Re: [DML] Re: Front Ride Height Intentions

[<delornut@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Many of the auto parts aftermarket companies along with SEMA have active 
sites to both inform and organize resistance to various states attempts to 
tighten exsisting federal rules reagding things like automobile bumpers. 
They do it to protect hobbyists, street rodders for example, so they can 
remain creative with their vehicles. I found the following at Advance Auto 
Parts web site. I think it pretty much explains where things were between 
1979 and 1982 regarding Federal expectations regarding automotive bumpers. 
Manufacturers had to do whatever it took to confine low impact damages to 
only the bumpers.

Bruce Benson



http://www.advanceautoparts.com/english/youcan/html/ccr/ccr20040701bs.html

Bumper Function

The function of the bumper is to absorb crash energy without significant 
damage to the bumper itself and no damage to the vehicle's front or rear 
end. Generally speaking, today's bumpers are made with a reinforcement bar 
of steel, aluminum, fiberglass composite or plastic with a plastic cover. 
The system includes crash absorbing mechanisms that compress on impact, such 
as polypropylene foam or plastic honeycomb. The most effective bumpers are 
positioned with distance between the reinforcement bar and the vehicle's 
sheet metal.

To guarantee that automotive bumpers worked well, the federal government 
developed safety standards in the early 1970s. The first standard prohibited 
damage to safety related equipment in low-speed, 5-mph crashes.

Prohibitive Damage 

The next phase, effective for 1979 models, PROHIBITED DAMAGE EXCEPT TO 
BUMPERS AND THEIR ATTACHMENTS IN LOW SPEED CRASHES. These standards only 
applied to passenger cars, not the generic light-truck category that 
includes pick-ups, SUVs and vans or minivans.

 BETWEEN 1980 AND 1982 THE STANDARDS GOT A LITTLE TOUGHER, PROHIBITING ALL 
BUT MINOR DAMAGE TO BUMPERS. THE AREA OF PROTECTION WAS DEFINED AS 16 TO 20 
INCHES ABOVE THE ROAD SURFACE. The automotive industry met these standards 
and in some cases exceeded it.


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