Upper Front Bumper Rubber

[murramor]

I have seen pictures of cars without the upper rubber strip on the front bumper.  What is involved in deleting it as I think the car looks 'cleaner' without it? What does it conceal? Does it perform any useful function?

I have most of the panels off the car at the moment so I can't experiment and I would be interested in any comments that you may have.  I am, at present, in the process of assembling both front and rear bumpers off the car.

regards
Ron Murrell
Sydney, Australia

[TELBOY]

Hi Ron, I am in the process or "putting my Murena back together" after quite a comprehensive restore. Both of the Top bumber rubbers on my cars (I used one car as a doner) were held on by double sided tape so easily removed. I don't know what actual purpose thety serve apart from asthetics. excep that on the bumper there are rubber domes to prevent both the light and bonnet from resting on the bumper. As a result the lights and bonnet do not fit flush with the bumper. Also the top part of the bumper is flat so (just a guess) prevents the rush of wind when travelling from forcing the lights and bonnet upwards.

[murramor]

Thanks for the pictures.  I can see that the fit would be bad without some fibreglass work if I deleted the strip.  As the panels have already been painted, it looks like I will have to bite the bullet and fit the upper rubber.
regards
Ron

[roy4matra]

I have seen pictures of cars without the upper rubber strip on the front bumper.  What is involved in deleting it as I think the car looks 'cleaner' without it? What does it conceal? Does it perform any useful function?

If you leave the rubber strip off, the air will go through the gaps and under the bonnet and head light pods.  Dirt will also enter and especially in poor weather conditions the state underneath the bonnet and pods will be worse.  The air entering will also create a tendency to try to lift them.  Another aspect is that the air flow with the strip in place, gets lifted slightly and the bonnet and more importantly the screen stays cleaner.  This I can verify having driven a car without the strip compared to how I know my own performs.  Only larger heavier objects get through this airflow.  So for instance smaller flying insects in the daytime, moths at night, etc. tend to go straight over the car whilst something such as a bumble bee would probably hit the screen.

I have most of the panels off the car at the moment so I can't experiment and I would be interested in any comments that you may have.  I am, at present, in the process of assembling both front and rear bumpers off the car.

regards
Ron Murrell
Sydney, Australia

Personally I also believe the car looks better with it on.  Without it there is a step up from the bumper slope at the bonnet edge, which looks bad.  There was another bumper made by a thirdy party, not the factory, which had the slope altered to blend in with the bonnet and pods, which looked OK.

Roy

[matramurena]

I am not sure if I have an original bumper or an aftermarket one, but I find that the bumper aligns perfectly with the headlightcovers on mine. My guess is it is not the original bumper or the bumper is mounted a bit more further back so that it aligns with the bonnet without the rubber strip in between. Only thing is the gap between bumer and side-panels is a bit large. (looking even worse now since the paint chipped off on the edge of the side-panel)

[suffolkpete]

Looks like an aftermarket one to me.

[matramurena]

Yes I think so too. Especially because of the lack of the rubber strip at the front as well. I guess the original bumper would lok odd if the front strip was removed.

However, I don't think this bumper is any part of a body kit such as Lamm or Fleismann and it looks the same as the original (isn't lower or anything) . So I guess the only reason someone made these is to get rid of the rubber strips.

[TELBOY]

Def after market. Still like it though

[northmurena]

There were never made an after-market-bumper without the rubbers. Only the F3-Fleischmann-kit came directly from the manufaturer with a "redesigned" front w/o rubbers. But this front-bumper was also more wide and with the front-spoiler as a complete unit.
But it was very common in the 80´s that the people take off all the rubbers ( or only the top one ) on the origin bumpers and "reshaped" it with resin and glass-fibre. 

[matramurena]

So there's your answer Ron. You could do it with glassfiber yourself and it is possible to get it nicely fitting the bonnet and headlamp-covers.

[Jon Weywadt]

I am not sure if I have an original bumper or an aftermarket one, but I find that the bumper aligns perfectly with the headlightcovers on mine. My guess is it is not the original bumper or the bumper is mounted a bit more further back so that it aligns with the bonnet without the rubber strip in between. Only thing is the gap between bumer and side-panels is a bit large. (looking even worse now since the paint chipped off on the edge of the side-panel)

I am curious to what make of side mirrors you have? Those in the photos are not original.

[matramurena]

They are mirrors designed by Carjoy, I beleive from the 90s. They used them on the Murena Perestroika.

[northmurena]

Close to, Martijn, close to.....

The Kierena ( from KIEfer and MuRENA) , later known as Perestroika was designed in the 80´s. I´m not sure what year it was exactly, would need to check some old invoices, but i think it  was 1986, when i saw the prototype. Definately it was before 1990 because i have an old cataloque from january 1989 from the company Kiefer, Blieskastel, Germany. The Kierena / Perestroika is already in there. The kit was listed there for 12000 Deutsche Mark plus mirrors, plus rear-hatch plus...plus...plus

[matramurena]

Turns out to be 89.

http://carjoy.nl/about.asp?idproject=1&action=project

But I am not 100% sure the mirrors came at the same time as the Perestroika. Maybe they were already develloped before and used on the Perestroika project as well.

[speed pete]

the Kirena / Perestroyka was introduced 18- 10 -1988. I was there and have some pictures ( not digital ) of the introduction. Andreiko van Koeverden, owner of the Dutch company Carjoy (he had Russian roots ) did the introduction.

My personal opinion is that the Fleischmann F3 is much nicer and not so extreme as the Kirena. first  you do not notice that it is another Murena, but then you are triggered by its size .
The Kirena-kit makes the Murena too short in appearance and looks more like a kitcar.

Overigens sta ik altijd weer te kijken hoe strak je Murena is , Martijn,  compliment !