Vanagon Bumper & Towhitch

(sneak peek of prototype)

click on the thumbnails to see the large photos. Use the BACK button to get back to this page for more.

this the prototype bumper shown against the back of a Diesel Vanagon rear apron. The rear apron for the Diesel must stick out more toward the rear where the louvres are. There is slight interference here that wasn't there with the Gas Vanagon that I used as a buck for this piece. I would like to make caps for the bumper ends that extend forward to cover the holes in the body normally covered by the plastic caps on the original bumper.
This is another view. This end is welded closed. I would like to make a large roller that would put a slight bow in the stock to match the gradual curve of the van. Not only would the bumper assy look more integral with the van, it should take care of any interference with extended aprons.
The rear view of the bumper assy. It was not perfectly centered when I snapped this shot. The oil access hatch is not affected by the location of the bumper. In fact, the bumper could go up another inch or so without affecting it. This is a sturdy piece of metal. My father once called it a "Bridge Girder". It is quite a deterrant to tailgaters. It accepts a normal class III receiver draw bar and any attachments that are designed to be used with one. The bumper beam itself weighs about 25 to 35 lb. without end caps and brackets, compared to the original flimsy tinfoil thing weighing in at 5 lb.
This is the pass-through hitch receiver with pin installed. Notice the interference on this Diesel. As I said, it wasn't that tight on the gas model that I used to make this prototype.

This is a fair view of the receiver. The receiver bulk is on the inaccessible side of the bumper so that shins won't be mauled while walking past the back of the Van. The first prototype had a welded on drawbar intsead of this receiver setup and there were some hard feelings concerning shins in parking lots. chain hooks are from metal that was left over from the rest of the job. Keep in mind that this is just a sneak peek of a prototype.

 
This is a the rear view from undneath, as if from under and behind the bumper as it would be installed on a Vanagon. Notice that the bottom wall was spared for added strength, and the receiver just passes through.
This is how the original brackets are modified to use the "Girder". It is a large piece of steel angle welded to a cut bracket. Either holes must be drilled in the new mounting flange & in the bumper for mounting bolts, or everything welded together using a perfect Vanagon as a buck. I'm not sure which would be the better way to go. Perhaps using a welded cage to capture a floating nut plate inside the bumper would give the individual adjustability needed to mount to any Van. We'll see how it works out. I would pefer that these fit every Vanagon, even ones previously involved in minor rear-end accidents.

I have made several bumpers since then. My V6 Vanagon is wearing one now. They are very nice and extremely attractive on the back of the Van. I will post more photos here soon. -Rick

Any comments or questions? E-mail me

This page last updated by Rick Sherrod 6-15-00