So, I finally decided to make the upgrade from US Bumpers to the smaller Euro bumpers on my W123. I started with the rear bumper and I ran into a little problem. Obviously I wrong but, I was under the impression that it would be a straight swap but when going from the original bigger bumper (1st photo) to the smaller bumper (2nd photo) I'm left with an extra hole. Not sure why I never realized this when researching it. I could've sworn that I had read numerous times that it would be a straight swap.

Has anyone else made this conversion? If so, what did you do? Did you fill the hole, sand it and repaint or did you plug the hole with a little rubber grommet of some sort or did you just leave a hole?

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I've been there.

There's a black rubber plug you'll find in the trunk, about where the end of the new bumper sits. Pull those out and use them to plug the new holes.
The next time you're in the junkyard, find a couple more and use those to replace the two you've repurposed.

I tried calling the classic center for body plugs but they didn't have any that fit.
It's been a while now, but from memory, you may be able to use generic "body plugs" from Dorman or whoever else.

This is assuming you're not planning to do a full patch and repaint (which some do).


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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

Thanks for the tip. I checked my trunk and unfortunately mine were missing. I'll keep an eye for them at the junkyard though.

What color is that car, looks similar to mine. As for the bumper dilema, its just the rear correct? I had a white '85 300d which was originally a Euro spec car although someone switched it to us bumpers at some point, possibly when it was federalized. Anyways there were holes in the rear just like yours when I went to switch them back to Euro bumpers. Kind of a bummer the brackets weren't the same for all models. If I personally had a US car I'd just keep the US bumpers even though they look horrible. Or I would do it right and have the holes patched. If the car is original paint, you'd hate to go this route though. Tough decision. You can live with the holes I presume but anyone who knows W123s will instantly be able to look at your car and know you did a swap.

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Mine is a little darker than yours, it's Orient Red. I read your whole thread on yours and man, you got a really great one and did a fantastic job with it. Congrats!

I'm actually not sure if it's only the rear bumper because I never got around to the front bumper. Once I realized I had the extra holes in the rear panels I aborted mission and reinstalled the original US bumper and decided to think it over for a bit. Yeah, I'm not sure if it would be better to keep the US bumpers instead. I love the look of the Euros and I've wanted them forever but when I was installing the rear bumper I must admit, I was a little freaked out by how little protection they would provide. Of course, I already knew that before installing it but when it was installed all I could think about was how damaged my car would be if I got rear ended. Also, not sure if I could live with the extra holes. As far as filling the holes, sanding and repainting goes... not sure. The car does have the original paint (although the drivers door may have been repainted at some point) but it is nowhere near perfect. I do have some minor chips and a few dings, etc. but the car is still presentable. I've been on the fence about getting it repainted but I liked the idea of keeping it original. I've just seen so many paint jobs in my time and a good one is so expensive but my car would definitely benefit from getting a re-spray for sure. Maybe getting those holes patched and painted would give me the motivation to get the whole car painted. Urgh!!! I don't want to spend the money though and end up with a subpar paint job.

For what it's worth, I had all of the same thoughts.

A year later, I wouldn't go back to those US bumpers for anything.
I don't even notice the plugs anymore, and the Euro bumpers improve the look so dramatically, that if holes are your primary consideration... think of it as a polyester suit off the rack, vs a fine tailored wool suit with some stitching loose in the cuffs.

The front bumper is a straight swap, so no issues there.

Yes, they're lighter and flimsier but really, we're talking about parking lot damage (<5mph impacts). Anything above that, I'm not sure there's much of a difference. They get into accidents in the EU as well.
Also, I'm not sure what you're driving, but the difference that weight reduction makes on a 240D is significant. I noticed it on handling and acceleration immediately.

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

An alternative: you could tuck the bumpers. I’ve seen write ups where folks compress the inner shock a bit on the US bumpers to give a euro look/ I haven’t done it myself, but plan to.

Thanks, man yeah that is a great color. I feel your indecision, I wouldn't know what to do either. I'd go all out for an amazing quality new paint job if you go that route and get the holes filled. These cars really do deserve the look in which they were designed for but those holes make me feel weird.

Or maybe I'd keep the car with US bumpers for a while. Once you get enough money to get a quality, all parts removed paint job then get the holes patched and put the Euro bumpers on. You won't want to daily that car anymore anyways once you get a nice paint job so the impact with Euro bumpers will hopefully not be an issue.

Just a thought.

Or just try the Euro bumpers for a bit with the holes plugged see how you feel. I'm 99% sure the rears will show one hole each side but thats it, the front is a bolt up match no holes.

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Yeah, I think you're right. At the end of the day if I'm getting hit at over 5mph it probably won't make much of a difference anyway. Also, I never considered that the smaller, lighter bumpers would make any difference in the performance of the car regarding weight reduction. I'm driving a 300D non-turbo. Not sure if I'll notice a difference but I would obviously welcome it.

Yeah, I read about this. Looks like an interesting option but I think since I already bought the Euros the game plan will be to keep the old US ones in storage and not mess with them. That way I can always have both options.

Yeah, I think I'm going to go for the Euros and see how I feel about them for a bit and just keep the US bumpers just in case. And I guess I'll just use a rubber plug to plug up the holes for now. If they drive me nuts then I'll maybe I'll switch back or consider the new paint job.

I have to question if your 85 300D was really Euro or not because the Euro W123s did not have a plugged whole on the side. To know for sure if it's Euro or not, look for the tell-tale bumper shock holes in the rear - US cars have them, Euros do not. Cars on both sides of the pond do however have shock holes in front.

A way around the side hole problem is to install Euro bumpers from a gasser. Their rear bumpers are longer on the side and have no rubber caps, hence covering the whole. They would, however, not be model-correct as the Euro Diesels all came with the bumpers with shorter rear sides.

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Don't Chrome them; polish them

With the '85 I could never really tell its origins accurately. The VIN says Non USA on the title and was weird to register. I remember the DMV couldn't find it in their database. The car also had the teltale signs of being a Euro, it has cloth seats, 4 speed transmission mated to Om617 n/a (originally) also the Euro vacuum headlight adjustment + trunk triangle.

The weird thing about the car is that the trunklid said Turbodiesel when I got it. Threw me for a loop as it was not. Plus the holes in the rear when putting Euro bumpers on threw me off. Not sure what the deal with that car is.

Sold it to a friend in which he just hit a deer with but thats another story..: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/407494-thoughts-saving-euro-300d-deer-collision.html

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