http://www.japanparts.com/db/partsli...ey=180-013-002

Seems to cheap to be the right part.

Comparing their parts drawing to the USDM one, it looks like Japan doesn't get a "crash beam"...?



- Patrick

 

It's a peice of plastic, not a crash beam at all .

 

someones gotta make a custom crash beam and make a lot of them, whoever does it is gonna get paiiiidddd

 

Why make a custom crash beam when you can re-use the stocker? You just have to modify it a bit and you're golden.

 

Is there any pictures or descriptions of exactly how the stock beam has to be modified to fit?

- Patrick

 

Yeah, a member did a short documentation on how to make it fit. His name is Sophie Sleeps I believe.

 

http://www.socalevo.net/forum/index.php?topic=48344.0

that thread goes into detail on how to mod the stock one

 

A bit? I doubt many people would call tack welding "a bit" of modification.

 

Well, sorrrrrrrrrrrry!

 

The first part is easy to do your self and if you dont have access to a welder take it to a shop and have them weld it. Simple as that. Max you'll pay is 50 bucks compare to 200+ for a fabricated one. I'll be doing this in a few months. Thanks.

 

How many more times are we going to go through this! Give it up people...if you get a JDM rear, you lose your crash beam and insurance most likely will not cover a dime of any subsequent repair that might be needed. It's not even worth the risk with a "modded" USDM beam....also, why would you want something that's not even functional?

 

If the rear impact is hard enough, the JDM bumper will most likely be mangled to the point of hard recognition. Also, the crash beam is there.. They can't say, "Oohh.. I think you modified this bumper." If the crash beam is there.. it's there!

 

That won't matter when it fails because it's been cut up to make room for a better looking bumper, which also won't matter when you're hit.

I have serious trouble comprehending why people do what they do for looks. "I took out all my airbags, but look at my sick wheel and carbon dash!"

 

When your car is primarily a race car, heavy 5mph bumper crash beams and airbags don't make much of a difference.

But sure, I don't understand why people do it just for looks.

- Patrick

 

Even if insurance wouldn't cover it. and that's a big "IF". I want the crash beam in there for the protection aspect of it. The crash beam is designed to take an impact in the center of the rear, and spread it to the two side box sections of the unibody. Sure, in a 40+ MPH crash, these box sections would be totaled as well, but I don't want the corner of a truck, hitting the rear of my car in a diagonal, and tearing through the flimsy sheet metal in the center of the rear of my car. I want that bar there to spread the load to the stronger parts of the car. that are designed to take the load.

Also, if done right, this will look factory enough within the carnage of a wrecked car, that the adjuster would never notice... hell, I've never seen an insurance adjuster do anything but glance at the damage and take a quick snapshot.

Besides... In a rear-end collision, the person at fault (typically the car in the rear), has a responsibility to bring the claimant's car back to the status it was prior to the accident. That means if they have a USDM bumper to replace it with a USDM bumper. if it has a JDM bumper, with a JDM bumper. If there was cool-whip on the back... they replace it with cool whip.

The crash beam is not for insurance damage mitigation purposes... it's to meet federally mandated damage criteria.

Now, if you backed into a pole at 5MPH, and did damage to your trunk, trunk floorpan, rear pannel... then your insurance may give you crap and not cover the damage because your actions directly led to excessive damages, and you were solely responsible.

Quick story on insurance repairs:

I had a RMM front bumper on my 94 Supra with a Carbon Fiber hood. I was in an accident that did nearly 15K in damage to the car. I was at fault. Took it to my body shop which was a State Farm Service First body shop... meaning that they are authorized to do estimates and repairs without State Farm's involvement. And after 6 weeks, I got my Supra back... with a RMM front bumper, and a Carbon Fiber hood.

Get a good insurance policy, from a good company, and get a good body shop. You will have no problems. In fact, all modifications to my car are covered with my insurance policy. So if I am in an accident, I not only get the ACV for the car, I also get my modifications back in cash. I just have to keep sending receipts and pictures to my agent to keep in my file.