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Collapsing US bumpers: safe?
It was raining in Seattle (go figure) and this lady didn't even hit the
brakes. Hit me at 30+mph I looked up in time to think "she's not stopping"
and somewhere in the panic/ohshit mode I remembered dimly that you can
lessen a rear end collision but taking your foot off the brake, and I think
I tried to do that but the car was in gear and I had the clutch in. I don't
know if I panicked and released the clutch or what but I can't really
explain what happened next. She hit me and there was an UNGODLY crunch sound
and my car slid about 5-10 feet. I was leaving to drive cross country that
afternoon too so everything I owned was in the back and I am sure the car is
totaled and all my shit is destroyed. Somewhere in all of this I DID let my
foot off the clutch--not sure it if was pre or post impact. The engine was
dead and I was hoping that she didn't destroy something in my drive line.
Anyhow I get out of the car with this horrible sinking feeling. I walk
around to the back and there's no damage. I couldn't believe it. MY NECK
HURT but the car was fine. The rear bumper was little tweaked--up a bit
(this is an 85.) She was driving a sunbird or sunfire... something like
that. My bumper was the perfect height to clear her bumper and take out her
grill, headlights, and radiator. So her car was all jacked up but mine came
out of it relatively unscathed. I asked her if she was ok and she was
hysterical--I got the whole big story 20 year old single mom trying to go to
college, make ends meet, no license, no insurance... Oh please mister don't
call the cops.
So we get the cars off the road and I got all of her information (from her
license she claims was suspended) just in case and told her that if she
wasn't hurt, I wasn't worried about it. The car was fine and yea, my neck
hurt a little but I have been in several other accidents with other people
behind the wheel so again no big deal. I was leaving Seattle and I just
didn't have time to mess with all that crap.
I like the way they look--eurobumpers, but I was really thanking God,
Buddha, Allah or whoever was listening I didn't have them that day, or my
car would have been a goner. I would have been so screwed if my car had been
totaled at that day and time. I had like two weeks to get to NY to fly out
for Italy, I had to visit family and store the car (which got stored with NO
preps, just after getting rode hard and here I was putting it away wet.
Someone tried to reason with me once about it. I listened politely and
nodded. Then I explained that I had recently read the book "Christine" and I
didn't see ANYTHING wrong with the way "Arnie" was acting. (the car was
another story) He was trying to tell me that I was going to Italy for a
minimum of two years=24 months at $100 a month. I only paid $1000 for the
car and I was going to pay an additional $2400 to store a $1000 car. "...and
a Volkswagen at that!"
He just didn't get it.
On 7/13/05, Roger concha <rogercv1@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> my 88 still has the 5mpg absorbers
>
> On 7/13/05, Timbo <timjmcconnell@gmail.com> wrote:
> > ALL US spec bumpers are designed to take a < 5mph impact and the car
> > will have no frame damage. The bumper may be
> > scraped/cracked/dented/destroyed - but the car is just fine.
> >
> > This aparantly only works on older sciroccos - something like up to 85
> > or 86 I think.
> >
> > Newer cars just have a solid bracket. Old cars have shocks with
> > hydraulic fluid in them. Drill a hole, WEAR EYE GOGGLES - I'm not
> > kidding - it will spray right at you. Wear a hat too!
> >
> > --Timbo
> >
> > On 7/13/05, GGehrke <ggehrke@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > I'm thinking of collapsing my big ugly US bumpers, but I'm curious
> > > what sort of crash protection they actually do provide. Does anyone
> > > know what the official spec is (i.e. were they designed to resist a
> > > 10mph hit or something to that effect) or what consequence there would
> > > be to having the shocks emptied?
> > > At this point I'm not terribly concerned with doing it for it's
> > > aesthetic value because the car's pretty rough looking anyways, but I
> > > have them off for powerwashing and repairing a bit of rust, so I'm
> > > thinking I might as well. The car looks so good without any bumpers
> > > on it, too. If it's genuinely unsafe I'd rather just keep them as is
> > > for now, though.
> > >
> > > Oh, and I just finished power washing the car. Did a real bang up job
> > > on the paint. Flaked right off all over the place. Now the car's
> > > literally about 6 different colours. It was intentional, but ugh.
> > >
> > > Other recent projects:
> > > My headlights died and I couldnt find the problem (sockets fine,
> > > switch fine, fuse fine, etc etc) so I just wired them up with heavy
> > > gauge wire to toggle switches on the dash.
> > > New cable from battery to starter and ground strap to hopefully fix
> > > other electrical gremlins and starting problems. It does actually
> > > seem to run much better! It starts without me having to give it any
> > > gas and idles more smoothly.
> > > Painted my dash black to fix scuffs and petrified duct tape residue
> from the PO.
> > > Seafoam! Timbo was right, fun smokescreen! This helped reveal, too,
> > > though, that my entire exhaust system is shot. Smoke poured not only
> > > out the tailpipe but exited at various other locations down the whole
> > > length.
> > > Vacuum and febreeze the interior.
> > >
> > > Plus I helped my buddy cut his M3's exhaust in half, gut the cat and
> > > weld it back together. That was pretty fun too :)
> > >
> > > -Grant-
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > Scirocco-l@scirocco.org
> > > http://neubayern.net/mailman/listinfo/scirocco-l
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Early 84 Scirocco 8v Alpine White
> > Early 84 Scirocco 8v Pewter Metallic
> > Early 84 Scirocco 8v Plain ol Black
> > _______________________________
> > www.vintagewatercooleds.com/tech<http://www.vintagewatercooleds.com/tech>
> >
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