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houseoffunn
Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2004
Posts: 61
Location: Outer Banks, NC
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 Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 8:43 am Post subject: Front Bumper mount holes |
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I'm in the process of building a small slide in luggage rack for the front of my Thing and have a couple of questions.
First, has anyone ever built a carrier that would slide into the rectangular bumper mount openings?
Second, inside the bumper mounts there is a cross pin installed on each mount. What is it for?
What I am trying to design would be removable, kind of like the carriers that you see on the back of trucks/SUV's that slide into the trailer hich mount.
Any help appreciated. |
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bucko
Samba Member
Joined: December 09, 2004
Posts: 2617
Location: Coppell, Texas
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| Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 1:48 pm Post subject: |
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"Second, inside the bumper mounts there is a cross pin installed on each mount. What is it for? "
Can you post a pic of this? Not sure I know what you mean. |
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Ferretkona
Samba Member
Joined: December 03, 2005
Posts: 1306
Location: Columbia, CA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 2:20 pm Post subject: Re: Front Bumper mount holes |
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| houseoffunn wrote: |
I'm in the process of building a small slide in luggage rack for the front of my Thing ,,,,,,,, What I am trying to design would be removable, kind of like the carriers that you see on the back of trucks/SUV's that slide into the trailer hich mount.
Any help appreciated. |
Why not make a 2" receiver to mount behind the front bumper? You could use the carriers that are already made for the receivers and use it front and rear. Bicycle racks, fuel can racks, a removable winch! Winches are sold mounted to 2" mounts to use front and rear, lock in the garage during the off season. Using the holes in the bumper is a cool idea, but the carrier would be limited to the Thing only. |
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houseoffunn
Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2004
Posts: 61
Location: Outer Banks, NC
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| Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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The pins are inside of each of the two bumper mounting arms, close to the front of the bumper and running across from side to side. It's about 2 or 3 inches long by 1/4 inch and appears to be some kind of attachment point for something. Maybe this car had the rubber guards and the pins held them on?
Thanks again for your help. |
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markie61
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2005
Posts: 583
Location: Northern Virginia
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| Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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Here is a design for a REAR trailer hitch that uses the existing bumper bolts. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=320835 The same concept could be adapted to the front bumper and a box receiver.
If you are talking about the two square holes on the face of the bumper that each have a piece of roundstock bisecting them horizontally....I am not sure what their designed intent was. I have seen them used frequently on military Things as anchor points for ropes. My bumper overriders are installed through a single hole drilled through the bumper. Some other types of overriders may be installed there however.
If this is not what you are referring to, it was probably a previous owner mod that lost its purpose.
Mark
_________________
Whut is that-there Thang!?
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Chicks dig my Thing - so what if it's little and yellow...!? |
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ztnoo
Samba Member
Joined: March 23, 2005
Posts: 801
Location: Indiana
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| Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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houseoffunn,
I think you are "spot on". We don't have any here on the three vehicles holed up in the barn here in Hoosierville, and I've never seen any "in the flesh", but it sure makes sense to me.
Here's what I've been able to round up from my album of Things shots lifted off the net.
My vote: holes for bumper overriders.
Tim Gud can probably speak to this with authority.....he listed a set in Classifieds several months back.
Here's some pics:
[/img]http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=308111[img]
[/img]http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=308112[img]
[/img]http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=308113[img][/img] |
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ztnoo
Samba Member
Joined: March 23, 2005
Posts: 801
Location: Indiana
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houseoffunn
Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2004
Posts: 61
Location: Outer Banks, NC
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| Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks everyone for the replys.
As to taking a generic rear hitch reciever as mentioned and fabing a custom mount for it, that wouldn't be too hard but it would leave the receiver joint there all the time. The orginal idea was to use the existing stock front bumper rectangular holes as insert points so that when not in use, the carrier could be removed and hung up on the wall. I think either one would work though.
Has anyone seen this done? |
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bucko
Samba Member
Joined: December 09, 2004
Posts: 2617
Location: Coppell, Texas
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| Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 6:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Those "pins" that run horizontal in the square hole are for towing of the vehicle, if it got stuck in sand. The military versions came with an eyelet that mounted in these pins for that purpose. |
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Towel Rail
Horizontally Opposed
Joined: April 15, 2005
Posts: 4622
Location: SE CR IA US NA PE
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| Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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You got close, Steve. 
Am I mistaken, or are those Bug overriders on the middle one?
_________________
1974 Thing -- under the knife
1967 Beetle -- spring/summer/fall driver
1996 Subaru OBW (EJ22, 5-speed, AWD) -- winter car, 3-seasons "don't feel like biking today" car
049 > 070 > 053 > 009 |
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Ian Epperson
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2005
Posts: 2262
Location: Alameda, CA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Towel Rail wrote: |
Am I mistaken, or are those Bug overriders on the middle one? |
Those are the exact same ones I had on my Thing before I changed out to the tube bumpers. Note that the hole that's being described is visible (like mine was) - these overriders don't cover it. |
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markie61
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2005
Posts: 583
Location: Northern Virginia
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| Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:29 am Post subject: |
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| Ian Epperson wrote: |
| Those are the exact same ones I had on my Thing before I changed out to the tube bumpers. Note that the hole that's being described is visible (like mine was) - these overriders don't cover it. |
The orange car's overriders are the ones I have too. They don't cover the towing holes like the other tow cars' overriders seem too and perfectly match the bumper cross profile. Interesting the different overriders: my set looks like B cups while others look like D's .... 
Mark
_________________
Whut is that-there Thang!?
------------------------------
Chicks dig my Thing - so what if it's little and yellow...!? |
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markie61
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2005
Posts: 583
Location: Northern Virginia
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| Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:38 am Post subject: |
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| houseoffunn wrote: |
Thanks everyone for the replys.
As to taking a generic rear hitch reciever as mentioned and fabing a custom mount for it, that wouldn't be too hard but it would leave the receiver joint there all the time. The orginal idea was to use the existing stock front bumper rectangular holes as insert points so that when not in use, the carrier could be removed and hung up on the wall. I think either one would work though.
Has anyone seen this done? |
Never seen it done, but I don't get out much... 
I think this would be a great idea. You could turn these holes into mini-receivers by cutting out the bumper's pins and using the front bumper bolt to anchor it into place. Or, you might be able to cut a long notch and preserve the stock pins. Brilliant! 
Besides increasing carrying space, keeping cargo weight up front and close to (or below) the axle line certainly could enhance vehicle stability by lowering the center of gravity.
Mark
_________________
Whut is that-there Thang!?
------------------------------
Chicks dig my Thing - so what if it's little and yellow...!? |
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Video Bob
Samba Member
Joined: November 03, 2005
Posts: 261
Location: Bishop, GA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:00 am Post subject: |
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| Examine the over riders on the orange Thing and it says VWOA. It was an original optional equip. The large ones are later units made available by the Thing Shop. Yes the cross pins are for towing. They don't look very practical though. :lol: |
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houseoffunn
Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2004
Posts: 61
Location: Outer Banks, NC
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| Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:23 am Post subject: |
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Agreed, the pins don't appear to be strong enough to be of much assistance. My thought was to remove them in order to make the bumper openings a reciever point for the carrier.
As to a proper towing attachment point in the front, installing a hook mounted under the bumper mounting points to the body might be an option, using longer bolts to go through both the bumper mounts and the hook mount.
Any ideas on that? |
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