74 DOT bumper retraction - front

This may be an older thread but I think the results are really interesting. In a weird way, the 74 bumpers do have a cleaner line and, as demonstrated here, can actually be modified to look very good indeed.

Bernie's concept and Brian's refinement are great. Since this is a year old I wonder if anyone else has done this mod and maybe further improved on it.

Brian, did you try to cut a notch to let the kidneys have alittle breathing room there maybe? And did you ever do the rear with the same trimming?

For example the big fat black rubber bellows are still a bit of a design eyesore and I was wondering if they could be slimmed down by maybe trimming an inch off the bottom so their height is cut down. This might have to be tapered front to bottom to properly connect with the black stripe on the bumper itself.

Or maybe there is a way to replace the bellow altogether with something more elegant... Any ideas?

Bo.
 
Interesting! This is a very common modification for e28 diving board bumpers...
 
One way to better integrate the aluminium bumpers into the e9 design would be to chrome or at the very least least polish them. So they match the rest of the trim.

Is there a way to polish alumnium to a finish similar to the beltine trim?

Bo
 
Thanks Chris. Do you know where I could find examples of the diving board bumpers polished to a chrome shine?

It sounds like the ceramic coating is something to have done by a specialist. Has anyone tried to achieve a similar result with some of the polishing compounds that are used to polish alu wheels?
 
This was done to my e30 which I recently sold, they looked almost just like chrome. Speedway in Santa Ana does these as well as refinishing Alpinas.
 
Save your money and start collecting the pre 73 bumper parts. You won't regret it.
 
I converted my '74 using the bumper shocks that I compressed after drilling holes and letting the fluid escape (and squirt in my face, hence my post last September.) I was able then to use bumpers front and rear from a '75 CSI barn-find. Very happy with the vast visual improvement with the euro bumpers.
 
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