Reason to keep US spec bumpers
 

This morning I moved my non running 74 240 into winter storage.

I enlisted a reliable (he helps when he says he will), but idiotic friend of mine to assist me in this process since the car is non running, and we used a U-haul car trailer.

The garage is down a driveway thats got a downhill grade to it, we backed as far down as we could get with the trailer, and after screwing around with the unloading process, got to the point where the car could roll off with me lifting on the front bumper and he maintaining control inside with the brakes.

Well I don't know what happened, but he never applied the brake, and the car went flying down the ramps into the cinderblock back wall of the garage trunk first. The car bounced off with no damage, but it did put a massive crack in the wall itself with a shower of concrete dust. :D

Ill keep those big US bumpers

(Fortunately, it did not go through the wall, as the backside of the garage is elevated about 15 feet over someone's yard.)

Lucky break! Yes, I drove a Euro 240D 450,000 miles before selling it to my son for a token price when he turned 16. Sure enough, someone hit him from behind at a stop sign and it messed up that lovely Euro bumper. Had it been a US bumper, it probably wouldn't have hurt it.

I'm glad the ol' girl didn't get hurt.

On my 126 I have a euro in the front and US in the back for just that reason. Figure I have some control over who I hit, but no control over whos going to hit me.

Well that could have been key stone cops comedy - I'm glad the car didn't end up in the neighbour's fish pond.

They're ugly and heavy but wonderfully functional :)

I can't picture how reliable and idiotic go together?

reliable in that he showed up, idiotic in that he confused the clutch pedal with the brake.

If you clean them up nicely (along with the rest of the car :D), they won't look all that bad. :)

The W115 US bumpers extend much farther out than the W123 US bumpers.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5198/5...ea21ded3_z.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2547/5...75eb1c90_z.jpg

Yes the 114/115 bumpers were an afterthought incorporated in the middle of the production series. The 123 was a LITTLE bit better thought out.

about battering ram bumpers-- ---

something interesting,one was from my first 85 CA car and another from the 83 coupe I just had squashed-- The 85 rear was about 1/3 as thick as the earlier 83--and was buckled on one side where the car was rearended. The earlier rear bumpers are much more heavy duty--ill remember to snap a pic of the difference before taking them in.

Personally, I like the US spec bumpers. I love all that extra chrome you get. The 5mph impact protection is just another perk.

Shucks, dump the bumpers and get yerself an U.S. safety specs wall!

Personally I really like those massive big black plastic water filled Volvo bumpers...





...not.

Curious of this difference. AFAIK all 83 to 85 model W123's had the same US spec bumpers (within the same body style).