Pete's 1994 Mustang GT Diary thread
Nice! Expecting pics immediately after install is complete. 
Post *****
Joined: May 13, 2004
Posts: 18,616
Likes: 3
From: Berkeley/Redwood City, CA
pete texted me some pichas. apparently the paint isnt in the best of shape, and the fitment isnt perfect but neither was his stock one. he and i both think it means the mounting points on his car are bad, not the bumpers
Still pretty sweet!
Thread Starter
Joined: August 23, 2004
Posts: 3,599
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, California
Well, as you can see by the camera phone picture I sent Arin, the bumper is "on" in the absolute loosest form of the word. Taking the old one off was a breeze, since I've done it a few times now. Pull the pushpins out of the top. Use an 11mm wrench to undo the nuts that hold the bumper to the fender... Oh wait... The new one doesn't have the mounting brackets on it...
As you can kind of see in that picture that mounting brackets are not there... Not only that, there aren't even holes drilled. Now this is weird, since the bumper definitely looks like it has had its fair share of usage.
Also notice that this bumper is not urethane like the stock bumper. It's fiberglass. Thick, hard fiberglass. Which means? It does not want to stretch at all. Which is good, just not during installation just for a test fit.
During which I found out that the stock fogs not only don't fit behind the Saleen bumper, but also that the brackets line up perfectly to scratch the paint off of the inside of the holes (top where it can't really be seen anyway.). Ask me how I know.
So it's coming back off tomorrow to prep it for a final installation, but as it lays right now it seems like it's going to have the same problem as my last bumper. It has a 1" gap between the bumper and the fender at the back of the fender. I can press it to fit properly, and who knows, maybe the brackets will pull it closer together, but consider me pessimistic at this point. I'll figure out a way to close the gap though.
Here's the loose pics!
And before anyone even questions it. I LOVE THE BUMPER. I think it looks fantastic. I just wish I knew how to correct the imperfections to make it fit nicely.
As you can kind of see in that picture that mounting brackets are not there... Not only that, there aren't even holes drilled. Now this is weird, since the bumper definitely looks like it has had its fair share of usage.
Also notice that this bumper is not urethane like the stock bumper. It's fiberglass. Thick, hard fiberglass. Which means? It does not want to stretch at all. Which is good, just not during installation just for a test fit.
During which I found out that the stock fogs not only don't fit behind the Saleen bumper, but also that the brackets line up perfectly to scratch the paint off of the inside of the holes (top where it can't really be seen anyway.). Ask me how I know.
So it's coming back off tomorrow to prep it for a final installation, but as it lays right now it seems like it's going to have the same problem as my last bumper. It has a 1" gap between the bumper and the fender at the back of the fender. I can press it to fit properly, and who knows, maybe the brackets will pull it closer together, but consider me pessimistic at this point. I'll figure out a way to close the gap though.
Here's the loose pics!
And before anyone even questions it. I LOVE THE BUMPER. I think it looks fantastic. I just wish I knew how to correct the imperfections to make it fit nicely.
Thread Starter
Joined: August 23, 2004
Posts: 3,599
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, California
Forgot this picture.
Next to the competition...
My brother's 86 Firebird with a 350 and a T-5. Things will get interesting as soon as that runs.
Next to the competition...
My brother's 86 Firebird with a 350 and a T-5. Things will get interesting as soon as that runs.
Legacy TMS Member Pr
Joined: January 31, 2008
Posts: 5,665
Likes: 39
From: PR
That was the hood I wanted for mine. It looks so
He already has Cobra heads & intake, so it's good for now i guess.
Thread Starter
Joined: August 23, 2004
Posts: 3,599
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, California
I have pretty much given up on the idea that it is going to stay in good condition for any long period of time. I already started looking into a urethane one. It is just such a terrible material to work with...
BoogieNights Studios:
Official Fluffer
Official Fluffer
Joined: September 13, 2009
Posts: 5,539
Likes: 5
From: Clarksville, TN
The fiberglass ones depending on how thick they are can be pretty stout. I got a good fiberglass bumper on my Celica and I hit a possum when I was doing around 70 mph I believe and all it did was crack it a lil bit instead of breaking it comletely.
Last edited by BoogieNights; Nov 18, 2009 at 11:34 PM.
Post *****
Joined: May 13, 2004
Posts: 18,616
Likes: 3
From: Berkeley/Redwood City, CA
next time i see you, ill take a look at it. as much as i hated it a few days ago, Im pretty confident about the fiberglass work I can do now. I'll probably be able to repair that for ya
That sounds like an offer you cant refuse. 
Thread Starter
Joined: August 23, 2004
Posts: 3,599
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, California
It is a deal that anyone else should pass up. DON'T EVER BUY A FIBERGLASS BUMPER unless you enjoy pain. Mine just chipped today going up a driveway. A scratch on the bottom of a polyurethane bumper is not nearly as bad as reversing after touching a driveway and seeing a piece of your bumper flying through the air...
I guess you know why it was such a good deal now. 
Thread Starter
Joined: August 23, 2004
Posts: 3,599
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, California
Agreed. It's not that big of a deal. The old one looked like a pos. This one looks like a Saleen pos. Hopefully Arin can help me get it looking good and we can get it to fit properly, and if we can do that then it's no big deal, and I'll be sitting pretty. Realistically to me it looks better than stock, and for that fact alone it was worth 80 bucks.