FS: polished Bumper Blanks

[Stan]

UPDATED 5/31/2021 THIS INFO IS STILL CORRECT

If you have a CS from 1973 on, the chrome bumper came with two oblong blanks to cover the openings where the bumper-mounted Hella license plate lights would mount in the european car.

The coupes imported to USA have the lights on either side of the license plate. Sometimes the owners want to use this lights and other times the ones in the bumper. If your car has license plate illumination on either side of the license plate AND in the bumper, you may want to eliminate the redundant lights. If that is the case or if you have blanks that have cracked or the chrome is perishing, you may want these.

Polished - coated Bumper blanks $65.00 each
Plain - $45.00 each
plus shipping

 

[m_thompson]

My '72 CS, and several others that I have seen, have the lights next to the license plates wired and working. Ours also have the lights in the bumper, but they are not wired and not working.

 

[Stan]

My '72 CS, and several others that I have seen, have the lights next to the license plates wired and working. Ours also have the lights in the bumper, but they are not wired and not working.

Common. What I think happened is the coupe for the American market came with lights on either side of the license plate. Then some time later, a rear end collision rendered the original bumper unusable and it was replaced with a euro bumper. The installer simply did not connect the bumper mounted lights so you have a redundancy. Those light de-install easily and the blanks are designed to fill those holes.

 

[rsporsche]

if the lights in the bumper are in good shape they might be of interest to somebody doing a restoration as the new lights are slightly different than the old ones.

 

[bimbill]

I'll take two

PM sent

 

[PaulinPa]

I'll take 2 also.And PM sent.

 

[Markos]

Hmm, learned something new about euro vs us.

 

[m_thompson]

Common. What I think happened is the coupe for the American market came with lights on either side of the license plate. Then some time later, a rear end collision rendered the original bumper unusable and it was replaced with a euro bumper. The installer simply did not connect the bumper mounted lights so you have a redundancy. Those light de-install easily and the blanks are designed to fill those holes.

I have seen several '72/'73 coupes with this dual light configuration, so I am not convinced that this wasn't a just case of building the coupe with the available parts.

 

[Stan]

I have seen several '72/'73 coupes with this dual light configuration, so I am not convinced that this wasn't a just case of building the coupe with the available parts.

I suppose that is another possibility. Also could be they built the coupe without knowing where it would go and slapped on the USA lights at the last minute??

If you want a smoother look, go with the blanks. The more difficult route would be to energize the lights in the bumper, remove the lights on either side of the license plate and look for a euro panel unless you do not mind the holes from the lamps beside the license plate.

 

[Bez]

I suppose that is another possibility. Also could be they built the coupe without knowing where it would go and slapped on the USA lights at the last minute??

If you want a smoother look.........remove the lights on either side of the license plate and look for a euro panel unless you do not mind the holes from the lamps beside the license plate.

Or you can buy a Euro plate holder which screws directly into those two holes!

 

[Stan]

Or you can buy a Euro plate holder which screws directly into those two holes!

When the USA license plate lights are remove, I believe there are 3 holes on each side.

 

[Bez]

Stan

You are correct sir! There are two small holes for each of the two lights just lateral to each of the holes into which the license plate bracket screws into.

The euro plate holder is long enough where it covers the 4 smaller holes.

I personally find the rear end to be sexier without the lights that flank the license plates.

 

[Stan]

Sexier Euro Style - Agreed

 

[Stevehose]

here's a gratuitous close up:

 

[Bez]

Stan

Which cars came with the integrated fog light to the left of the license plate?

 

[Stan]

Stan

Which cars came with the integrated fog light to the left of the license plate?

Option on euro cars. The wiring is already in place in all cars.
My car started as a USA car; deleted reflectors deleted upper license plate lights, and added euro fog. The metal panel has a knock out to accept the fog light.

 

[HB Chris]

Guys, when the 2 1/2 MPH bumper was introduced for US/NA market, the bumper changed and license plate lights were moved to the tail panel resulting in the chrome plastic blanks for the holes in the bumper. BMW didn't make a bumper without the holes to reduce costs, plain and simple. They never made our coupes with four lights. And when 73 owners lost their plastic covers, they stuck lights in the bumper holes.

 

[Stan]

Bump.
Still have a few left.

 

[bimmerboy73]

Its actually a mid-year modification - 73 1/2. They made the change for the last half of the model year run and then switched to the big steel diving board bumpers the following year. it was a redundant modification. Both sets of lights were hot and functional from the factory.

 

[HB Chris]

Edited:

Interesting. The parts book shows the 2 1/2 mph bumper was introduced at 2240391 and 2250319, which is the beginning of production of the `73 US/NA models in Nov 1972. The coupes never had four lights, the wires may have been there and hot but BMW made the chrome covers for these later 73s.