hello slantsixers- this may have been covered before, if so i may have missed it. after 73 which had rubber bumper blocks on the bumpers, mopar at least in a bodies, put shock absorbing cylinders on the frame behind the bumpers to minimize low speed collision damage i think. i thought these had coil springs or hydraulic cylinders and returned to the regular position after a hit. apparently this is not the case and when pushed in the bumper cylinders stay pushed in and the bumper is cockeyed. am i correct? if so is the remedy to replace the cylinder and pull the bumper out or is there a simple fix(ie- somehow re extend the cylinder with a cheater,etc)? if not wondering about the availability ofreplacement cylinders- bet they cost serious gold. thanks . bob fisher

The "bumper shock" (or "impact energy absorber") appeared up front for '73, in back as well for '74. It is a one-use-only device that cannot readily be restored, though perhaps there is (or was) a way to rebuild them on a large industrial scale. If you need a replacement, try www.car-part.com .

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

The one and only time I had occasion to test one (the front bumper of my Grandmother's 74 Dart met the rear bumper of my '73 Satellite- don't ask, cuz I won't tell :-p), a good swift kick to the end of the bumper of the Dart on the side where it was compressed made it pop right back out. I might have had to pull on it to get it back out the last eigth of an inch or so.

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hello 440 and sl6 dan- interesting thought to give a swift kick to a bumper end and the compressed absorber may pop out. what about attaching a come along(also called a fence tightener) to the bumper end, the other end to tree or other vehicle and gently and slowly pulling the bumper end out and even. hope that doesnt sound too rube goldbergish. do either of you sages know what is inside the cylinder? all i can think of is a long steel angle iron bent in a Z shape to compress once. thanks for your continuing advice. bob fisher

Oops, I posted wrongly before; in the '70s Chrysler used self-returning sprung hydraulic bumper shocks, basically a specialised modification of the same theory used on suspension shock absorbers. They are meant to return to the extended condition after impact. They might not actually do so (or maybe not without help) because it can be decades between impacts sufficiently strong to cause the piston to move, and they can seize up, or there can be enough corrosion or rustproofing buildup on the impact absorber's body that they don't move well any more.

Nowtimes, bumpers tend to be made with layers of structural styrofoam(!) and flexible plastic covers to meet the impact-resistance requirements of 2½ mph (US) 5 mph (Canada), so bumper shocks are obsolete.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.