Amco bar lover here. Meow
More like MEOUCH! Howād that happen?
They do have their purposes: that said, unfortunately, especially in the front, the effect of a slight tap on the AMCO bar, if it deforms bar, will almost assuredly deform the bonnet and bumper beads.
It takes more force than a āslight tapā to deform those bars. Broken bones will happen to the ātapeeā to get the bonnet involved.
āParking lot mishapā would be over 3 MPH with another car.
Just like steel-toed shoes and hardhats. Protection up to a certain point.
yuckā¦ no thanks!!!
1 Like
I didnāt hit it. Just inched it near for a photo and to un-justify everyoneās hatred towards amco bars ahaha ,Good Morning everyone.
1 Like
That would be nice, if it were the truth: my E Type had the front AMCO bar slightly tapped to the point where it just bent the bar in, bumped the nose, deformed the bumper beads, and deformed the bonnet.
There were no ābroken bonesā to any of the occupants of the Jag, because I was 10 years old when it happened, and both dad and I walked away from the AMCO bar debacle with nary a scratch!
Thatās why when I restored it, the bars went in the bin
Iām concerned with what got tapped to deform the bars over 2"? Tree? Other car? Wall? Daddy mustāve not realized where the front of the car really was.
What happens when your ābar-freeā car meets any other solid object while just barely moving. $500 worth of āblend timeā.
Iāll stick with protection-up-to-a-point.
Golly, thatās a bit presumptuous of you, isnāt it?
My dad was also a professional mechanic on E Types, and was quite aware of where the end of the bonnet was, thank you very much.
Itās from him I learned the saying, āwhere the horizon is, from the drivers seat, means thereās three feet out in front of that!ā
For your information, if you care to hear it, it was the person who "backed into the front of the car* who was unaware of it,
I will accept your apology.
Ah, the missing piece.
My most profuse apologies.
How much damage to the perpetratorās car?
(My dad started flipping cars as a pre-teen. And had a very successful auto trim business for 20+ years. But every-now-and-again, circumstances conspired to bend a panel on the car he was driving. A 1966 Pontiac 2+2 convertible couldnāt go more than a month before needing bodywork.)
Absolutely, AMCO bars were, and are, bad for an S1 E-Type. Wiggles is correct and anyone who continues to āun-justifyā oneās hatred of AMCO bars is in for a rude awakening.
AMCO bars take the shunt (minor or not) and distribute it across the entire area. If only the left or right half was injured, with them the injury is now distributed all along the entire expanse. Itās not the AMCO bar youāre worried about itās the bodywork of your S1 XKE since the entire ābumperā thing is vestigial and purely decorative (I suspect for American laws).
Youāll never convince me or Wiggles they are of any use - plus they take away from the beauty of the E-Type lines.
5 Likes
Steel toed shoes are ugly too.
1 Like
To each his own. I love the look of AMCO bars. When I was shopping for an E-Type in 1971, they were on my checklist. Plus, they make the perfect ābracketā for a custom rock chip guard. Just my .02.
1 Like
Tastes change. Iād bet back when these cars were new to their first owners, and Haan and MG Mitten were selling Amco Bars, as many people were installing them for the looks as were for any protection they offered.
Personally, I think they look good on a Series I. Not so good on a Series II and terrible on a Series III. YM, of course, MV.
2 Likes
Perhaps, perhaps, if they were painted matching body colorā¦
I do not mind them on the rear but do not like them on the front at all. I left my rear one in place but the front had to come off soon after I bought it.
David
68 E-type FHC
To me they look like a gangly teenager who just walked out of the orthodontist with a full mouthful of braces and evening headgear. The smile will be lovely years from now when theyāre removed, but while theyāre on they spoil a beautiful face. 
2 Likes
Now thatās funny!
BTW, Iāve never had a negative comment about my Amco bars, but have had a bunch of positives for the rock chip guard.
2 Likes
Ahahaha you guys crack me up. Is ok though I understand I belong to a small minority of amco lovers that is ok with me.
I also put series 2 exhausts on a series 1. (Dodging arrows!) lol
1 Like
My series 1 came with S2 exhausts. I didnāt know that for a long time, and wondered why they didnāt look like other S1