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<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ITR.#1446 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">thats what i thought the bumper had to be trimmed but i am going to trim the bumper beam instead of the bumper</TD></TR></TABLE>
It will be easier to cut the bumper cover than the metal bumper beam. You won't compromise the strength of the beam or risk exposing bare metal either. The part you cut is the outside top black corners of the center grill.
Re: USDM bumper reinforcement install under JDM front
Lucky for you I saved this on my comp a long time ago.
My ITR came with a JDM front which was both good and bad. It was good because I prefer the look compared to the USDM one. But it was bad because I was not able to compete in a stock auto-x class and my car was not up to US crash standards. I am sure that most people don't care to do this modification but I want to show that it is not at all hard to do and only requires a drill, utility knife, and simple hand tools. It should be welded also but is not required.
EDIT: the USDM bumper reinforcement bolts on directly on to the JDM radiator core support.
1. Cut off little tab from USDM plastic gusset to clear JDM bumper cover. Repeat on other side.
2. Cut off area shown. Repeat other side.
3. Install bumper cover and check for interference. Adjust if necessary.
4. Drill out spot welds from JDM upper bumper support to separate mounts from support.
5.Mount the USDM foam absorber on to the USDM bumper reinforcement. You will notice that the foam protrudes above the USDM bumper reinforcement by approx 0.25". You will need to cut this off. Draw a line on the USDM foam absorber along the top edge of the USDM bumper reinforcement. Remove the foam absorber from the USDM bumper reinforcement. Cut along the marked line. I used a bandsaw but a hacksaw or utility knife will work also. When you are finished, remount the USDM foam absorber on to the USDM bumper reinforcement. Use tape to help hold the USDM foam absorber on to the reinforcement bar.
6. Attach to JDM bumper cover and install over USDM bumper reinforcement.
I still have to spot weld the JDM bumper support to the USDM bumper reinforcement. Otherwise, it is all done.
Sorry I don't have a pic of the finished product but it looks exactly the same as a regular JDM front. If you look really close at the pic below, you can see the white of the bumper support in the upper corners of the front grille.
You may notice that the outer edges near the corner lamps may not quite match up perfectly to the bumper cover. It may mismatch around 1/8" but is tolerable IMO. The picture above has the mismatch but you obviously cannot see it from a distance.
Re: USDM bumper reinforcement install under JDM front
^right on for the post. How much you want for it? I regret tossing my **** in the trash behind my local circuit city lol. From the pics, I guess I gotta weld the bumper cover support onto my usdm rebar. Gonna be fun. Welding my front end was a PITA.
Re: USDM bumper reinforcement install under JDM front
Originally Posted by Tekkaboy
Lucky for you I saved this on my comp a long time ago.
My ITR came with a JDM front which was both good and bad. It was good because I prefer the look compared to the USDM one. But it was bad because I was not able to compete in a stock auto-x class and my car was not up to US crash standards. I am sure that most people don't care to do this modification but I want to show that it is not at all hard to do and only requires a drill, utility knife, and simple hand tools. It should be welded also but is not required.
EDIT: the USDM bumper reinforcement bolts on directly on to the JDM radiator core support.
1. Cut off little tab from USDM plastic gusset to clear JDM bumper cover. Repeat on other side.
2. Cut off area shown. Repeat other side.
3. Install bumper cover and check for interference. Adjust if necessary.
4. Drill out spot welds from JDM upper bumper support to separate mounts from support.
5.Mount the USDM foam absorber on to the USDM bumper reinforcement. You will notice that the foam protrudes above the USDM bumper reinforcement by approx 0.25". You will need to cut this off. Draw a line on the USDM foam absorber along the top edge of the USDM bumper reinforcement. Remove the foam absorber from the USDM bumper reinforcement. Cut along the marked line. I used a bandsaw but a hacksaw or utility knife will work also. When you are finished, remount the USDM foam absorber on to the USDM bumper reinforcement. Use tape to help hold the USDM foam absorber on to the reinforcement bar.
6. Attach to JDM bumper cover and install over USDM bumper reinforcement.
I still have to spot weld the JDM bumper support to the USDM bumper reinforcement. Otherwise, it is all done.
Sorry I don't have a pic of the finished product but it looks exactly the same as a regular JDM front. If you look really close at the pic below, you can see the white of the bumper support in the upper corners of the front grille.
You may notice that the outer edges near the corner lamps may not quite match up perfectly to the bumper cover. It may mismatch around 1/8" but is tolerable IMO. The picture above has the mismatch but you obviously cannot see it from a distance.
this should seriously be stored and stickied or whatever cuz we can't lose this again! lol
Re: USDM bumper reinforcement install under JDM front
So my headlights dont line up with the bumper so well, and i dont see any good places to mount the bumper support onto the bumper bar? Any help guys? I dont like the fact that my bumper can be unbolted with two screws. Thanks.
edit: yeah. I don't see how he possibly got it to line up, and how he could manage to keep the bumper from falling off if it scrapes on anything. Any help would be greatly appreciated because I don't feel safe driving my car now since I butchered my bumper support. I guess im off to n1 to get a new one till I can figure this **** out...
ALSO, I had to trim off way more than that picture shows.
Re: USDM bumper reinforcement install under JDM front
I know I'm bringing this back from the dead but thanks for this, it helped alot. Also, def didn't take an hour more like eight-nine hours over two days, my car was being extremely difficult and I had to cut alot more off to make the bumper fit right.
Re: USDM bumper reinforcement install under JDM front
Bumper cover to headlight gap:
You may be having issues with lining up the bumper cover with the headlights because your bumper reinforcement is installed low. If you loosen the fasteners that attach the bumper reinforcement to the radiator core support, you can raise/lower the bumper reinforcement approximately 1/4"-3/8". Most people will have the bumper reinforcement in the low position because they would just hang the bumper reinforcement to the radiator core support. This also may be the reason why people have had to cut more material than I had to.
I also mentioned that the fender and bumper cover interface did not line up well. I later learned that there is a plastic insert that was missing on each fender. This piece helps align the bumper cover to the fender.
The bumper cover has held up for over 8 years of auto-x and several track days/time attacks without any readjustment. I never did tack weld the JDM bumper support to the bumper reinforcement.
Below is a more recent pic with the same bumper configuration.
Re: USDM bumper reinforcement install under JDM front
I had messed with the support for it a while, setting it to it's lowest then highest before cutting the bumper anymore than I had too, it was still way off, I even drilled the holes on the support to be able to raise it even more (instead of having four holes I drilled the space between so there was only two long holes) I ended up having to make a separate piece to put between the USDM and JDM support in order to get the bumper completely flush. I'll post pics of it tomorrow when it's not dark outside.
Re: USDM bumper reinforcement install under JDM front
Does anyone have pictures of this setup with the bumper cover off? I am trying to use the JDM bumper support with the USDM crash bar because I have my intercooler mounted to the USDM crash bar. The OP makes it seem like the JDM bumper support can sit directly on top of the USDM crash bar but from what I see it will need to be spaced upwards a bit to actually get everything lined up correctly. Any pics or details would be really helpful as I have a brand new headlight support and I don't want to destroy it.
My original plan was to mount the JDM headlight support to the top of the USDM crash bar using a couple of large sheet metal screws which would allow me to adjust the headlight support up/down by spacing it with washers but I can't mock this up until I (permanently) remove the mounting tabs from the bumper support.
Mark, I appreciate you taking the time to make such an informative video. Im sure this will be a great resource for many others too, thank you!
Do you have any more pictures of your ITR? Nice CR in the background
Re: USDM bumper reinforcement install under JDM front
Thanks for the video!
Gonna try to tackle this tomorrow.
EDIT - Ok, tackled it.
With the bumper support pushed all the way up, I was still short by about half an inch on both sides. The little lip that helps to hold up the bumper support was actually keeping it from being seated any higher so I had to hammer that flat. And I had to drill the holes downward to allow more upward placement of the support. Note the flat-tire washer on the bolt. That bolt won't fit otherwise due to the large diameter of the washer.
Otherwise, it fits pretty well. The very edge of the driver's side fender takes a bit of coaxing to get it to sit properly, so I'm thinking that the foam might be sitting incorrectly within the bumper.
Last edited by erikiksaz1; 02-22-2015 at 10:27 PM.
09-07-2008, 01:43 PM
Re: (ITR.#1446)
