cutting out the black bar on 97+ eclipse bumper? [Merged 3-11]

[n0c7]

Dremel has a tool that cuts the plastic. It looks like a small cyclinder with little blades comming out of it kinda like a wood planer blade. The problem with any kind of cut off wheel is it actually melts the urathane and is a little hard to control. You need the one that has the largest diameter because it will give you the most control. I'd post a pic. but I'm on a Mac and don't know how to bring up a new window.
-dave

Option key-N or just like in windows, file -> new.

 

[Yoshi]

i was wondering if this part of the Front bumper could be removed <br><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a293/suprayoshi/Picture01101.jpg"><br> i have a Greddy 24R front mount on the way and i like to show it all not just a lil part of it so yea thx

 

[larsenracing]

Yes, it can there is a quite a few guys that do it. I also think it looks sweet. By the way a 24R is a pretty huge intercooler for a stock car. you may want to thing of a smaller one.

 

[MCDGexx]

Yah, just cut it off?

 

[larsenracing]

You also have to trim the radiator support to do so.

 

[97EclipseGS-T]

I did it. Looks pretty nice, I don't have any pics... but its sick. I completely took out the front bumper support... save's a couple lbs. It would of been a pain in the @$$ to cut that front support. Just be careful though, only cut a small amount at a time and make sure its lined up. They say you have to loose your foglights but I don't know what that commotion is about, I left mine on and its fine...


-PAUL

 

[grinner]

it was placed there only to be removed.

 

[Syndicate13]

You also have to trim the radiator support to do so.

I think you're getting your parts mixed up here. The radiator support is sheetmetal and is what holds the radiator and condenser in place and what the hood latch mounts to. You need to trim the bumper so it doesn't show when you remove that portion of the bumper cover.

Excuse the old pic.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

 

[fourreGsixty3]

Yeah you can cut it, lots of people do. Just look at thet pic^^^. And what^^^said. You dont cut the radiator supports, they are on top of the radiator near the hood latch. If your car is essentially stock, then you may want to re-think getting the 24R, pretty big for a stock set up.

 

[Yoshi]

is there a thread for how to remove it? b/c im kinda tight on money sence i just lost my job but if there isnt i can just take it to any body shop?

 

[fourreGsixty3]

I dont have a 2G, so Im not 100% sure how to remove it but look up under it, or feel the back of it with your hand for bolts, or something like that...you might find it somewhere in the tech guide "how to's" in the interior/exterior section. Good Luck man.

 

[Syndicate13]

is there a thread for how to remove it? b/c im kinda tight on money sence i just lost my job but if there isnt i can just take it to any body shop?

You can do it yourself with a cutoff wheel on a dremel, it's only urethane and cuts quite easily. I can't personally say what it will do to the surrounding paint since my bumper was unpainted when I cut mine. As far as the Greddy FMIC I would rethink it if I were you, the pipe routing is horrible and it doesn't include the UICP. For the price you can get a much nicer short route kit. Now before anyone starts bitching about how short routing may or may not have any positive benefits, it does free up a nice space in the fenderwell for a meth reservoir.

EDIT: That black piece is part of the bumper cover, it is there to cover up the actual fiberglass bumper behind it.

 

[Ajax]

Yes use a cut of wheel and dremmel on the bumper and I just used a saw-sal(sp?) with a fine blade to cut the fiberglass bumper support behind it. Pretty easy.

 

[SiNiST3R]

I used a box cutter for the plastic and a hacksaw for the bumper support.

 

[sk8shorty01]

just thought i would say it is illegal to not have a front bumper, and not only that its really dangerous... you realize the bumper is there to pull the front of the car in on itself as the front end is hit... the car is designed to implode on itself, if its hit without the bumper in place it splits in half, which will most likely kill you... besides that the engine is gonna be sitting in the front with you

 

[i1nk83]

Do you honestly think that 2lb piece of plastic is going to save your life? Bumpers are only rated at 5-10mph. You hit anyone going faster than that it wont help anyway. Its only there for fender bender type things, the intercooler would most likely be more effective than the hunk of plastic anyway.

 

[Yoshi]

well i have to get a new bumper.... something possesed me and i let my girl take my car.... and she went to the mall and she pulled into a parking spot and let the bumper go to far over the curb and when she backed out she messed up the bumper.... so.. im gonna have a chance to cut it with no paint so i guess thats cool but where whould i cut on the bumper?

 

[polonez]

the plastic is not what saves your ass... its the rebar inside.. that is just the bumper cover/skin and modifying it wont make any difference in safety

 

[Syndicate13]

the plastic is not what saves your ass... its the rebar inside.. that is just the bumper cover/skin and modifying it wont make any difference in safety

There is no rebar. It is just a piece of fiberglass known as the bumper support. It provides support for the bumper cover to keep it's shape and protect the radiator support in light crashes. It also activates the airbags in a crash. Above 5-10 mph it is useless. I keep mine so my bumper cover doesn't sag, just trim it as necessary.

 

[sk8shorty01]

actually if you research it the bumper is not meant to stop damage... that is not what it was designed for... the bumper is made to pull the outsides of the car inwards ontop of itself, causing the front of the car to absorbe the damage... the bumper just ties the two ends together, sure it helps in slow speed crashes but that is just a plus to its actual design... the bumper will take and pull the frame in on itself in a higher speed crash, which takes the momentum away from moving front to back and it begins moving left and right to center, which is much more safe... Without the bumper the car will split in half which is very dangerous because very little of the impact is absorbed early on until the car hits the engine itself, which is not good because its going to end up sitting on your lap... I'm really not joking on that, you can do it shoot i was going to do it, and i thought the same thing, whats that going to do at 50 mph, but i researched it and that is what saves your life in any front on collision.. if you dont have the bumper you might as well not wear your seatbelt either because after a wreck you will be wishing you got ejected from the car... i did a lot of research on this before i cut mine off.... and thats why i didnt... as long as you have something there it doesnt matter... actually i have a long section of I beam in mine and that will do the same as the original bumper, it just has to pull the car together on impact, like it was engineered...

 

[sk8shorty01]

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4597601.html


read that... doesnt say anywhere that it is for low speed crashes, just trying to help if i can... i looked this over for about 2 months before i did it because it just seemed funny to me for some reason and it is a bad idea in all honesty, but you can take it off if you want...

 

[SiNiST3R]

I really dont think that little pastic bumper is gonna help anything. If anything i would think a nice fat 3" FMIC behide that plastic crap would protect more.

 

[WMD]

I really dont think that little pastic bumper is gonna help anything. If anything i would think a nice fat 3" FMIC behide that plastic crap would protect more.

Oh it does help, i know. I was in a 5mph crash and it saved my front clip from being crushed/ twisted. I just needed a new hood, bumper, driverside headlight, radiator support and a new safty bumper.

 

[ECLIPSEGST25]

The More You See Of The Intercooler The Better I Always Say.

 

[Galaxy]

Oh it does help, i know. I was in a 5mph crash and it saved my front clip from being crushed/ twisted. I just needed a new hood, bumper, driverside headlight, radiator support and a new safty bumper.

If you needed all that,where did it help?

So just to be on the safe side..trim the fiberglass instead if removing it...best of both worlds.