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Are C3 steel bumpers at all effective or strictly decoration?
As thin as they are do they provide any real "bump" protection against anything beyond a shopping cart or bicycle or are they as they appear to be just trim?
Back in the yesteryear my brother in his mid-70's LeMans and me in my '66 Fairlane wagon would horse around bumping each other from behind going down the road at low speed, with at most some surface marring of the bumpers. They would actually absorb a fair amount of energy without apparent damage.
I concur.. For years I was the Pres of the OPEL GT CLUB....I have both GM,s
The GT designed by Henry Haga of C-3 fame (of Course!) Had some pretty thin bumpers as a close analog to the C-3.
The 'web thickness' of the C-3 was thicker than the GT, however the cross section on the GT was thicker.....in any case good for splatting flies and little else.
However, the C-2 Camaro 'eyebrow bumpers' were no battering rams either!
Don't forget that the metal bumpers are bolted directly to the "unbreakable" fiberglass. The 68-69 front bumper outer brackets were offset and if you bumped something, the bumper would bend upward dramatically real easy.
Don't ask me how I know this! My first wife drove my Vette one time and when she came home, she put in the clutch and the car kept on coasting right into the garage door. The metal bumper was fine but it smacked the fiberglass and
made a half circle crack about one inch from the "point". Lou.
Weird isnt it that the 68 to 72s are the best looking most desirable, sought after and valuable, if you care about worth of the c3s,
I Guess we chromie owners dont care our bumpers are junk
I think they do a good job protecting the car. I was pulling hard
on my 18 inch socket wrench to loosen the front brake caliper mounting bolts when the wrench slipped and I pitched forward and smashed my face into the bumper. There was not a speck of damage to the car's fender. Not so much for me. I had a shiner for over a week.
Ed, the pictures rock, i saved them, love em, thanks for sharing.
The funny part my chrome bumpers with be fiberglass fakes from don, and i still think they look better than Tupperware.
Damnnit man, ron,
I bet you saw all kinds of stars and meteorites when you hit.
53-57 Corvette front “bumpers” bolted directly to the fiberglass with no braces. Clearly, GM was overly concerned about Corvette body damage from day one.
11-15-2018, 12:55 PM
Are C3 steel bumpers at all effective or strictly decoration?
