1971 & 1972 Mach 1's running incorrect front bumpers

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Last month I reinstalled my urethane bumper back on for the third time after refinishing it yet again. I love the look of the urethane bumper but I’ve such a hard time with the finish cracking. I’m hoping it holds up better this time.

 
When I bought my car, I noticed that it had Every Year Decal.

71 rear Mach 1 stripes on the back, 73 side stripes, and 72 Sprint style hood stripes.

Well its still like that, but I do plan on doing something about it at some point. It doesn't look terrible, just confusing.

 
When I bought my car, I noticed that it had Every Year Decal.

71 rear Mach 1 stripes on the back, 73 side stripes, and 72 Sprint style hood stripes.

Well its still like that, but I do plan on doing something about it at some point.  It doesn't look terrible, just confusing.

Sounds as if you'd like it to be more original.  Respect that.  Take it one step at a time.

It is interesting how the originality guys like to explain how they have returned their car to more original and then the modded car guys like to describe what they have changed away from stock.  Both can be impressive. 

Ray
 
Ray's just pointing out that virtual;y every M1 owner feels the need to festoon their car with stripes, spoilers and tu-tone hoods, regardless of originality.

The chrome bumper doesn't bother me, given just how difficult it can be to find a good condition urethane unit.
I understand your observation. However, 71-73 Mustangs are just ONE of a number of old automobiles that this happens to. Thousands of old 65-66 fastbacks are GT-350 clones today. Lots of guys have taken perfectly good 67-68 fastbacks and turned them into those "Elenore" clones. I used to have a Model A Ford coupe, and was in a club for the same. Very few that I can remember in the club, were restored to how they most likely came off the assembly line. Given that the Ford A was one of the least expensive cars you could buy, most were fairly plain, painted black, with black rims and tires, as originally manufactured. Most of the Model As in the club were accessorized to the owner's liking.  As you could well imagine, in the Chevrolet ranks, there are more "Z-28s ", RS, SS , and Factory performance models on the road today than Chevrolet EVER really built. How many 55-57 Chevys that originally came with a six cylinder are v-8 powered today. The majority, is my guess.  Maybe slightly less so for Mopar special car clones, due to big blocks taking special "K" members to do the switch.

     I guess it comes down to whether you are a "collector-restorer", or more a "car enthusiast" type. I think there's room for both. I personally lean more towards a restorer, mostly wanting things as they were, but I was in a car club just out of High School, had a chopped '34 Ford 3 window with an early Hemi for power, and that part of me really digs hot and modified touches.

    The bottom line, so far as value goes, was told to me many years ago, by a man who owned a few original old Fords. He used to growl at hopped-up Fords, and I confronted him once asking, " you really don't like hot rods, do you?" His reply was classic....." Actually, I don't really dis-like hot rods...….because every one that some squirrel hacks up, just makes my original worth more ." I see his point....I see your point.....and, I can see the point of the guys who modify their cars...we're all just car guys.

 
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Has anyone ever tried fabbing a faux urethane bumper by modifying a steel one? I would give it a shot if I had a template to work off of. Since you are painting it, makes no difference if some filler material is used to get the contour right.

 
So that’s what you’re doing when you walked around my car. You were judging all the non original things I’ve done. Lol

For me I made changes purely based on my taste. In fact, I’m still making those changes. Wouldn’t mind having a poly bumper, but handy found one....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 
So that’s what you’re doing when you walked around my car. You were judging all the non original things I’ve done. Lol

For me I made changes purely based on my taste. In fact, I’m still making those changes. Wouldn’t mind having a poly bumper, but handy found one....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Actually, I always look at any car to see how it was when new.  But when you explained how you got this car from your father but you wanted to build it as you wanted,  I understood.  And I appreciate all the effort you have put into your car.  I look forward to having my car able to show right next to yours here in OKC.

Ray

 
So that’s what you’re doing when you walked around my car. You were judging all the non original things I’ve done. Lol

For me I made changes purely based on my taste. In fact, I’m still making those changes. Wouldn’t mind having a poly bumper, but handy found one....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Jeremy,

Check your PM, I sent you another message re that bumper!

 
I can tell you from personal experience, that the factory urethane front bumper on my '71 Mach is only effective to ward off shopping carts, but hardly worth calling a bumper. I've often wonderer if it wouldn't be feasible for some enterprising guy to offer a fiberglass front "bumper", possibly over a steel frame of some kind, which could be painted to match, like the original, look like the original, maybe even have the 'glass outer covering replaceable when damaged too. Just a thought.

 
Thank God you're not driving a 'Vette. just as much carnage, if not more......and a bit more expensive to make right again. If we had bumpers that did their jobs, we'd all be driving Checker Cabs probably.

 
Good call Spike. Most of the pre-1973 bumpers were mostly cosmetic. The urethane bumpers on our cars were much like the Endura bumpers seen on GTO and Firebird/Trans Am vehicles. Nice to look at and stylish for the time but that was about it.

The Checker Taxi Cab, now THERE is a bumper made for crashing into or putting the Chrome Horn" to someone!    :D



 
Reading through this topic, I find myself in the "make it how you want it" category, but I am a younger guy and have no fond memories of how things were back in the day.

Going to do chrome bumper/painted trim. Boss hood treatment, Mach 1 grill, 71-72 Mach 1 side stripes/lettering, and '73 Mach 1 trunk stripe.

My car is a '72 Sportsroof, a relatively rare one too lol.

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Hey Secluff,

If memory serves, doesn't the Checker have small block Chevys for power? Kind of a Sherman Tank Camaro!

 
Hey Spike.

Tanks indeed! I believe our European brothers (some who are Checker car collectors) correctly call them "Yank Tanks"! Checker did start using straight-six and SBC power (327 I believe) in 1965. They used various straight 6, V6, and V8 displacements through the end of production which was around 1982. The infamous Oldsmobile 350 diesel even made an appearance for a very short time. Can you imagine the fleet maintenance costs on that!

I believe NYC still has a three year age limit on Taxi cabs, so it was inevitable that once cars like the Checker and Crown Victoria went out of production they would soon disappear from the landscape. Both were pretty well-built vehicles that fleet owners loved. And....the Checker did have that cowcatcher front bumper that you could retrofit to save your Mustangs front end!    :whistling:

 
I seem to recall that they also had a water filled front bumper option that would blow plugs out the bottom to absorb the crash. I think the Checker stamping plant went to VW for a while. The name of the stamping plant escapes me. My old boss worked there. 

Here is one for you. How many used UPS trucks have you ever seen people driving? Would be great for a swap meet vehicle. They are not allowed to sell them there should be none on the road but current UPS vehicles. They use to mix and match lots of mfgs. for drive trains. I was told that once they decide the chassis is dead they have to shoot pics or video of the body being crushed and the VIN# cut out.

 
Hello David,

Most of the info I have on the Checker cars is a result of a conversation I had with a collector at the Charlotte Auto Fair. He was next to a friend of mine who was a vendor there selling Mustang, Shelby, and FE parts. To me, the Checker cars were about as exciting as a new toaster, but they do have an interesting history. Since the 73/ Checker cars had a bumper that appeared to be made from a piece of guard rail, a water-filled bumper sure could have been a fleet option! The extra weight from such a bumper affecting the speed and handling probably wasn't a concern for the typical Checker driver. Gas mileage because of extra weight...Who was getting any kind of decent MPG in the EGR/emission laden 73/ cars anyway! 

Maybe the Ford engineers should have been working on a water-filled crash bumper for us commoners!    :D

 
Maybe the Ford engineers should have been working on a water-filled crash bumper for us commoners!    :D
Then, those in freezing climates could fill them with alcohol to prevent them from freezing up. The alcohol could be used as a backup supply when the roads are too bad to drive to the liquor store and for emergencies. Hmmm, like St. Bernards? :)

 
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