just wondering whether the bumpers from a 73 or earlier valiant would fit on my 74? just noticed they hug the body closer than my later ones and it also looks like they dont have the trim peice either. i think it would streamline the car. so is this a bolt on??
bumper interchange?
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Burntorange70
Well-Known Member
Your car have shock mounts or brackets?
Burntorange70
Well-Known Member
Thats what I thought and is why the bumper is so far out. I don't know my valiants to well. I am sure some one will know but I would think as long as you use the brackets off of a 73 it should work. Though the mounting locations for the brackets will not be on your car and will need fabed up.
Like I said I am not 100% on this so I would wait to here from some one else who can back this up.
Like I said I am not 100% on this so I would wait to here from some one else who can back this up.
Measure your bumper, the inside width is a key point. Should be the same when you compare it to a earlier model. If the bumper has the same dimensions you should be good to go. Mounts can always be fabbed and welded up. The mounts/brackets are covered by the bumper anyway so unless someone crawls under the car or you have it on a lift they will never know.
A example I am familiar with is as follows. I have a 1998 Toyota Tacoma that I off road with. In my live at home with mom and dad days I had disposable income and wasted a chunk of money on a ARB off-road bumper. I say wasted but really they are a great product, just pricey. They have crush zones integrated into the mounting bracket designed in so the airbags will still work properly in a collision. I rear ended a car going about 20 and it crushed the brackets but didn't damage the bumper. Insurance was already involved fixing the other persons car so I went ahead and made a claim for my truck. The insurance company totaled the bumper out and replaced it. The body shop was cool and let me keep it though. My brother, who was about 18 at the time took some heavy angle iron and square tubing and made mounting brackets for the bumper and put it on his 1988 Toyota Pickup. It looked like it was made for it. The kicker is the frame rails are completely different on the 10 year older pickup, the key was the fenders and grill were more or less the same width so it looked perfect.
All rambling aside I think this just proves as long as the bumper is close in sized and not too narrow especially anything can be done with brackets. Is there a way you could take the bumper and brackets off your car and hold the bumper you are planning on buying up against your car to look at it prior to purchase? Take a couple friends and have them hold it up to the car while you walk around and check it out. If it looks good to you then get it and figure out the mounting later. I plan on doing this with my 76 Duster, it's bumpers are fugly.
Hope this helps...
P.S. The combination of a the front bumper and a heavy headache rack on the pickup likely saved my dad's life last year... A uninsured, unregistered white trash dumbass ran a stop sign and t-boned my dad while he was driving the 88. The pickup hit an embankment on the road side and rolled. The headache rack and bumper kept the cab from caving in. My dad was just sore and had a bump on his head. Like I said earlier, nothing wrong with the ARB product, just pricey.
A example I am familiar with is as follows. I have a 1998 Toyota Tacoma that I off road with. In my live at home with mom and dad days I had disposable income and wasted a chunk of money on a ARB off-road bumper. I say wasted but really they are a great product, just pricey. They have crush zones integrated into the mounting bracket designed in so the airbags will still work properly in a collision. I rear ended a car going about 20 and it crushed the brackets but didn't damage the bumper. Insurance was already involved fixing the other persons car so I went ahead and made a claim for my truck. The insurance company totaled the bumper out and replaced it. The body shop was cool and let me keep it though. My brother, who was about 18 at the time took some heavy angle iron and square tubing and made mounting brackets for the bumper and put it on his 1988 Toyota Pickup. It looked like it was made for it. The kicker is the frame rails are completely different on the 10 year older pickup, the key was the fenders and grill were more or less the same width so it looked perfect.
All rambling aside I think this just proves as long as the bumper is close in sized and not too narrow especially anything can be done with brackets. Is there a way you could take the bumper and brackets off your car and hold the bumper you are planning on buying up against your car to look at it prior to purchase? Take a couple friends and have them hold it up to the car while you walk around and check it out. If it looks good to you then get it and figure out the mounting later. I plan on doing this with my 76 Duster, it's bumpers are fugly.
Hope this helps...
P.S. The combination of a the front bumper and a heavy headache rack on the pickup likely saved my dad's life last year... A uninsured, unregistered white trash dumbass ran a stop sign and t-boned my dad while he was driving the 88. The pickup hit an embankment on the road side and rolled. The headache rack and bumper kept the cab from caving in. My dad was just sore and had a bump on his head. Like I said earlier, nothing wrong with the ARB product, just pricey.
pauly v.100
Well-Known Member
67-72 valiant bumpers are the same as 70-72 duster. you MAY be able to convert the fronts by removing all the shock absorber junk and using mounts from an earlier car. not sure if the bolt holes on your car are in the right place, but you could fab up new holes easily enough.
The rears aren't even close, I don't think they would work, nor do I think they would look good... theres just too much difference in the rear body lines/shape for it to look natural, but thats my opinion.
The rears aren't even close, I don't think they would work, nor do I think they would look good... theres just too much difference in the rear body lines/shape for it to look natural, but thats my opinion.
Burntorange70
Well-Known Member
I was thinking of a 73 valiant. (not Duster)
Burntorange70
Well-Known Member
Another thing you can do if you just want the bumper tucked in is.
Take out that fill strip. Drill hoes in the bottom of both shock mounts and let them drain. Then push the bumper in where you want it and then plug weld the holes in the shocks up to lock it back in to place.
This will do nothing for the weight of that dumper/mount set up but will look better.
Take out that fill strip. Drill hoes in the bottom of both shock mounts and let them drain. Then push the bumper in where you want it and then plug weld the holes in the shocks up to lock it back in to place.
This will do nothing for the weight of that dumper/mount set up but will look better.
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