I have a 76 914 and am thinking about back dating the bumpers. I had a set of Chrome bumpers that I let get away and now I am kicking myself. So, how does the fiberglass bumpers work out? I know they are not crash worthy but I would like to see some examples and hear the pitfalls.
Thanks Brian

The more 75 - 76 cars I see pictured here, the more I hear people commended the owner for NOT back-dating the bumpers.

Jake's new car is black... black on black looks good to me. I saw a copper car today too. It had copper rocker covers and under bumper stuff. BUBs looked pretty good on that car too. BUBs are cheaper to find replacement parts for, that's for sure.

Clark

what are bubs?

'Big Ugly Bumpers'. I have no experience wth FG ones but my understanding is they usually need some fittment.

I recently back dated the bumpers on my 76. The original rubber bumpers and shocks weigh a lot not sure of the exact wight but maybe over 100lbs?
The car steers a lot better, regarding the looks each to his own.

If you don't drive your car much fiberglass will probably look OK once you actually get them fitted. But if someone so much as taps one, it's over.

As to whether or not to replace the BUB's, totally your call. If it were me, they would come off immediately- but I like the original 914 look, '70-'74.

I've got a '75 and have put off backdating the bumpers for a while. I have a black car and think the BBBs look decent on it but on some other colors, not so much.

If you don't have your heart set on chrome bumpers, painted ones can be found for much more reasonable prices. I'd go that route before buying FG unless weight is the main factor.

BUBs are nice for a daily driver. Much more durable than early bumpers.
Fiberglass requires lots of fitting and has no durability or crash protection - not that early bumpers provide much but any bit helps. It used to be cheaper to backdate but nice chrome bumpers are now about $1k a pair and a couple hundred or more for the rubber bumper tops.

Early bumpers with fog lights and all the mounting hardware are 38 pounds front and rear. Late bumpers (no fogs) are 96 pounds. That is a 58 pound difference. I would guess that fiberglass are probably 20 pounds max with all the mounting hardware.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=225743

I will be back dating my bumpers on my '75 but it is a low priority. If my car was all original I would leave it that way but with a 2.7L /6 and 14" Fuchs it is far from it. So it will look like an early /6. More desirable I am thinking at time of sale.

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Wow, great picture.

That was taken about 2 weeks ago and 20 minutes from the house. Spring has been weird here, but that might be said for a lot of the country.

Cheers!

I dig the big rubber bumpers. I rolled with them for a few years, and would still if I hadn't flared my car. They don't look bad, just different!
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No plans to back date my bumpers

to each his own its your car do what you can afford and what you think looks good
some cars carry the big bumpers well others do not
in those last two pics of strat's and speed metals beautiful cars the bumpers almost look photo-shopped

The choice to backdate or not....obviously a personal preference. But to answer your question, I would talk to Jim Patrick at Patrick Motorsports. 90% of the cars he builds leave with one piece fiberglass bumpers/tops. They look amazing. Check out his website to see if you like the look. Then call him for tips. He has always been incredibly helpful when I call or go down to see him.

Love my backdated bumpers. Hated my BUB's.

Seriously only a matter of preference though...