Early add on RAM protection?

[splitjunkie]

When I got my split window it had a very funky front bumper.

Obviously not original to my car but a later one with Euro guards and a funky over rider that bolted on the top of the guards and the front of the bumper.

Given the crudeness of it I just assumed it was a backyard type of modification.

Today Charmaine mentioned that the over riders on her bumpers on her '54 attached the same way as mine. I looked in her gallery and her front bumper looks almost identical to the one I had.

Mine was very rusty and the chrome was long gone from my over rider if it ever had any as was the rest of the bumper but Charmaine's are chrome plated so hers don't look as home made.

So did two different people in different countries come up with the same idea or was this some sort of aftermarket add on RAM solution? Perhaps something that would have been sold at JC Whitney?
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Chris

You know, a lot of these scratches will buff right out... Jerry Seinfeld

[Trevor P]

The one in your pic looks just like hers. I'm convinced that these were a dealer or possibly aftermarket accessory and not homemade. Seeing the bends of the tubes in person I noted that they are symmetrical and the chrome looks comparable to the original bumpers on the car.

Whether these are the Ram protection M-code I'm not sure but I wouldn't be surprised. Did she mention if hers has that M-code on the BC of the car?
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53 Canadian standard oval
56 Wolfsburg PG/SG
57 Oval, 2332 & Berg 5
70 911T
91 Westy

[splitjunkie]

This is what she had to say about it.

[TheLadyBug]

Wow I'm smiling right now. Hehe.

Hope these pictures help.

I've tried to research on my own what the extra m-codes are to no avail. Some of them make no sense based on what others have said.
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Charmaine
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1954 Beetle - because I can
2016 Golf highline - hubby’s daily
2016 Golf R - my daily

[Mr. OGPaint]

I have an October 1954 issue of Consumers Reports and the oval window they are testing is on the cover of this issue. It has RAM protection, but it is the more common type of overriders we are all familiar. So, in October of 54 the factory RAM protection is already as we are used to normally seeing.

Perhaps this type you have is either older, a dealer add, or aftermarket
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https://instagram.com/mr.ogpaint
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Patrick Hall

[Jrb572]

Any VW markings on them. You know they or who made them normally likes to mark there stuff. I like them I think there neat.

[splitjunkie]

thanks for those new pictures. I wish I hadn't thrown mine out when I moved. The bumper was totally rusted and since I thought it was home made I didn't see any reason to keep it. If I remember correctly it was bent the same way as yours. I had a bend in the middle just like yours rather than being curved.

I could probably get a lot of money for it now from someone wanting it for a patina looker

I don't believe they were factory but obviously were an aftermarket part either from VW or third party and probably were only made for a few years at the most. I just can't see VW having made such a crude part so I think they were most likely a third party accessory.
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Chris

You know, a lot of these scratches will buff right out... Jerry Seinfeld

[TheLadyBug]

Well, they're not going back on my car as I prefer the look of the factory plain blade and guards.

Such strange timing to discuss this as I dragged them out of my attic last night to get the spacers off. They've been tucked away for over a year.


The finish on them appears to match as Trevor mentioned above.
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Charmaine
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1954 Beetle - because I can
2016 Golf highline - hubby’s daily
2016 Golf R - my daily

[splitjunkie]

The funny thing about mine is that you can see a carriage bolt filling the hole on the passenger side of the bumper where the factory over rider bolt hole is. It was a later bumper that was already set up for RAM but for whatever reason the PO used it in conjunction with the euro guards and this bolt on over rider. I think these over riders would fall under the rarest of the rare category.
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Chris

You know, a lot of these scratches will buff right out... Jerry Seinfeld

[René R.]

[empiracer]

I got the birth certificate for my March '55 Vert and it came with the M107 Bumpers with guards "Ram protection", currently its fitted with euro bumpers but I am considering putting the ram protection bumpers on ....... anyways I wondering if anyone has photos from accessory booklets / catalogs, or old photos showing the original ram protection bumpers

[splitjunkie]

By '55 the RAM protection would have been the standard overrider bumpers that were used through '67. Does your car have the overrider holes? It should if it came from the factory with overriders.

Until we find documentation on these bolt on over riders in this thread they will remain a mystery as to their origin.
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Chris

You know, a lot of these scratches will buff right out... Jerry Seinfeld

[splitjunkie]

[empiracer]

That photo is great, Thanks for posting .... Its just what I was hoping to see.

[splitjunkie]

Link to a better picture and the article.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=642768
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Chris

You know, a lot of these scratches will buff right out... Jerry Seinfeld

[TheLadyBug]

Since I'm not going to be putting my original bumpers back on the car; I am curious if anyone could offer some insight as to fair market value for the overrider tubes as pictured?

Thanks.
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Charmaine
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1954 Beetle - because I can
2016 Golf highline - hubby’s daily
2016 Golf R - my daily

[txoval]

Unfortunately I have no idea how much, but let me know and I'd be interested.

Unfortunately chrome plating is so expensive now, it will probably cost ~$200 to have those pieces repaired.