1996 FORD MUSTANG GT BUMPER ENERGY ABSORBER REPLACEMENT

 SO YOU CRASHED YOUR 1996 MUSTANG

Location of the EAs behind bumper bar

Replacing the bumper and energy absorbers in a 96 mustang is not as bad as you might think.  So your daughter rear ended a pickup truck and now the front of the mustang is screwed.  No problem!  There are lots of parts available and if you have patience and the Zen attitude, you mustang will be on the road soon.  But first you need to make sure the front bumper stays on and correctly oriented.  To do this the energy absorbers will have to be replaced and new ones welded in.  Its not that hard and and can be done at home.

Insertion of new EA

Hole of old EA and corresponding welds

 

The EA's are spot welded to the frame of the car so you will have to drill them out.  Be careful, because there are a couple of hidden welds on the side of the EA where it fits into the frame hole.  The rest are outside and clearly visible. A nice chisel helps to break them once they have been weakened  by the drill.  Take your time, its a process.  If you find that the hidden welds are too hard to drill out (because they are on the sides of the frame, then take a huge hammer and hit the EA up and down until the weld breaks.  It will come off eventually and then you are home free!  The key here is taking time to remove the welds and then tacking a new weld on to hold the EA. 

Here you can see the new EA tack welded in and then primed to prevent rust.