Napoleonesco Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 I hope some body shop guys are present on this forum and can help me out! Yesterday while cruising in the Caddy, I come to a stop light and the light turns green I'm thinking the guy ahead of me was about to procede but he slammed on his breaks because some idiot ran the red light and me not reacting fast enough ran into his rear. We both got out to check on our vehicles and after determining that his car had no damage done to it we said our goodbyes. My 97 Deville on the other hand has the bumper pushed in about 3 inches on the passenger side which causes the bumper cover to scrape against the tire when turning. I removed the bumper cover and found my impact absorber bumper strut to be pressed in, and I attempted to remove it so I could pull it back out by removing the two bolts i found holding it to the frame but I was unable to remove it. Does anyone know how I can remove it from the frame of the car OR simply pull it out so my bumper will no longer have a pushed in look. I no longer have full coverage on the car so I dont want to take it to the body shop for something I can do myself if possible. Any help I get will be greatly appreciated!! This is an example of the Impact Absorber Bumper strut http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cadillac-Im...bayphotohosting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jking220 Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 I hope some body shop guys are present on this forum and can help me out! Yesterday while cruising in the Caddy, I come to a stop light and the light turns green I'm thinking the guy ahead of me was about to procede but he slammed on his breaks because some idiot ran the red light and me not reacting fast enough ran into his rear. We both got out to check on our vehicles and after determining that his car had no damage done to it we said our goodbyes. My 97 Deville on the other hand has the bumper pushed in about 3 inches on the passenger side which causes the bumper cover to scrape against the tire when turning. I removed the bumper cover and found my impact absorber bumper strut to be pressed in, and I attempted to remove it so I could pull it back out by removing the two bolts i found holding it to the frame but I was unable to remove it. Does anyone know how I can remove it from the frame of the car OR simply pull it out so my bumper will no longer have a pushed in look. I no longer have full coverage on the car so I dont want to take it to the body shop for something I can do myself if possible. Any help I get will be greatly appreciated!! This is an example of the Impact Absorber Bumper strut http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cadillac-Im...bayphotohosting I remember reading about this happening to someone recently, either here or the other site. I think you just need to pull on it really hard. I would attach it (very securely, tow strap or chain) to something not likely to move (pole?) and try backing up a little. Be careful, if your strap/chain breaks, it will recoil and take out the hood/windshield. Jonah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 If you cut a block of wood to take up the excess space between the bumper flange and the frame member, I would think you could use a large pry bar to pry between the bumper flange and the block of wood. That should pop it out. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rek Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 I moved one on a friends '97 Deville by placing a 2x4 inside the wheel well and PRYING against it and the tire. If you give the pry bar a good pull, you can "Bounce" the bumper back out, with the help of the tire rebound... rek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterset Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Be sure to disable the airbags prior to any forceful attempt to pull that bumper out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 First of all, this is a safety item that should not be tampered with. I advise you to replace it, or have it replaced to maintain the design and function of that part of the crash protection functions buillt into your bumper system. That being said, if you feel the need to restore it to its original length, I'd figure out a way to use a hydraulic jack, or even a scissors jack (you have one in the trunk) to pull the two parts out in a controlled manner. Measure the other side to come up with an approximate length. Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Napoleonesco Posted June 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 I tried using a jack to move this strut and it DESTROYED the jack so my only option was to buy a new strut replacement. Thanx guys for the suggestions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 If you read the service manual, you'll find that these impact absorbers are of one time use. Once they have done they're job, they are used up and need to be replaced. Finding another good one at the junk yard would be my suggestion. You might be able to get by short term with shimming out the impact absorber but this would defeat the safety purpose of the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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