Bumperectomy.
As seen in this forum post, I learned that the E21 front bumper fits the 2002 pretty well, and is even curved roughly the same as the front of the car, unlike the stock diving board bumper. A few hours in my favorite local U-Pull junkyard last Saturday (I love the junkyard) netted me a decent aluminum bumper from a '78 320i for $40.
Following tashakes recommendation, I cut two pieces of 1 1/4" galvanized pipe to 11" long, and swapped them in for the bumper shocks, using all of the same mounting hardware.
Drilled 1/2" holes in each end of my new pipes to accommodate the stock bolts, and had to pound the pipe into a bit of an oval shape to get the end on the left to fit into the stock bracket.
Looks pretty good on the car, although I'm not jazzed about the rubber accordion ends where it matches up with the fender. Half of it is from the '02, half from the E21, and it just isn't very tidy. Will need to ponder that some more.
I wish the entire bumper mounted 1/2" lower, too. The bottom of the kidney grilles touch the top of the bumper, which doesn't thrill me. Might need to figure a way to re-do the mounting holes to get the bumper to ride a bit lower.
Maybe I'll like it more with the grilles back in.
0 Comments
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now