rear bumper brackets - sources?

tim · Post by **tim** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 11:26 am

I've just spent a day on the Red One (19 TXD Estate) doing something I'd planned for a while, removing the towbar it came with (much pain and burnt beard from the angle grinder, as all the bolts were lumps of rust) and then the rear bumper as recommended by the forum to see how things were underneath. Not too bad - a dodgy section underneath where the towbar plate was sitting, and some areas where Kurust and paint are called for. I found a rust hole underneath the bumper on the rh side below the filler cap - interestingly, the White One also shows early signs of this in exactly the same place, and Andy has something similar on the other side. Sorry, no pics as I don't have a camera.
The bumper is of course supported in two places at the back by S-shaped brackets, and these have rusted to buggery. I had to break them to get the bumper off. Can someone suggest a source for these or has anyone got a spare pair? Yes, they could be fabricated but I don't have a pattern, suitable steel etc and it would be easier just getting hold of another pair.
Also, I was able to hose out a humungous quantity of mud and crap from the crevices and I recall someone saying recently that mudflaps
were a good thing - damn right. Once again, anyone suggest a source? There are no obvious mounting points for them so presumably holes would need to be drilled. Anyone done this??

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 12:40 pm

if its an estate these might be what your looking for, if still avalible that is,

Part Number Description Quantity Price excl. VAT Price incl. VAT Total incl. VAT Selection
95609652 BUMPER BRACKET 8.02 GBP 9.62 GBP 9.62 GBP

although its not quite clear of the shape of these on the drawing, it does also show a pair of right angled brackets, that appear to be at the lower rear edge each end,

regards malcolm

electrokid · Post by **electrokid** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:58 pm

My brackets were rusty / bolts rusted when I took the bumper off for respraying - they didn't seem to be adding much to the support of the bumper so I squirted some silicone rubber between what remained of the brackets and the bumper when re-assembling.

tim · Post by **tim** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:23 pm

Thanks, Malcolm! The bracket problem is that they are rusted away and broken, I can't reuse them as there is nothing left to reuse. I think they DO give support if somebody rams you up the arse, after all everything else is plastic and the brackets would support the bumper against an impact to some extent and also absorb impact so the back end is less likely to be damaged. Not so?

Mothman · Post by **Mothman** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:25 pm

Tim,

have a look at mine when you are next around here, perhaps we could fabricate a set from some sheet metal?

Andy

electrokid · Post by **electrokid** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 6:52 pm

I think they DO give support if somebody rams you up the arse, after all everything else is plastic and the brackets would support the bumper against an impact to some extent and also absorb impact so the back end is less likely to be damaged. Not so?

Yes - probably so - there's one thing I wasn't taking into account - my bumper is resting on the towbar so much less inclined to need support - and if I get rammed then the towball is good protection anyway.

tim · Post by **tim** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:25 pm

I do intend to put the towbar back on once I've attended to all the little rusty areas so yes, I suppose the brackets aren't vital!! I suppose it's just that if they ARE available I might as well put them on while I'm bolting things together. Had the exhaust hanger welded yesterday afternoon. It had rusted through behind the original mount plate so back in March it drooped under the weight of the silencer, the rubber mount slipped off and the silencer was dragged for many miles down the M40 emitting a shower of sparks - no, we didn't hear a thing! Since then a cats cradle of cable ties has been holding the silencer up. Check yours - quite a common problem I gather.
Thanks Andy - at least I've got a pattern to copy!

electrokid · Post by **electrokid** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 6:43 pm

Check yours - quite a common problem I gather.

A common problem indeed - mine fell off early last year but the system stayed pretty much where it was - I had the rod welded to a plate before bolting the plate to the bodywork.

This year rust had taken the bottom of the downpipe so that needed replacing and the rest of the system looked close to its last legs so I had a stainless steel system fitted - to start with they had put the rear clamp to an existing hole close to the rear bumper (I wondered what that fixing hole, and the same thing the other side are actually for ? ). When I pointed out it needed to be mounted to the original point they fitted that as well !