I have a 1987 Fiero that I lowered 3/4 of an inch. Problem is that it was then riding on the bumpstops. The solution is to shorten the bumpstops!

The problem is I am a really crappy welder, so I was not sure that I could effectively reweld the bumpstops when I cut them. I came up with another solution...

I found solid rubber plugs at Home depot and shaved them so they would fit.


Then, I screwed them in! (They are also "stuffed" in with a mallet and are in there good and tight, the screws were just a backup)




My questions are twofold:

1. Is this going to fail right away? Am I a total idiot for thinking this would work?

2. What are the consequences if this does fail? Am I going to do any irreversible damage?

quote Originally posted by Threedog: Is this going to fail right away? Am I a total idiot for thinking this would work?

Hard to say. I don't think Pontiac ran any tests with your modification.

quote Originally posted by Threedog: What are the consequences if this does fail? Am I going to do any irreversible damage?

If the control arm is allowed to swing too far, I imagine the shocks will bottom out and be destroyed. Worse case scenario may be the shock mounts being torn off.

I can’t imagine that happening. Even if it does fall off, it’s too big to even rotate itself within the spring. It would just sit at the bottom instead of the top..

How much is too much to take off? This will Reduce the stop by 1inch, is that too much?

quote Originally posted by Threedog: I can’t imagine that happening. Even if it does fall off, it’s too big to even rotate itself within the spring. It would just sit at the bottom instead of the top..

You can't imagine a block of rubber getting chewed all to heck? I can.

quote Originally posted by Threedog: How much is too much to take off? This will Reduce the stop by 1inch, is that too much?

When I did my research years ago for the maximum amount of front bump stop to remove from an '84-'87, it was 3/4-in.

quote Originally posted by Patrick in This thread: I cut off two complete coils from both the front and back springs of my '84. The back was fine, but the front was definitely sitting on the bump stops. Made for a rough ride! I got some assistance from Fiero club friends of mine (with welding equipment) to cut and weld the metal cones. I had read that removing 3/4" was ideal, as removing more could possibly lead to the shocks bottoming out. Not a good thing! Pictured below is a cone on my parts car to show how long it is before being shortened. The rubber bumper was removed prior to this picture, but on my '84 the rubber bumper was reinstalled after the cone had been welded back on. The metal cones are now 4.5" long.

I didn’t think about it getting chewed up, but you are right.

Okay, I’ll make sure it’s only 3/4 an inch!

quote Originally posted by Patrick: If the control arm is allowed to swing too far, I imagine the shocks will bottom out and be destroyed. Worse case scenario may be the shock mounts being torn off.

What can be done to check this is to install the shock absorber with a loose bottom bolt.

Now, carefully jack up the LCA until it stops moving (do not force too hard).

Try to remove the bottom bolt from the shock. If you can do this, it means that the shock isn't what's keeping the LCA from moving; it's the bumpstop.

Genius! I will try that.

quote Originally posted by pmbrunelle: What can be done to check this is to...

On the first Fiero that I lowered the front end on, I temporarily reassembled the suspension without the spring(s) installed. It was then pretty easy to move the suspension to the end of its travel (against the bump stops), not only checking for the shocks bottoming out, but also checking for tire/inner fender clearance in every wheel direction.

My concern with the OP's situation, is that the shocks may be perfectly safe with the block of rubber in place... but what if it falls out of place, and/or if over time it gets forced up further into the cone(s).

IIRC, the spring is at roughly the halfway point of the control arm. So the bump stop needs to be shortened by half of the suspension drop. For example, if you drop the suspension an inch, the bump stop should be shortened half an inch.

The problem with your current setup is, if the suspension hits the bump stop, that piece of rubber will get shoved up into the cone. And the part that sticks out the sides will get shaved right off. Think of a cookie cutter.

Here's an idea: Take the suspension crossmember to a muffler shop, and ask them to weld the shortened bump stops. Make sure everything is prepped and ready, so all they have to do is weld it up. It'll be just like welding exhaust pipe. Yeah, it'll be a lot of work removing the crossmember and getting it ready to weld. But the end result will be much safer than what you've got now.

Yeah, I literally just took it off so it shouldn’t be that big of a deal, I’ll just take it off.


Thanks y’all.

I lowered my car over an inch.....the car was hitting the bump-stops often, so when I rebuilt my 33 year old suspension, I picked up a spare subframe at the JY that I could rebuild and then quickly change out (Didn't go that quick- last subframe bolt broke off in the frame and took me two weeks to get a carriage bolt/plate fitted in there)

While preparing the extra subframe I shortened the bump-stops approx' 3/4".....But after installation the tires would hit the fenders....So I was able to add spacer washers to the bump-stops(Approx' 3/16") to eliminate that problem...

Explanations; I have 205/55-16 front tires- they are 24 3/4" tall (Taller than stock) and I had a lot of trouble removing and re-installing the bump-stops so when my friend was welding the bump-stop "towers" back together, I had him weld Nuts in the holes, then cut the nubs off the bump-stops and BOLTED them on(That is why I could add washers)