Chrome front bumper

[70cobrascj]

Are there differences in the mounting brackets on a chrome bumper and a urethane bumper?
Thanks

 

[Paul M]

Pic 1 both assemblies. Pic 2 1971 complete Mach 1 front bumper assembly bolted together with brackets 30 lbs. pic3 Now the 73 Mach 1 telescoping brackets alone 23 lbs a/pc pic 4 The urethane covered battleship bumper alone is about 78 lbs. My problem is the almost 100 extra lbs is horrific ballast being located so far forward of the front wheels.

 

[70cobrascj]

I want to go to chrome I like the looks- Boss 351’s are better looking I think.
I guess they used a chrome one to save weight

 

[70cobrascj]

The 73 has the big bumper the 72 is the same as the 71.
It looks to me by your pics the chrome 71-72 bumper uses the same mounting brackets as the urethane.

 

[Mister 4x4]

I put a chromie on mine because my painter couldn't figure out how to paint the urethane bumper... and I kinda like it better. I think it works well with the chrome trim bits and the Cragars..



The mounting is the same, but the chrome bumpers come up a little short, hence the spacers you can see in the fender notches. Otherwise, they're 100% swappable (except for the '73s, which are a bit more involved).

 

[Hemikiller]

The 71-72 bumper arms and reinforcement bar are the same between the chrome and urethane bumpers. As Geoff noted, the chrome unit had fillers in the bumper cutouts.

 

[Lazarus]

I dig the 71/72 urethane “spoiler” bumper and the chrome bumper almost equally. I own both but went with chrome on my 72 just for the contrast; my paint is medium-to-dark and the chrome accentuates the grille a bit against a dark color. If I had chosen a lighter color paint, the choice would have been torture.

I also have a 73 and although the larger bumper is not my personal favorite, you would be surprised how many younger guys prefer the 73 bumper when they see it next to the 72. I think they are conditioned to modern Challengers and Camaros, and the 73 bumper looks a little more like what they are used to. Think about the popularity of the 2000 remake version of Eleanor: it has no chrome bumper but a modern ground-effect bumper. I have grown to appreciate the 73 urethane for what it is. I do plan to paint the bottom of it black like the below example (the gold car, which is not mine) just because I like the 71/72 side stripe style, but don’t like the rough transition to a colored bumper, or the stock attempt to lower the body line if you bought those stripes from the factory in 73.

No one’s asking, but I do prefer the 71/72 Mach 1 grille to the 73. I just prefer the horizontal sport light to the vertical, and the round headlight “door” to the square.

 

[PoFoMoCo]

IMHO only, but I vote for chrome!

 

[70cobrascj]

I dig the 71/72 urethane “spoiler” bumper and the chrome bumper almost equally. I own both but went with chrome on my 72 just for the contrast; my paint is medium-to-dark and the chrome accentuates the grille a bit against a dark color. If I had chosen a lighter color paint, the choice would have been torture.

I also have a 73 and although the larger bumper is not my personal favorite, you would be surprised how many younger guys prefer the 73 bumper when they see it next to the 72. I think they are conditioned to modern Challengers and Camaros, and the 73 bumper looks a little more like what they are used to. Think about the popularity of the 2000 remake version of Eleanor: it has no chrome bumper but a modern ground-effect bumper. I have grown to appreciate the 73 urethane for what it is. I do plan to paint the bottom of it black like the below example (the gold car, which is not mine) just because I like the 71/72 side stripe style, but don’t like the rough transition to a colored bumper, or the stock attempt to lower the body line if you bought those stripes from the factory in 73.

No one’s asking, but I do prefer the 71/72 Mach 1 grille to the 73. I just prefer the horizontal sport light to the vertical, and the round headlight “door” to the square.

I think the 71-73 make for great looking convertibles and I’m not really a convertible guy.
I also really like gold cars and your convertible is sweet

 

[Lazarus]

I think the 71-73 make for great looking convertibles and I’m not really a convertible guy.
I also really like gold cars and your convertible is sweet

Thanks brother.
I didn’t think I was a convertible guy either but feel like the 71-73 has a great range of possibilities. In my opinion one of these verts can be a very classy convertible - like you’d drive the mayor in at a parade or something (say with flat hood, level stance, chrome strips, wheel opening trim, and deluxe interior) - or like a tough muscle car (NASA hood, black stripes or blacked-out hood/tail panel, raked stance, the right wheels, etc.) So many cool options... like those we are discussing above.

 

[72MustangSprint]

The 73 has the big bumper the 72 is the same as the 71.
It looks to me by your pics the chrome 71-72 bumper uses the same mounting brackets as the urethane. View attachment 72005

There are always people looking for the urethane bumper should you decide to part with it. They bring good money

 

[fmjcraig]

I dig the 71/72 urethane “spoiler” bumper and the chrome bumper almost equally. I own both but went with chrome on my 72 just for the contrast; my paint is medium-to-dark and the chrome accentuates the grille a bit against a dark color. If I had chosen a lighter color paint, the choice would have been torture.

I also have a 73 and although the larger bumper is not my personal favorite, you would be surprised how many younger guys prefer the 73 bumper when they see it next to the 72. I think they are conditioned to modern Challengers and Camaros, and the 73 bumper looks a little more like what they are used to. Think about the popularity of the 2000 remake version of Eleanor: it has no chrome bumper but a modern ground-effect bumper. I have grown to appreciate the 73 urethane for what it is. I do plan to paint the bottom of it black like the below example (the gold car, which is not mine) just because I like the 71/72 side stripe style, but don’t like the rough transition to a colored bumper, or the stock attempt to lower the body line if you bought those stripes from the factory in 73.

No one’s asking, but I do prefer the 71/72 Mach 1 grille to the 73. I just prefer the horizontal sport light to the vertical, and the round headlight “door” to the square.

Exactly what I did on my ‘73…

 

[Lazarus]

Yeah I swapped in a 71/72 grille on my 73, but I am also going to paint under the crease of the bumper. Here is my (sorry it’s so filthy from shop dust and pollen) 73 after a bunch of work at a buddy’s in SC. I am using some black masking tape to plan out how I am going to paint the lower half of the bumper so the blackout continues (haven’t painted it yet). Driver’s side represents “before” and passenger side of bumper with black tape shows what it will look like after:

 

[PoFoMoCo]

Man, I really like where your going with your '73 convertible.

 

[tony-muscle]

Pic 1 both assemblies. Pic 2 1971 complete Mach 1 front bumper assembly bolted together with brackets 30 lbs. pic3 Now the 73 Mach 1 telescoping brackets alone 23 lbs a/pc pic 4 The urethane covered battleship bumper alone is about 78 lbs. My problem is the almost 100 extra lbs is horrific ballast being located so far forward of the front wheels.

I want to make sure I understand this. What are the savings between the 71 chrome and the 71 urethane?

 

[Lazarus]

I want to make sure I understand this. What are the savings between the 71 chrome and the 71 urethane?

I have a spare front chrome (repro) and a 71 urethane and can weigh them each but I don’t think it’s going to matter a ton. Like you could save as much weight by eating a lighter lunch before you go to the track I bet.

The 73 bumper on the other hand is much heavier.

 

[Paul M]

I want to make sure I understand this. What are the savings between the 71 chrome and the 71 urethane?

Ye I kinda went to the extreme w/ the 73 comparison...The urethane 71 vs the chrome 71 prob 1 lb lmao That would be a preference thing for me. But w/ the 73 you could hit a wall at 90 mph and not even scratch a crash test dummy. I mean they killed cars in 73. To paint that urethane best add a drop of a flex agent.

 

[RIBS]

i Think the supports are the same….I ended up with a primed metal bumper, same shape as chrome but painted. Body color.

 

[Spike Morelli]

I like what you've done, painting a metal bumper. I think it looks appropriate and gives the front end a clean look. Kudos!

 

[Fabrice]

+1, looks beautiful! In fact thinking about it, it's strange we do not see much painted ones. It's very elegant and cheaper than a new chrome one.
I plan do similar for my 429 as my chances to find a urethane bumper here are near zero, but I will probably cut the center and weld it back a few inches to mimic the shape of the urethane version.