top where the three or four push pins are on the top of the bumper? Or do you need to use the stock piece of plastic to mount to that part?

The top is installed the exact same as stock using the plastic piece that bolts from the top bumper (using the plastic push pins) to the hood latch bracket area. Hows that? :)

The nose of the bumper sits on top of the support just like the stock one.

The "parachute affect" I consider to be non-existant. The bumper does not stick out in the air (like a scoop) so it rushes by the bumper. Of course I have no data to back that up but i'v been installing ductwork for 15 years so I have a good idea what to expect from the air. I wouldnt worry about any "parachute affect" :)

This is how you eliminate the parachute effect.


before

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r136/HioSSilver/IMAG0033.jpg (http://s143.photobucket.com/user/HioSSilver/media/IMAG0033.jpg.html)


after

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r136/HioSSilver/IMAG0055.jpg (http://s143.photobucket.com/user/HioSSilver/media/IMAG0055.jpg.html)

there's a reason why FAST factory car's are as smooth as possible on their underbellies ;) good work HioSS

Yeah, a good way to eliminate "parachute effect" if you believe it helps lol.
I personally think it has the same effect as if a sheetmetal take off is cut in not far enough down the ductwork and too close to the plenum...all the air just rushes right by.
So a sheetmetal scoop has to actually be installed inside the ductwork to direct the air through the takeoff that would normally just rush right by. Make sense?

Nice work though. What gauge did you use and what did you put inside the bumper to screw off to?

there's a reason why FAST factory car's are as smooth as possible on their underbellies ;) good work HioSS
Thanks. Over summer I'm gonna do more with the front also.
Yeah, a good way to eliminate "parachute effect" if you believe it helps lol.
I personally think it has the same effect as if a sheetmetal take off is cut in not far enough down the ductwork and too close to the plenum...all the air just rushes right by.
So a sheetmetal scoop has to actually be installed inside the ductwork to direct the air through the takeoff that would normally just rush right by. Make sense?

Nice work though. What gauge did you use and what did you put inside the bumper to screw off to?

Coming from working on ALMS road race cars I can guarantee cleaning up the back helps. I'm sure you've seen diffusers on the back of them before. I didn't put those on because I was not looking for down force....just to clean up the air exiting.

I used .040 aluminum for the tray and 10-32 screws for hardware. There are nut-plates I installed in the bumper cover to attach it. The front of it is boxed also. it weighs about 7lb total. But I'll take that in the back of the car and down low.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r136/HioSSilver/IMAG0036.jpg (http://s143.photobucket.com/user/HioSSilver/media/IMAG0036.jpg.html)

Thanks. Over summer I'm gonna do more with the front also.


Coming from working on ALMS road race cars I can guarantee cleaning up the back helps.

Ok, so what gauge did you use and what did you use inside the bumper to screw off to? Or is is a secret...

Edit.. I see it now lol

Ok, so what gauge did you use and what did you use inside the bumper to screw off to? Or is is a secret...

No secret...lol I replied then finished for some dumb reason.

The nut plates I referred to is very common on race cars and aircraft.

Its definitely a very nice job you did there but if I did all that to elliminate resistance I would also be worried about that solid metal wall that is there now lol. Looks great though!

Its definitely a very nice job you did there but if I did all that to elliminate resistance I would also be worried about that solid metal wall that is there now lol. Looks great though!

The floor pan on my car is at 5 3/4 ". The leading edge of the rear pan is at 8 1/2. The metal wall does not protrude below the floor pan and is 2 3/4" above the floor....so it's fine. You could bring it a little further forward but that would require boxing in the fender well area.. I think I got maximum bang for time spent on that project short of redesigning the entire back of the car.

The top is installed the exact same as stock using the plastic piece that bolts from the top bumper (using the plastic push pins) to the hood latch bracket area. Hows that? :)


Thanks that is what I was looking for. It is not installed in the pictures at the beginning of the thread. I think I will be loosing the latch and plastic pieces, so I am looking at the burkhart piece because it has upper bumper mounts welded into it.

The floor pan on my car is at 5 3/4 ". The leading edge of the rear pan is at 8 1/2. The metal wall does not protrude below the floor pan and is 2 3/4" above the floor....so it's fine. You could bring it a little further forward but that would require boxing in the fender well area.. I think I got maximum bang for time spent on that project short of redesigning the entire back of the car.

Ok I see. Yea that doesnt sound bad at all. Nice work :)

Thanks that is what I was looking for. It is not installed in the pictures at the beginning of the thread. I think I will be loosing the latch and plastic pieces, so I am looking at the burkhart piece because it has upper bumper mounts welded into it.

Glad I could help.

I was going to post a pic but to my surprise I dont have one right now lol.

I use the plastic. I think it helps pull and keep the top from having a bigger gap from the hood.

Yeah the burkhart is a nice solid piece but its heavier than this one. All depends on what your looking for. I wanted these cause they only weigh like 4lbs a piece IIRC.

Yeah, I think the burkhart is 10lbs. But since I will be street driving this car for a while, Id rather have the bigger tubes. Maybe a little extra protection for the FMIC, lol. Plus their design should allow me to completely cut out the front opening and mount a billet grille to the support. I don't know how I could do that with the MWC. I'm sure it could be welded in somehow. Just seems simpler with the burkhart. Thanks for the help.

We can make anything you need for the supports... Top fascia mounting points, 1-1/4 chromoly tube, intercooler specific, etc. These supports you see here are just the basic ones we make and the biggest sellers because they are simple, light weight, and effective. The MWC supports actually contact the fascia and support it. Others on the market do not actually support it and sag can still be an issue.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind before I order one. I would really like to have one that has a beefier design. And I really think it needs an upper and lower bar to do what I am looking to do with the grille opening. But i'll get ahold of you before I place an order and see what you can do.