Show us your tucked bumpers!

[Henning]

Well, business as usual. People always want to have what others have. US folks convert their 74+s to euro spec bumpers and me...

Want to get rid of the bumper horns on the front. I've already started to create overriders from aluminum but this didn't turn out as hoped. So another idea maybe to switch to US bumpers but without stretching the car's length about two feet. Sorry to Steven and the other purists...!

So let's now have some pictures of tucked-in late US bumpers and, if possible, how it's done. I'm really looking forward to see some!

Super thread here:

 

henn

Edited July 25, 2023 by Henning

[MarcD]

Man I agonized over this. Those bumpers offer quite a bit of protection from the idiots, so I did the logical thing and took them off and tossed them into the yard-parts pile. I didn't like the way the front bumper mounted to the front of the frame and felt like tucking them gave me a false sense of security. At least with the euro bumper the mount has a little room to collapse where the impact bumper with the shocks fully collapsed are now hard mounted to the front of the frame. 

 

An added bonus for removing the front impact bumper is you can reuse the mounting bolts for fog lamp mounts.

 

 

[Leucadian]

Here's mine, prior to switching to euro spec...

 

PO performed the modification, so I can't really speak to the process.  Paging @rstclark

 

 

[AlfaBMWGuy]

I researched this a couple years ago to find the best way to get this done in a few hours (vs. the longer project with welding, sourcing an E21 front bumper, etc. in your original link).  I'm happy with my results following the guidance here:

 

http://ericsgarage.blogspot.com/2015/01/1975-bmw-2002-bumper-tuck.html

 

All the pics he has help. I think it's critical even with draining the hydraulic fluid from the bumper shocks that the front of the bumper sticks out further that the leading edge of the hood and some extreme tucks I've seen don't do that.  I just don't trust people parking in front of me not to do it by feel and I don't want to risk body damage from that.

 

Here are my results on my '74 tii:

 

 

 

It certainly fits a lot better in the garage.  Here's how it started, oh my:

 

I also redid the suspension giving it a lower stance since this shot before I took ownership.

 

-Gary

Edited July 25, 2023 by AlfaBMWGuy

[popovm]

34 minutes ago, AlfaBMWGuy said:

 

 

 

 

I also redid the suspension giving it a lower stance since this shot before I took ownership.

 

-Gary

 

Unrelated, but where the heck is this photo from? Looks almost like China, but the architecture is more North America. I can't place that needle tower though. 

 

And to keep it on topic: I almost tucked my bumpers since I like that look on square tails but went with roundie bumpers since I already had a conversion kit and some early bumpers on hand from a parts buying binge from when I bought the car.  Anyone need any impact bumpers? Free in Seattle.  

Edited July 25, 2023 by popovm

[Mark92131]

Here's my tuck...

 

Mark92131

[AlfaBMWGuy]

Ha, it's Calgary, Alberta circa summer 2021. I suspect some of the haze might be smoke from forest fires, although retrieving my tii from up there is the only time I've been so maybe that's just normal.

 

My car has such nice body/paint work that I can't justify a Euro bumper conversion as pretty as they are.  Besides becoming car conscious is the late 70's myself, this is just how BMWs were back then so it's not as offensive to me as some.  I couldn't see not doing at least a modest tuck though.

 

-Gary

[M3This]

Not mine but one of my favorites 

 

[Charles in PA]

Is there anything more polarizing in the 02 world than the big diving board bumpers?  Hated as they are in many corners, back in the day they saved my daily driver 76 Sahara from damage more times than I can count from drivers who could not parallel park to save their lives.  It is probably why I have always resisted the impulse to change the boards out as much as I like the sleeker look of the earlier models.  

[popovm]

37 minutes ago, Charles in PA said:

Is there anything more polarizing in the 02 world than the big diving board bumpers?  Hated as they are in many corners, back in the day they saved my daily driver 76 Sahara from damage more times than I can count from drivers who could not parallel park to save their lives.  It is probably why I have always resisted the impulse to change the boards out as much as I like the sleeker look of the earlier models.  

Maybe e30 bottlecaps on 2002s? 😁 RE: the diving boards, they are totally functional especially if you live in the city. I had the same "moral" dilemma and eventual cognitive dissonance as @MarkD when I went for aesthetics and put on my early bumpers. 

[AlfaBMWGuy]

5 minutes ago, popovm said:

Maybe e30 bottlecaps on 2002s? 😁 RE: the diving boards, they are totally functional especially if you live in the city. I had the same "moral" dilemma and eventual cognitive dissonance as @MarkD when I went for aesthetics and put on my early bumpers. 

 

My wheels look like E30 bottlecaps, but are actually OEM FPS alloys original to the square light 2002s.  What confuses me is why when we are talking about tucking late bumpers on square light cars, someone posts a pic of a pre-71 round light car with original "shorty" chrome bumpers on a stanced car?  I guess they love the pic so much they are looking for places to post it?

[visionaut]

“Nice car bro, too bad about those bumpers tho’…”

After 20 years of this, I really can’t give a tuck…

 

🫢

[Georges]

Given the high height of SUV bumpers, do diving board bumpers provide any protection from other vehicles? Might as well tuck away or go back to attractive pre1973 bumpers. 

Edited July 25, 2023 by Georges

[popovm]

5 hours ago, AlfaBMWGuy said:

 

My wheels look like E30 bottlecaps, but are actually OEM FPS alloys original to the square light 2002s.  What confuses me is why when we are talking about tucking late bumpers on square light cars, someone posts a pic of a pre-71 round light car with original "shorty" chrome bumpers on a stanced car?  I guess they love the pic so much they are looking for places to post it?

 

totally! I wasn't calling your wheels (which look great, btw!) bottlecaps; more just making a joke unrelated to your wheels saying bottlecaps are up there with tuck vs no tuck as a "controversial" topic. 😀 

[AlfaBMWGuy]

1 hour ago, popovm said:

 

totally! I wasn't calling your wheels (which look great, btw!) bottlecaps; more just making a joke unrelated to your wheels saying bottlecaps are up there with tuck vs no tuck as a "controversial" topic. 😀 

 

I didn't think you were calling me out, but just wanted to make the point since casual readers seeing this thread, perhaps years from now, would offhand think those were bottlecaps in my pictures.  It's always good to point out there is a difference because it is quite subtle--the fewer "spokes" on the earlier alloys and the deeper dish.  BMW must have liked that style to then mimic them with the later bottlecaps for many years.

 

Also, I don't see a tuck vs. no tuck "controversy" as much as big U.S. safety bumpers vs. the smaller pre-74 bumpers that were on the Euro cars until the end.

Edited July 26, 2023 by AlfaBMWGuy