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+--- Thread: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. (/showthread.php?tid=2667)
DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - rolfi - 05-29-2011
DIY: W123 BUMPER TUCK
From this:
![[Image: 15052011259-1.jpg]](http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g233/rolfi2/w123/15052011259-1.jpg)
To this:
![[Image: 07a6d108-1-1.jpg]](http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g233/rolfi2/w123/07a6d108-1-1.jpg)
This DIY describes how I did this on my car. I am not a trained mechanic, I work on cars as a hobby. The oil will damage the environment if allowed to leak into the ground or into water.
IF YOU CHOOSE TO FOLLOW THIS DIY, YOU ARE DOING IT ENTIRELY ON YOUR OWN RISK! I take absolutely no responsibility for any damages, injuries, legal problems or anything that might occur after following these instructions.
The oil in the shocks is under high pressure, be VERY careful!
You are hereby warned!
Tools and equipment I used:
17mm Combination wrench
13mm Combination wrench
13mm Long socket for ratchet wrench
Ratchet wrench
Drill
1.5 or 2mm drill bit
Brake cleaner or similar cleaning agent
Glue, self-tapping screw or whatever you want to use to seal the hole.
Angle grinder with cutting blade
Permanent marker
Sharp knife (I used a OLFA Non Slip L, with OLFA Ultrasharp black laser cut blade)
A big roll of paper towel
For your own safety:
Wear thick gloves (kevlar is nice), safety goggles and hearing protection. Especially when working with an angle grinder! When dealing with oil under pressure, wear a pair of safety goggles as a minimum!
Time: ~3 hours, if this is your first time.
-
1. Remove front bumper. There are 3 nuts (with washers) on each side, 17mm. A total of 6. Lift up the rubber skirt thing on top of the bumper, and you'll reach all of them.
To avoid damaging the bumper, put a blanket or something soft on the floor/bench and put the bumper down with the backside facing up.
2. Undo the 8 (4 on each side) 13mm nuts that holds the shocks in place. TAKE A PIC, OR BE SURE TO REMEMBER HOW THE SHOCKS SAT. I didn't.......
Now it's going to get messy. So take the shocks outside or somewhere you can clean up the oil that WILL leak out easily.
3. Take your drill (I used a 1.5mm or 2mm drill bit) and drill a "guide track" which isn't deep (not all the way through) around 2cm from the bottom of the shock.
Take a lot of paper off of your roll and hold it around the drill bit, then drill it. (That's why you need the guide track)
You'll feel when you've reached through.
There isn't much oil coming at first, but wrap the shock in more paper.
4. Put the big end of it on the ground, and step on the top of the shock to compress it.
There will be a lot of oil coming out, and without the paper wrapped around the shock it will shoot out like a fountain.
Let as much oil as you want out, then spray it with brake cleaner or something similar and wipe off.
5. Weld, solder or glue (I glued) the hole, and the worst part is done.
This is just to keep the shock compressed, so that it won’t pull itself out, or be possible to pull out. You can drill in a self-tapping screw if you want to. I just sealed the hole with glue.
6. Mount the compressed shocks back on the bumper. Put the bumper on the floor, with the bottom side upwards. You need to cut some pieces off of the bottom, just to be able to put the nuts back on and mount the bumper.
Draw lines where you want to cut. I cut it approximately like this:
![[Image: 5492f437.jpg]](http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g233/rolfi2/5492f437.jpg)
Use a good quality blade for your angle grinder, and have one or two extra just in case.
7. Mount the bumper back on the car, and cut the rubber skirt things to desired length
Then you're done.
If you have questions, comments or corrections, feel free to contact me by PM or by replying in this thread!
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - DeliveryValve - 05-29-2011
I've always wondered how that would work out. I like it!
Might have to copy that!
.
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - Captain America - 05-30-2011
Awesome writeup!
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - Joe Reitman - 06-04-2011
This looks good Rolfi- any way to do this with the bumper in place (no removal)? thanks
ps- what wheels are those on your car? thank you
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - rolfi - 06-07-2011
Thanks.
It MIGHT be possible, but it will be a whole lot harder and take much more time. You would also be unable to remove the bumper at a later time, if you tuck it when installed. The nuts will be under the bumper shell, so you would have to cut it up to get it off.
Look at the thread about my car in the "Projects" section, there's info on the wheels there
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - winmutt - 06-13-2011
Nice writeup. I always hated the way the bumper jutted out on the Federals.
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - JB3 - 06-14-2011
can we get a close up pic of how the side rubber molding on the ends looks when you push the bumper further into it? It looks like it bulges some, does it pull off the body a little bit?
Is it worth trimming the bumper and rubber strip?
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - rolfi - 06-14-2011
It's the rubber flap/skirt thing you mean, right?
It's not sitting flush, as it does when the bumper is un-tucked.
I trimmed off a fair bit. Now there is a gap between the bumper and the rubber thing, but I thought I'd try using a hot air gun to make it bend onto the bumper.
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - rolfi - 08-02-2011
I did the rear bumper a couple of days ago. I had to screw apart the rear shocks, as there was some white stuff which looked like silicone sealant inside. No oil, whatsoever.
I had to dig it out, and was after that able to push the shocks together.
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - DeliveryValve - 08-03-2011
(08-02-2011, 03:28 PM)rolfi I did the rear bumper a couple of days ago. I had to screw apart the rear shocks, as there was some white stuff which looked like silicone sealant inside. No oil, whatsoever.
I had to dig it out, and was after that able to push the shocks together.
Be sure to post a pic!
.
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - capflya - 08-08-2011
Ooooo sexy....
(This post referring to the front bumper tuck and Delivery Valve's signature pics
)
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - rolfi - 08-18-2011
I'll post pics later
The rear tuck didn't really make that much of a difference. The rear US-bumper still looks like shit.
I'm on the hunt for euro 280E bumpers... They seem to be as rare as hens teeth to come over used... And they almost cost more than I paid for my car, if I were to buy them new.
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - dieselboy - 08-18-2011
I tucked the rear bumper on my w116. Easy as drilling the shocks and backing up against a wall till they collapsed.
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - Captain America - 08-19-2011
(08-18-2011, 01:56 AM)dieselboy I tucked the rear bumper on my w116. Easy as drilling the shocks and backing up against a wall till they collapsed.
Haha that made me laugh
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - w123love - 12-04-2011
(08-18-2011, 01:56 AM)dieselboy I tucked the rear bumper on my w116. Easy as drilling the shocks and backing up against a wall till they collapsed.
Haha ditto capt. that made me laugh too
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - sassparilla_kid - 12-04-2011
Does anybody have any pictures of what the car looks like without the plastic/rubber skirts on the ends of the bumpers?? Im just curious if you could get a more streamlined look without them
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - w123love - 12-04-2011
I’ve had them off when doing bumper stuff and personally I think it looks pretty ugly. There are exposed holes and contours on the panels that make it look like something is missing.
Ma 2 cents
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - sassparilla_kid - 12-05-2011
Would a bumper tuck combined with removing the rubber mouldings cover up any of the holes and what not?
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - w123love - 12-05-2011
The mouldings are attached via three bolts, two up high and one down low. For both the front and rear I believe. I know that the bottom one would not be covered up by pulling the bumper forward, but it is possible that one of the other could be.
I don’t know if you can see this, but I went wayyy back in the FB archives to pull up a picture of one of my 300D’s that was painted. We pulled the bumpers, so you may be able to see the holes on the left quarter panel.
Bumper Pic
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - sassparilla_kid - 12-05-2011
Hmm I'll have to think about this one, IMO the rubber is one of the least pleasing things about these cars to look at. 3 piece euro bumpers would be ideal buuut they're not really an option right now
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - garage - 12-05-2011
If you take off all the rubber, it looks like a truck bumper, off a toyota or somthing.
I had mine off on my 240D for awhile, i didnt mind it.
But that was my rally car =]
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - Purplecomputer - 12-12-2011
Can the same be done to the rear? Can someone post more pictures of a w123 bumper tuck on both ends?
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - garage - 12-12-2011
Yes, the front and rear can both be tucked.
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - larsalan - 12-12-2011
(12-12-2011, 09:25 PM)garage Yes, the front and rear can both be tucked.
Or deleted
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - garage - 12-13-2011
Yeah i like taken them thangs off, it looks purtier.
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - Purplecomputer - 12-17-2011
(12-13-2011, 01:12 AM)garage Yeah i like taken them thangs off, it looks purtier.
anyone have pictures of the back tucked in?
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - larsalan - 04-22-2012
Just did mine. No cutting required. just took the double bolts and fed them through the other way.
That way the nut side is accessable from the car side rather than the bumper side.
Just used 2 nuts and the double bolt. Skipped adding back the other nut that is single.
Dig it?
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - mb300td - 07-02-2012
Thanks rolfi! I just finished tucking the front bumper on my wagon. It looks great. One word of advice is to follow the directions and put a lot of paper towel on to the shock. I didn't and got soaked in the oil. Can sOmeone please post up pictures of the rear bumper tucked? It's quite a bit more work and I want to see if it's worth it. Thanks
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - larsalan - 07-02-2012
Hell, the back bumper is easier than the front. The nuts are right in the trunk instead of tucked up in the wheel wells like the front.
edit:
Oh that's where my nuts are cause I turned that double bolt around the other way. As stock the nuts are up in the bumper. Once you tuck it flip them around, I'm telling you that's the way to go and just leave that third nut off.
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - mb300td - 07-05-2012
Yea but you have the sedan. SInce I have a wagon I believe there is no acces to the bolts from the inside. Oh well I'll just try to find a euro bumper. Thanks for the help though!
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - Simpler=Better - 07-05-2012
It looks good, but doesn't this completely remove the bumper's effectiveness in, well, a bump?
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - mb300td - 07-06-2012
Yea but I believe there was a law in the 80s that cars had to have shocks in their bumpers in case of a bump under 20mph? I don't know I wasn't around then haha. Since I live in the country I'm not too afraid of having and "bumps". Haha I might be putting a bull bar on it anyway to house flood lights so that should absorb some of the shock.
RE: DIY: W123 Bumper tuck. - Purplecomputer - 07-07-2012
(07-06-2012, 09:08 PM)mb300td Yea but I believe there was a law in the 80s that cars had to have shocks in their bumpers in case of a bump under 20mph? I don't know I wasn't around then haha. Since I live in the country I'm not too afraid of having and "bumps". Haha I might be putting a bull bar on it anyway to house flood lights so that should absorb some of the shock.
thats why all american version of awesome old cars have these hideous diving boards for bumpers