69 Charger Push Bar

[69fourspd]

Anyone ever install a push bar on their 2nd Gen without destroying the frame to mount? I have base/clear on the entire undercarriage and do not want to weld any brackets and preferably not drill the front frame to mount.  Can the bumper bracket mounts be used with a fabricated plate to mount a push bar? Looking for ideas to do this - car is almost done and do not want to hack it just for the push bar..... Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

[Dino]

Yes you could make brackets that fit factory holes, but when you look under the front of the car, you're choices are pretty limited.  The good news is that it if need not be functional, it does not have to be structural as one on a squad car.  You may be able to use the front cross member but let me ask you this, how do you plan on attaching it to the bumper?  To limit damaging the chrome you would need padding between push bar and bumper and a way to secure it with even pressure such as a clamp that runs from the bar towards the rear lip of the bumper.  You'd also run it under the bumper to keep it out of sight.

If you need it structural then you have no choice but to distribute the force and then you need it on the rails.  Brackets will still work but when you clamp anything on painted steel, it will get damaged.  The force will simply crack it.  The padded version for the looks is your better option as you can have padding between the bar and paint and you don't need to apply as much clamping force.  If you make the push bar out of aluminum, then you definitely have the least damaging option available...unless you can make one out of Styrofoam!   

[Cooter]

Although my bumper is original, my own push bar has clamps that are adjustable to clamp over the bumper.

[Mike DC]

Narrow GL pushbar -

It can be attached to the pair of factory bumper bolt holes just outside the license plate "walrus teeth."  It's only two mounting points but they are two strong ones.  The TV show was welding the pushbar's vertical side plates onto the chrome bumper in basically the same area.  

Beware of the lower ends of that pushbar whacking the ground and bending things up.  They switched over to the wider pushbar on the TV show for good reason.  If I was running a small pushbar on a street replica I would not have the bottom of the pushbar shaped like they did on TV.  I'd either cut and weld the 1/4" plate to redo the area, or maybe just cut away the bottom 1/3rd of the side plates entirely.  (The TV crew eventually started cutting away the bottoms of the side plates on jump-cars in order to clear the takeoff ramps).

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Wide GL pushbar (except 2000s movie style) -  

On TV this pushbar was originally welded right onto the chrome bumper too.  The leading edge of the chrome bumper right in the center (above the license plate) was touching the back side of the lower pushbar tube, and they ran a weld bead right there.  The pushbar's lower "legs" (side plating) stretched underneath and welded onto the car's unibody rails behind the factory bumper bracketing, below the battery area.  

For a street replica you can use the factory bolt holes in the chrome bumper for the license plate bracket - just make a flat plate sticking horizontally out off the back of the lower pushbar tube, and drill 3 holes to match.  The factory holes in the chrome bumper will need some enlarging to use decent size bolts for the heavy pushbar but that's about the worst of it.

As for the lower legs, I've seen people weld up steel bracketing to attach them to the factory bumper brackets, the bracket holes in the unibody, or even the front two K-frame mounting bolts.  I would probably elect to fab & weld some brackets onto the factory's bumper supports just below the unibody attachment points, or something like that.      

[Indygenerallee]

I have laser cut early Narrow pushbars for sale.. $100 for both uprights you just have to supply the tube and weld it up.

[69fourspd]

Thanks for the input everyone.  I think I will try to create a bracket which I can bolt to the bumper brackets.  I dont need it to be very structural, just solid. I will also bolt to the bumper as suggested. 

I am actually looking for a wide style pushbar, but appreciate the offer on the narrow.