Front bumper support replacement?
 

Does anyone know if there is a light weight alternative for the front bumper support? I took mine off but it kind of makes me nervous not being there. I don't want the engine sitting in my lap if I ever had a frontal collision.

Thanks.

BMR has one for their shop cars but I dont think they will sell to the public due to safety factors. You might be able to get a picture from them if you can find someone to fab one up. I have heard alot of people asking about something like this but no one seems to want to step up. Try calling Madman Co. maybe?

I thought about maybey a 3/8X5 or so piece of aluminum. I havent removed mine cause it makes me nervous abdout the front frame horn(s) support. I mean it is tieing them toagather.

I have seen several tubular supports on 3rd gen's. Get someone to fab one up.

Maybe it is just me but the tubular ones I have seen fabbed look like they weigh just as much as the stock stuff. Everything underneath my bumper is gone and I have 3 three pieces of metal stock supporting the front of the bumper.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ictures034.jpg

Mandatory Randy Mackintosh link:

http://www.vilipend.net/~frrax/album02

Wow that is perfect,just what I was looking for. With DopeFedZ's pic of a LS1 front "empty" and Trax's link of the tubed bumper. I will do a bumper like that and still have tons of room for a huge intercooler!

dont think that will help to much in a impact as it would probably just bend down as there are no supports keeping it from bending down.

i dont think a bumper support will help you to much in an impact either, might save the radiator, but if you have an impact that could "put your engine in your lap" you wont have a good chance of surving if the FBS was in there anyways.

but anyway i just got some frame wire and welding it up to keep the bumper from folding in at high speeds, should weigh less then a pound.

What's frame wire?

^ ditto

Nate

^ditto too^

Sounds god if I knew what ist was? Pic are KEY...

hey guys..........

I don't know who's car this is, but this is the best i've seen imo. this is likely what i'll be doing to my car.

later,
Dave

That bumper support looks very nice. However, it looks like it would probably weigh just as much as the stock stuff or maybe a few pounds less.

just galvanized wire about .150" thick. thin enough not to add weight, but thick enough to hold shape after bent.

You could always use a hole saw and drill holes in factory bumper....I've hit a wall at about 50 mph with no front bumper and only wrapped rad/rad support around motor ...unless you run into a tree or pole head on motor should stay in engine bay.IMO :)

I cut up my stock bumper support on my $200 95 camaro that I swapped an ls1 into. It had front end damage and I couldn't mount a new bumper correctly without a front support (car was in a minor front end hit before I bought it.. mangled part of the rad support/inner fender). I managed to get it down to less than half the weight of stock and still offer some support/protection. The metal bar can have some of the bracing removed on the top and bottom. That metal is thick and heavy.

A little time with a cutoff wheel and boredom can accomplish a lot.

I did this on my LT1 car's rear bumper support, Although its made from extrememly hard fiberglass which you'd be surprised how much it wieghs. And then it has the heavy rubber grid that keeps the bumper shape. With some tools I grinded mine and save about the same....half the wieght of the piece. It was around 22lbs and I got it too around 11-12lbs. But I changed my mind now I'm not going to use it.

The front however I was not going to use but am considering it now, for the same reason. I think the best way would be to shave out much of the stock one's styrophome stuff to keep shape and to transfer the hit, and cut up the stock metal one. I'm sure you can cut half the wieght off safely. (I'd recommend a plasma cuter, it takes forever to do)

But the ideal way would be to have an engineer mind think of a structure from carbon fiber, and make a beam, then mount your shaved foam piece on that. Low quality finished carbon fiber isn't that expensive or that hard to make, its the shape/engineering that makes it strong.

It weighs a little over 6 pounds . I made it out of 1/2 chromemolly tubing