Front bumper drooping

[welshsteve]

Hi guys, my front bumper is drooping down at the sides (I mean as you look at it side on the front edge is higher than the rear anyone know how to sort this out , it's really pi55ing me off[}:)]
Cheers Steve

If it's got tits or tyres then it's gonna cost ya!

[Beans]

Sounds like you have a DHC and the rubber mounts are starting to go.
Only remedy is put new ones in.

On the DHC the bumpers are fixed to the body with flexible mounts and a pivot point in the center. Also there are balanced weights at either end of the bumper. As a result the bumper acts as a vibration damper.
All to prevent scuttle shake and vibrations due to the fact that the DHC's body isn't as stiff as the FHC ...

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)
1981 TR7 DHC (not very well known yet, but back on the road)
Also a 1980 TR7 DHC, 1980 TR7 DHC FI, 1981 TR7 FHC
http://tr7beans.blogspot.com/</i></font id="blue"></center>

[Howard722]

<font face="Comic Sans MS">And Beans is spot here with his advice-the transformation to the handling & feel of the car with new mounts is very noticable, but it`s a bit of an aggravating job and you won`t realise how heavy the front bumper is with the steel beam inside until you lift it off on your own! Well worth the effort.</font id="Comic Sans MS">

Enjoy& regards

[Underdog]

I changed to the US spec FHC bumper. I know of several others that have done the same to thier DHCs. I also lightened it further with the plasma cutter. Even the FHC reinforcement has a 1/4' steel plate sandwiched in the center & weights a ton. I did it from the face side so with the cover on, it appears stock. Can't say I see any difference in vibrations. The plastic dash has some creaks & rattles but it had that with the stock bumper. Just couldn't see going to all the trouble of removing the PS and AC, to reduce weight, and hanging a pendulum out at the furthest point forward. I look for smooth, curvy roads.[:D]

72 MGB BRG
80 TR8 Persian Aqua
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

[welshsteve]

Nice one guys sounds like new rubber mounts it is then , Any ideas on where to get them at the right price [:D]
Cheers Steve

If it's got tits or tyres then it's gonna cost ya!

[TR Tony]

Ah well that's your next problem Steve, as the DHC mounts are virtually unobtainable new, & hard to find in good used condition.

I had the same problem as you. I got a friend to remove the rubber insert from my mounts & weld the two metal plates together, making sure the finished mount is the same width as with the rubber insert. Couple of coats of Hammerite then just bolt it all back together. It did help with the droop, although the bumper is still not completely level. I must say I can't tell any difference in the feel of the car. I think this is one of the solutions suggested by S&S.

Take yours apart & have a look at the mounts. If the metal plates are peeling apart from the rubber then you need to replace them - just a question of how!

Tony

<font size="1">1981 2L FHC Cavalry Blue - very original & not rusty!
1980 3.5L V8 DHC Regency Red - on the road again.</font id="size1">

[welshsteve]

sounds like a bit of "magic sealant to bond it all back togther again
[:D][:D][:D]

If it's got tits or tyres then it's gonna cost ya!

[Odd]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Nice one guys sounds like new rubber mounts it is then,
Any ideas on where to get them at the right price [:D] <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

You'll have a hard time finding them, at ANY price!
They're made out of unobtanium, and with a filling of hens teeth... [;)]

What you can do, as it's being done a new batch just now, buy a pair of the German TR7IG Club
aluminium ones instead! Then you haven't molested your original ones - in case there will ever be a
future re-manufacture with unconditional trade-in of the hardware (as those will be the valuables in this).
Pouring polyurethane inbetween will be the easier part of re-manufacturing, finding the steel pieces
the hard bit... Personally I got a set from their previous batch - and I'm very satisfied with them.
Typical Made in Germany quality. Fitting them gave me the chance to get rid of the cast iron weights
(2*4 kg) and the (what you called droop): With the lightened bumper still hanging down I realised it
was actually designed to do that! I had to give the centre pivot spigot a couple of sharp raps with
my recoiless steel shot hammer in order to get the bumper horisontal. I figured that without the flexible
mounts (rigid aluminium now, remember?) and the two pendulum weights gone (they're sitting freshly
powder coated in black on a shelf in the garage!) - I had no need for the possibility of the bumper ends
to move up/down anymore... So now it follows the plastic strip closely all the way around the front of
the car... [:D]

And I still have the originals, in case there will ever be a re-manufacture project...[^]

[stevie_a]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by welshsteve</i>

sounds like a bit of "magic sealant to bond it all back togther again
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

<font color="purple"><b>I know a guy who did just that …

He stripped them down looked at them noted that the rubber had separated from the metal

And he just glued them back together

He never looked back … </b> </font id="purple">



<font size="4"><font color="green"><i>If it's not broke don't fix it.</i></font id="green"></font id="size4">

[Ianftr8]

If they havn't completely seperated try running some decent rubber solution glue into the splits and replace them back onto the car the other way round - ie right on left and left on right hand side obviously they would now be upside down so the strain will be on unbroken material.
worked for me

Cheers
Ian

Ian Freeman
1979 TR8 DHC California car that never crossed the pond
1962 Triumph Courier

[cliff]

I too suffered from droopy bumpers, so I removed the rubber sandwich mount pieces and machined up and installed a set from aluminum and I also removed the heavy weights from the ends of bumper, set staight now. No noticable increase bumper induced vibes. Works good, lasts a long time!!!!!

[busheytrader]

When Grinnal "restored" my 7DHC in the late eighties, they fitted a "bra" to cure the front bumper droop.

I don't know what they did exactly because I haven't had the bumper off since. Then again I might not have had my original bumpers put back on. Much of my refitted internal trim came from a common pool of bits and wasn't from my car.[:0]some bits were missing from the engine bay and the wayward boot trim disintegrated soon aftrwards.

Cheers,


Adam

TR7 V8 DHC Jaguar Solent Blue. 9.35cr Range Rover V8, Holley 390cfm, JWR Dual Port, 214 Cam, Lumention, Tubular Manifolds, Single Pipe Exh, 3.08 Rear, 200lb Spax & Solid Bushes, Anti- Dive, Granada Vented Discs & Calipers, 4 Speed Rear Cylinders, Uprated Master Cylinder & Servo, AllyCat 5 Spokes. No Door Stickers.

[ngtf]

Or you could just fit the Fhc front bumper iron and never worry about it again. Worked a treat on mine!

BTW Steve, I still have those US bumpers if you want them.

Gary

Eeyore rides again !!

EOR14W - Persian Aqua 2L Dhc, Now rebuilt and looking lovely - Sprint engine being prepared!

[Ferris]

Underdog - Was the swap to the FHC bumper a bolt on / bolt off deal, or did you have to fabricate mounts?

[/img]
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Kevin Anderson
1980 TR7 DHC
1974.5 MGB GT
1990 Jaguar XJ40

[flynns tr 7]

Another remedy is if you own or know some one who has a welder you can weld the two halfs together doing away with the rubber.Take off your bumper and the mountings.Measure the distance between the metal plate that attaches to the bumper and body i think from memory its about 2 cm.Obtain some steelaboit the same thicknees as the mount and weld a piece both sides.This replaces the rubber and you will never have a droopy bumper.Before yuo weld on the side pieces remove the old piece of rubber clean up with a wire brush and repaint.The only down side is the rubber mounts where fitted to comply with US impact damage so if you run into some one with the solid mounts fitted you will cause more damage. hope this helps