Moved tubular bumpers closer to car

[rjkoop]

I really liked how the tubular bumpers look when moved closer on other Spiders. So I went ahead and did it. It was easy to do. If you like the look I encourage you to do it. Much cheaper than getting the chrome replacements.

Front before


Front after


Back before


Back after


Drilled holes from underneath on the wider tube (the one closer to the car body). No oil came out until I pushed the bumpers in. One of the rears was stubborn so I had to remove the rear bumper (4 bolts on back side of bumper) and then I was able to sledge it in.

Some other shots...

[SoFlaFiat]

Nice job Richard, Looks much better!!
ignore any and all future comments about negating the usefulness of the bumpers!! They are useless from the get go!!
Well done!

[rjkoop]

Nice job Richard, Looks much better!!
ignore any and all future comments about negating the usefulness of the bumpers!! They are useless from the get go!!
Well done!

Yep. I think they are rated for only < 5 mph accident anyways. Which I guess means someone bumping it when parking. And to be honest, this car is only stored in my garage or driven around or to work. So no parallel parking situations. Pretty much accepted that if I actually get in a serious accident with this car I'll be looking for another Fiat Spider anyways!

[80spiddy]

I was just measuring this yesterday to see how far in they could go. I have my bumpers off right now and want to make this change before they go back on. Nice job.

[DieselSpider]

You want the extra crumple area for you and your passenger not to protect the car. Those extra inches may not seem like much however they could make a big difference in survivability with lessor injuries.

Some also beef up the seat mounts too much so that instead of buckling and bending like they should to absorb some of the energy in a crash they stay rigid and telegraph it all to the seat and its occupant.

Yes the OEM bumpers are to protect the car in a parking lot sub 5 mph fender bender however above that its the people that its supposed to give up the ghost to protect.

[RRoller123]

Agreed. Although it certainly looks better, this is one modification I will never do. But to each his or her own!

[rjkoop]

It was a tough call. On one hand I want to keep it original and as safe as possible. But I always found when I showed off my car I was always saying '... but I'm not too big on those bumpers'. And I didn't want to spend the $1000 on new chrome ones.

That being said I have made so many other safety improvements from when I got the car (new suspension, steering, brake lines, etc...) that maybe it balances out?

[DieselSpider]

Yes its a tough call as Mr Artsy Fartsy on the left shoulder says do it while Mr Don't Run with the Scissors on the right says play it safe.

People tell me its not safe to commute to work with the Spider but then again it is safer than on the motorbike (my other daily ride) even if the Spider had no bumpers and the fenders were removed too.

I think however its a study in contrasts when folks put in racing seats, race harnesses and roll bars for safety and then totally remove the bumpers.

[Redline]

I think however its a study in contrasts when folks put in racing seats, race harnesses and roll bars for safety and then totally remove the bumpers.

I think one can make a pretty convincing argument that the 5 mph bumpers would contribute vanishingly little to crash energy dissipation.

[SoFlaFiat]

Yesterday, on the way to work, I counted the number of vehicles with bumpers less than 12" above the street.
There was one, a 1998 Civic bagger with a front plate that said "TooLowBeotch"

I'm pretty sure that my spare tire mounted high in the trunk ( boot to you Andy) will do more to dissipate energy if I get rear ended than any bumpers would.

I knew this topic would be fun! Thanks Richard!

[Redline]

Even in the case of perfectly aligned bumpers, the oil-filled dampers in the tube bumpers are going to be effectively rigid in a high speed impact and just send the crash energy straight to the chassis.

[rjkoop]

Yesterday, on the way to work, I counted the number of vehicles with bumpers less than 12" above the street.
There was one, a 1998 Civic bagger with a front plate that said "TooLowBeotch"

I'm pretty sure that my spare tire mounted high in the trunk ( boot to you Andy) will do more to dissipate energy if I get rear ended than any bumpers would.

I knew this topic would be fun! Thanks Richard!

These forums are good because we just have a healthy respectful discussion of the pros and cons. That's good for others considering this change. And I think to maximize safety I should have built a bracket to raise the bumpers 12" to deal with all the SUV and trucks out there.

No regrets on this change for me. And more importantly when I head out to the garage and walk by my car I smile when I see the look of the tucked in bumpers.

[spiderdan]

when I head out to the garage and walk by my car I smile when I see the look of the tucked in bumpers.

And that's what it's all about Richard!

Considering my chrome bumpers, you probably still have more "protection" from parking lot dings than I have.
I always figured that my car was not made for crashes or dings at any speed.
But if shit ever does happen, I would say that it was great ride while it lasted.
Given a choice of my demise, I would prefer it to be in my Spider with a smile ear to ear than in a hospital bed.
Life is short, enjoy it to the max 'cause there ain't no replay or rewind.

[C130Gunship0514]

We all have to realize that driving any "classic" is to assume a certain amount of risk, both personally and mechanically. I pushed in the oversized and over weight rubber bumpers on my 1978 Alfa Spider because it looked better and I also figured that in the "modern" automotive world they don't truly afford any real protection on a car that can fit under a Suburban anyway. My '78 124 Spider will be run without any bumper at all because I think it looks better, but I am also accepting of this risk...after all even without any bumper the Spider will still be a "safer" car than the 1961 Morris Mini I used to drive the Southern California freeways in during the 1990's!

[DieselSpider]

Even in the case of perfectly aligned bumpers, the oil-filled dampers in the tube bumpers are going to be effectively rigid in a high speed impact and just send the crash energy straight to the chassis.

Chassis? You mean the collapsible hollow sheet metal parts underneath that they put washers on to bolt things too? Remember that the 5 mph spec was that they had to 100% survive at least a 5 mph impact on them without being damaged or damaging the bodywork on the car however it was perfectly acceptable for them to do better. Beyond the 5 mph spec they collapse damaging the car while still offering the occupants some protection.

Even if they go rigid they do start the collapsing of the sheet metal behind them sooner and give you a few more inches before the dash and firewall collapses on your knees.

Many times the difference between walking away and being carried away with two broken legs, etc can be measured in inches or even fractions of an inch.

One of the main reasons I got the Spider is because I really do not like being inside a car and disconnected from whats going on around me after riding only my Aprilia to commute to work for several years now. With the top down the Spider is open and does not require a full faced helmet like the bike and when it rains it takes less time to flip the top up than to stop and put on a rain suite.

On the bike the difference between walking away and being carried away is most times a few fractions of an inch of CE3 armor in your jacket/pants, a decent helmet, gloves and boots. I just this summer had 45 mph incident on the bike due to a patch of light sand being blown across the road that I hit just wrong so that I went down and had the bike roll me as it passed over on top of me however those few fractions of an inch of protection allowed me to walk away without a trip to the ER. It does not take much protection to make a substantial difference in outcomes.

The bike only ended up with a broken turn signal lens that cost me less than $2 to replace however the paint is $150 a pint so I have not decided yet whether to go with a more common paint and redo the entire bike or just pay the X-Hundred for the touch-up paint (primer, base and clear coat). Its still rides perfectly and I may end up putting an accent color or some sticker over the road rash on the bike