kyo

Greetings and a happy new year!

First my apologies if this question hast been answered already somewhere. I used the search function and found some threads regarding a swap steel <> aluminium bumper bar but not vice versa.

However my question is (I hope) rather simple: I own a 1983 Camaro CFI. Sadly she he does have a badly damaged aluminium front bumper bar which has been ...kinda repaired by one of her previous owners. I do have my concerns with that bumper and would like to swap it with an undamaged one.
Since I am living in Germany it is virtually impossible for me to get an aluminium replacement for her. However by chance I managed to get a steel front bar for a reasonable price and bought it.

So the big question for me is: Is the alumimium front bumper bar interchangeable with the steel one and are the mounts compatible? Or is there any way to -make- them compatible... and what kind of other "surprises" can I expect if I am trying to do that?

Kind regards from Germany
kyo

1989karr

They should bolt right uo...but there are different stell ones I beleive...

FYI, Firebirds mount differently though....

KEVIN G.

You are right in being concerned, Any impact bar should NEVER be repaired, especially aluminum. Steel vs. aluminum is a good question, though. If they have the same dimensions, and it allows for your energy absorber and still fits the bumper (without modification), it should work. The question I would have is the crush rate of the steel and how it collapses vs. aluminum. 83 would not have airbags, so sensor timing does not come in to play. Just need to know if it's safe.

kyo

Thanks a lot for your replies!

@1989karr
I suppose you meant "shell" instad of "stell"? Well actually I hope there is no difference in the front air dams they used for either aluminium or steel bumper. The spare steel-bumper I want to swap with the alumium one comes from a camarao not from a firebird

@KEVIN G. Well she passed technical inspection here (regarding safety). I own her for more then 10 years now and never had any any real issues (had to swap the fuel pump once tough) and so far she is really behaving well. However a fresh bumper would be a great 40ties birthday gift
So I suppose the mounts for the bumper are the same and would allow either, the steel or the alumium bumper?
Regarding the energy absorger: I assume the front front spoiler had been changed after the original crash anyway.. maybe there is already a shock absorber meant for a steel bumper. Ill see to take some photosfrom the area and the replacement steel bumper to post them later

Kind regards
kyo

KEVIN G.

The energy absorber should be the plastic "waffle" piece behind the cosmetic painted bumper and the steel or aluminum reinforcement. The reinforcement is bolted directly to the frame rail ends,

1989karr

Oops, I meant steel lol


As long as it looks the same it SHOULD be ok... the newer camaros got a different designed impasct bar...from 85???.... and a different absorber........but as I recall, the 82 - 84 iunits are the same...just the material is different and were either steel or aluminum

kyo

@1989karr
Ah... steel Very good so I do not have to worry about having to deal with different versions of the front bumper, I was kinda worried for a moment :P

@KEVIN G.
I just made some fotos (not very good though). Here are the frame end rails:




There is something with an adapter plate going on. I don't know if this is usually the case. I asked a lot of people in my area but no one here was even aware that aluminium bumpers even existed. But they do look orginal (at least the big ones).
The "waffle" seems to be fine and is not deformed.

And here is the one I am planning to build into the car.



I did quite some research and I -think- that's the right steel bumpfer for the '83 Camaro (actually its pretty tricky to get certain body parts here in Germany especially for the early third gen).The mounts seem to fit too... but one never knows until you try... :P

If there are even more suggestions I would like to read them. The more I know about this swap the better :P

Kind regards!
kyo

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

My old 84z had a steel bumper and i swapped to an aluminum bumper from a 82 or 83 z. Bolted right up, plug and play.

kyo

@KEVIN G.
I took some Photos yesterday but for some reason uploading failed. However, the "waffle"-part looks fine to me. I will keep an eye on that part and the way it fits to the steel bumper!

@1989karr
Glad that int meant "steel". I was actually a bit afraid there might be severel different versions of the 82-83 front bumper out there

@84 1LE
Thank you for your encouraging reply. reading this, I will go ahead and read threads regarding the steel<>aluminium swap again.

I will give updates as soon as the weather conditions get better and I can start to give it a shot and remove her front bumper. Thanks a lot again for your kind replies. I learned a lot and became more confident regarding this swap. The guys in my area did not even know about the existence of alumimium bumpers so I started fo feel a bit loony with this problem;

Kind regards!