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Wooden Bumpers!
<x-charset iso-8859-1>I was walking to a fellow Scirocco owner and he came up with a great idea
wrt MK1 bumpers. Don't know if this can apply to Mk2 bumpers. I also have
pics that he sent me but I'm not including in this post. Pics sent only on
request. Here's his e-mail that he sent me!
Hi Sal,
First let me admit all the abuse I got from my wife during this project.
She kept asking me if she should be making me an appoitment with the
shrink. "Wooden bumpers" she would say "You're nuts"!
Anyway...
Modified Bumpers
The original bumpers(front and stern) weigh in around 80 lbs. The
Modified bumpers just replace the steel internal structure and the heavy
pistons with wood and aluminum. The new bumpers weigh in around 20 lbs.
Materials:
The front and stern 1X6 spruce top piece measures 57 1/4" long
The front and the stern fir ply (good one side) measure 3 3/4" by
57 1/4"
You will need 4 pieces of aluminum angle (1/4" stock 1 ‡" X 1 ‡") each
13" long
You will need 12 -1" #10 Robertson round head screw.
You will need 8 -3/8"diameter bolts, and nuts in all and 16 washers.
(You will have to measure the length -mine are not easy to get at to
measure...sorry).
Procedure:
Remove the front and rear bumpers by unbolting the pistons from the car.
Remove the plastic covers from the steel beams.
Lay the 1X6 spruce piece on top of the steel beam and mark along the
underside of the board to match the curve of the beam(leave as much wood
as possible). Note the angle between the top of the beam and the front
is not exactly 90 degrees. Try to match the angle when you cut the 1X6
along the pencil line. Cut the board. The curve of the 1X6 should now
match the beam. (The front beam has more curve than the back beam). Do
the same for the stern bumper.
Next lay the piece of ply that you have cut to indicated dimensions
against the front of the beam so that 3/4" sticks out above the top of
the beam. Clamp the ply to the beam. Carefully mark out the openings
on the steel beam onto the plywood so that they are the same size. Mark
on the ply -front outside and top (so that when it is attached to the
board, it is correct way around)
Do the same for the plywood for the stern bumper.
Now use good glue and screw nails to attach the ply to the 1X6 board for
both bumpers.
For the aluminum supports, allow 5 3/4" to stick out beyond the
openings at the front and 5 3/8" at the rear (top).
Hold the bracket in place (flat part up) and stick a pencil through the
hole in the car to mark where to drill the aluminum. Drill 3/8" holes
as close to the top of the aluminum angle as the 3/8" washer and nut
(that will be used to attach bracket to car) will allow.
At the other end of the aluminum bracket, drill the holes to attach the
brackets to the 1X6 board.
Hole locations are (from the end) 1/4" 1 1/2" and 3" for the front two
brackets. For the back 1/4" 2" and 3 1/2" from the end. I drilled
1/4" holes (for the #10 -1" robertson round heads).
Attach the aluminum brackets so that they are sticking out of the car.
Snap the plastic bumper covers onto your wood bumpers and lay them onto
the aluminum brackets. Adjust the brackets and decide where the bumpers
are to sit on the brackets (allowing for the plastic spacers that go
between the bumper the car). Screw nail up through the brackets into
the 1X6 board.
Sort of done. What I did was remove the bumpers at this point, and
glued on angled pieces of wood to strengthen the ply at the bottom edge
to the top. See the diagram. Pieces were placed every 6" front bumper
and the back bumper. Then I painted the new wood bumpers black.
Placed the plastic covers back on the bumpers and screw nailed them back
onto the aluminum supports with the plastic spacers in place.
Bob's your uncle!
Any questions, ask away.
The pictures are attached. Let me know if they are attached.
Good luck
Jamie Berry
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