Fragile bumper covers

Install bumper accessories and go to jail…
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What about those big “Ranch Hand” bumpers? They ought to be outlawed (unless you’re actually using the truck on a ranch, maybe), but I see them all the time. Hard to believe people spend that much on a bumper.

Why should they be outlawed?

They’re so damn ugly.

Oh, well, no argument there! :smile:

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Although I would pay (a little) to see one on your new EV when you buy it :flushed:.

But don’t cheat with Photoshop.

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Tell ya what. Buy me an EV and I’ll put the bumper guard on it. :smiley:

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Ugly bumper cost more than a used Prius. Probably weighs more too ha!

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I didn’t hit a curb but I did manage to back my 59 VW into the concrete light pole base once. Bent the bumper into a U shape. A new bumper was $10 at the dealer.

When my brother bought his '64 Beetle, the only option he chose (other than a radio and seatbelts) was “bumper stiffeners”. These were apparently an aftermarket device that didn’t actually come from VW. The mechanic removed both bumpers, installed these curved strips of steel, and reinstalled the bumpers over the “stiffeners”.

However, the “stiffeners” weren’t much more rigid than the standard bumpers, because both front & rear bumpers wound up being deformed by low-speed parking incidents over the space of 3 or 4 years. And, the “stiffeners” were completely rusted prior to installation. If you peeked behind the bumpers they looked pretty crude.

One thing though, of course on my 59 in 1965 so some time on the road, the brackets that the bumper attached to would rust out. So if you made the the bumpers any stronger it would just demolish the brackets. They made “service” brackets to be welded over the old rusted out ones and I remember my dad welding them in place on mine. Took a while since there wasn’t much to weld to.

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My brother’s bug wasn’t on the road long enough for that to happen. When he was in Vietnam, he left the car in the care of his new wife, and her father decided that it was just a dandy little buggy for 1 mile trips to the supermarket, instead of using his Caddy.

Those short trips–coupled with his bizarre belief that there was no need to change the oil during that 13 month period–led to the destruction of its engine. I was tactful enough to not mention to my brother that this early demise for his beetle wouldn’t have happened if he had left it in my care.