looking for front bumperless advice

autox19

True Classic
so I think i am past the hump on the swap. I think it is semi reliable now. so I am ready to take the car tow hookups off the front. I have taken out the bumper shocks and replaced them with solid tubes with a plate on the end that the tow bar hooks to. I would love to find a way to be able to take the towbar mounts off to have it look better while still being able to relatively quickly put them back on in case I need a tow.
I have been thinking about a custom bumperette that would cover the tubes. I also have thought about doing something similar to the amco bar that would just bolt up to the same plate the tow bar bracket bolts up to.

thoughts?

2018_Midwest_Bayless-122 (2).jpg
amco-s-l225.jpg


odie
 
I've seen several members use '74 bumper blocks, or Euro bumper blocks. Most still have the shock tubes, but I don't see why a bracket wouldn't work to mount them for aesthetic and quick change reasons.
 
On the tubes that replaced the bumper shocks, take the tow bar hookup off the end and replace it with a small receiver, like a trailer hitch, the 1 1/4" trailer receiver might even fit, then mount the tow bar mounting plate to the matching male hitch portion and pin it on, your bumperette or just the stock early bumper block could then mount the same way.
 
Brian's suggestion is a good one. Especially if you anticipate having to swap them often.

If you think the need to tow it will be rare. Depending on how you designed the solid tow bar mounts (to replace the 'shocks'), would it be difficult to entirely remove them from the car and make a second set with whatever bumpers you like attached? Then you could swap the entire mounts back to the other set with tow bar attachments when needed. In other words two sets of sold mounts; one with bumpers and the other with tow bar connections, then switch them onto the car as needed. Should only be two bolts holding each one? But I do not recall how difficult it is to reach those two bolts...been a long time since I removed mine. I do recall it was a big job to completely remove the stock tow hooks, bumper mount receptacles, and cover the holes for a perminate bumperless conversion.
 
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I had a similar dilemma with how to attach a cable pull point if the car ever needed a cable attached to pull it up on a flatbed or dolly. I drilled a hole in the side of the bumper tube support and carried a bolt to attach the Tanaka strap.

IMG_0610[1].JPG

Then I got rid of the bolt and used one of those rings with the threaded portion to run through the hole.
IMG_0644[2].JPG


Since I was still using the rubber trim piece I just had to pull it off to expose the hole and hook up the strap. Maybe this will give you some ideas for attaching a tow bar mount.

By the way, your flared car looks great.
 
Great suggestions. keep em coming! during the way too long swap, we towed it many times with the HF tow bar. the design was very simple. a tube the same diameter as the shock with a plate at the end with 2 holes to bolt on the tow bracket. I think with the mesh and the front air dam I wont be able to easily get to the bolts holding on the tube (same bolts that held the bumper shock). I wonder if I can reach that spot from inside the light pod spot. I know there are stock nuts welded that the bolt goes into, but maybe I could swap it around to be on the radiator side. then I could bolt them back in if needed and just cover the holes with the black caps shown in many threads.

Odie
 
If...you are only worried about tow hooks to winch it onto a flatbed or trailer hold-downs...then these would work:
x19 towing eyes 1.jpg


I made a few sets as part of my euro bumper conversion kit. They just bolt on using an existing hole and a newly drilled one.

Before:
x19 towing eyes 2.jpg

After:
x19 towing eyes 3.jpg


i think I have of couple of sets still around.
 
If...you are only worried about tow hooks to winch it onto a flatbed or trailer hold-downs...then these would work:
View attachment 22607

I made a few sets as part of my euro bumper conversion kit. They just bolt on using an existing hole and a newly drilled one.

Before:
View attachment 22608
After:
View attachment 22609

i think I have of couple of sets still around.

Those look cool! I am using harbor frieght tow bar to flat tow as i have had issues with having a tow truck get low enough. We had to make 12 foot ramps to get it low enough to get on my friends car trailer So not sure it will work. At least for me.

Odie
 
I had a similar dilemma with how to attach a cable pull point if the car ever needed a cable attached to pull it up on a flatbed or dolly. I drilled a hole in the side of the bumper tube support and carried a bolt to attach the Tanaka strap.

View attachment 22605
Then I got rid of the bolt and used one of those rings with the threaded portion to run through the hole.
View attachment 22606

Since I was still using the rubber trim piece I just had to pull it off to expose the hole and hook up the strap. Maybe this will give you some ideas for attaching a tow bar mount.

By the way, your flared car looks great.

Carl, I thought you teenagers liked to leave the tow strap hanging on the car at all times, so everyone knows you are a real racer. ;)

I think I'll just carry a match. If the car breaks down I'll torch it and walk away. Getting rid of it would make my life so much easier. :D
 
Odie, how well does the AMCO push par match up to the mounts you already have? Maybe make a pair of little brackets to allow it to be installed to / removed from the existing mounts, in place of the tow-bar's brackets. That allows you to leave the main mounts in place and just change the end pieces; either tow-bar brackets or AMCO bar.
 
Odie, how well does the AMCO push par match up to the mounts you already have? Maybe make a pair of little brackets to allow it to be installed to / removed from the existing mounts, in place of the tow-bar's brackets. That allows you to leave the main mounts in place and just change the end pieces; either tow-bar brackets or AMCO bar.

My thoughts would be to replicate the bar so it would fit in place of the mounts. And paint it to blend in better. Probaly red. Basically buy the bar. Bend it to the x's nose shape weld it to flat stock that would bolt up to where the brackets currently do. Total cost: about 20 bucks. I think i will mock it up this weekend and see if it looks too push bar-ish.

Great thought!
Odie
 
Doc, if I could trade a silly hanging strap to transform me back to a teenager, I'd consider it worth it!

Can't tell if you cut off all the metal in front of the grill but if you have left it unmolested except for cutting off the loop, there should be enough metal ahead of the grill to drill appropriate holes and attach a bracket to mount a tow bar arm if you pull off the rubber "cap".
 
Love the look. how does it hook on?

Odie
I had a little help from MWB, but basically, it's just a pipe that slides into the shock holder with a bracket welded on it vertically to then screw into the back of the bumper. My only feedback to Matt was -- make the bracket a bit heavier gauge, as you can bend it currently.
 
I had a little help from MWB, but basically, it's just a pipe that slides into the shock holder with a bracket welded on it vertically to then screw into the back of the bumper. My only feedback to Matt was -- make the bracket a bit heavier gauge, as you can bend it currently.
Perfect! thats exactly what I thought it was. yours might be the winner depending if I can find an early bumper. I will probably make my own while I am looking as I am impatient :)

Odie
 
I can't tell much about how it was done. I bought a part car that came with it and I liked it. It's going to go on my 1980 street/autoslalom car. I just tought it could lead you to some ideas... Not necesseraly to copy that.

First pic, you could see the modified bumper on my stock one. Besides are the mounting posts. The bumper is probably made from a north america 1975-78 bumper, cut in the middle and in the end and with some fittings to held everything together. The less shiny parts of the bumper is because I'm in the process of polishing it.
20190607_211550.jpg


Then you can see the mounting posts that are just tight fitting into the usual bumper shocks mounts holes. I can't explain why the different parts. I didn't made them and not fit them yet. I show one from the front, one from the back. They bole into the bumper like on the stock ones.
20190607_211616.jpg


And you could see a closer look of the center
20190607_211625.jpg


... and one end
20190607_211636.jpg
 
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